Tteutgogi (뜯고기), Yongsan — pork ribs you tear off the bone
TL;DR
- Pork ribs, half meat half bone, pre-grilled so they hit your table nearly done.
- You eat with two layers of gloves and tear the meat off. Hence the name — tteut means “tear.”
- Popular. Arrive by 5pm on weekdays or expect 60–90 minutes. Groups of four wait longest.
Key facts
| Address | 30-16 Hangang-daero 7-gil, Yongsan-gu (1F) |
| Nearest stations | Yongsan (Line 1, KTX) or Sinyongsan (Line 4), about 10 min on foot |
| Hours | 11:30–22:00, until 23:00 Fri–Sun |
| Booking | Remote queue via the Tabling app, or put your name down in person |
| Parking | None. Use the Yongsan Station / I’Park Mall garage and walk |
| Cash / card | Card is fine |
Why this place
It sits in an old alley between the two stations that locals call Baekbin crossing (백빈건널목) or the “ttaeng-ttaeng” street, after the railway crossing bell. Brick houses, narrow lanes, and a redevelopment plan hanging over it. The restaurant is a small house converted into a grill room — drum-barrel tables, an exhaust duct over each one, glass walls so it doesn’t feel as old as it is.
Ribs are cut so one side is bone and the other is meat. They’re grilled once outside before they reach you, which means you barely wait at the table and the meat doesn’t burn: the bone side takes the heat.
What to order
- Tteutgogi set — the ribs. One set feeds roughly two.
- Salt tteutgogi / soy-marinated tteutgogi — same cut, two seasonings. Order both if you’re four.
- Hangjeong skin (항정껍데기) — pork jowl with the skin left on, served as one connected piece rather than chopped.
- Steamed egg (계란찜) — cheap, good between bites.
How it works
You get a pair of cotton work gloves and a pair of plastic gloves. Plastic on top of cotton. Pick up the rib by the bone and tear. Sauces on the tray: ssamjang, a turmeric-yellow salt, a spicy one. The pickled radish strips are mildly hot and cut the fat.
Tips for visitors
- Weekday evenings fill up around 6pm. Come at 5 if you can.
- If the wait is long, the owner may call to tell you how many parties are ahead — you can go get a coffee.
- Your clothes will smell like the grill despite the ducts. Bring a spare layer if that bothers you.
- Celebrity signatures cover one wall; a poster outside mentions a well-known Korean food YouTuber. The place is genuinely popular, not just photogenic.
Sample guide. Full photos and a longer version are coming in the next migration pass.