Steakhouses›Steakhouses in Seoul›Mongtan
Korean BBQ · Samgakji · Seoul
Mongtan
Rice straw over charcoal in the kitchen. A hot plate at the table. Mongtan, in Yongsan, cooks its beef rib in two fires, and the staff work both.
OpenNot yet visited · facts from 8 sourcesNo paid rankings
By Silas Brand · Steakpedia editorial voice · Who writes
Why go01
Go for jipbul-gui, straw-fire grilling. The founders named the house after Mongtan-myeon, a village in South Jeolla they reached while travelling the country for an aroma of their own. There they learned the rural habit of grilling meat over straw left from the harvest, and reworked it as jipbul-gui. The room is a jeoksan gaok, a house from the Japanese colonial period, about 100 years old. Korean television keeps coming back: Tasty Guys (맛있는 녀석들) in 2021, 줄서는식당2 and 토요일은 밥이 좋아 in 2024. CatchTable shows a Blue Ribbon Seoul 2027 badge.
What to order02
Udae-galbi (우대갈비)- Jipbul hangjeongsal (짚불항정살)
- Mongtan yukhoe (몽탄육회)
02What to order
- Udae-galbi (우대갈비)Whole, long bone-in beef rib, marinated; Lady Iron Chef gave the piece as 280 g. ₩37,000 a portion, two portions minimum. The Infatuation describes it wrapped in marinated grated radish and dipped in a perilla-leaf pesto.
- Jipbul hangjeongsal (짚불항정살)Pork jowl through the same straw fire, ₩18,000.
- Mongtan yukhoe (몽탄육회)Raw Hanwoo boseopsal, rump cap, 150 g, ₩27,000.
- Yangpa-bokkeumbap (양파볶음밥)Onion fried rice, ₩6,000. Staff press the meat juices, rice, onion and corn onto the plate until it crusts, per The Infatuation.
03The beef
The rib is udae-galbi: a long, whole rib on the bone, which the house presents as the top part of the beef rib. The brand's online shop sells its packaged udae-galbi as US beef, 85 % of the product, marinated; the sources do not give the origin of the rib served in the restaurant. The yukhoe is Hanwoo boseopsal. No grade is published.
04The fire
Organic rice straw. A cage grill. Trained cooks smoke the rib by hand over burning straw, in the kitchen, with charcoal underneath. Then the staff finish it at the table on a hot plate and cut it into pieces. You do not cook here. The straw gives the smoke; the plate gives the crust on the cut faces. Order the udae-galbi.
05The story
Mongtan-myeon lies in Muan County, South Jeolla; CatchTable describes the house as reinterpreting a traditional method from there. The sign reads 夢炭, dream and charcoal, and the brand also signs as Mongtan Jipbul-gui. It is run by Mekoi Co., which also sells the rib online. It was already open in September 2021, when it appeared on Tasty Guys, episode 343.
06The practical
No reservations, no timed slots. From 11:00 you sign up at the CatchTable machine at the door and go in by turn; The Infatuation calls the wait of hours part of the experience, and in 2023 Lady Iron Chef reported queues from 10:00, waits of 2–3 hours and 10 minutes to come back once called. Ground floor 12:00–22:00, last order 21:00; upstairs 12:30–21:00, last order 20:00; no afternoon break. 50 Baekbeom-ro 99-gil, Yongsan-gu, a walk from Samgakji station, exit 8. Tel. 02-794-8592. CatchTable gives ₩10,000–40,000 a head. Corkage ₩20,000 for wine, ₩30,000 for whisky. High chairs available. Be there at 11:00.
- Address
- 50 Baekbeom-ro 99-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
- Phone
- +82 2-794-8592
- Website
- app.catchtable.co.kr
- Directions
- Google Maps ↗
Does Mongtan take reservations?
No. From 11:00 you join the queue at the CatchTable machine at the restaurant and enter in order; waits of hours are common.
How is the beef rib cooked at Mongtan?
It is smoked over organic rice straw in a cage grill in the kitchen, with charcoal underneath, then finished by the staff on a hot plate at the table.
How much is the udae-galbi?
₩37,000 a portion, with a minimum of two portions, on the CatchTable menu updated 17 October 2026.
Where is Mongtan?
At 50 Baekbeom-ro 99-gil, Yongsan-gu, a walk from exit 8 of Samgakji station. Tel. 02-794-8592.
07In Seoul’s selections
08Sources
theinfatuation.com · ladyironchef.com · app.catchtable.co.kr · app.catchtable.co.kr · goodgnimg.godohosting.com · goodgnimg.godohosting.com · goodgnimg.godohosting.com · mongtan.co.kr
Last verified 25 Oct 2026.