How to Eat Korean BBQ — Cuts in English, Grilling, Prices & Phrases

How it works

Pick pork or beef. Most BBQ restaurants specialise. Pork places serve belly, neck and ribs; beef places cost more, and Korean beef (hanwoo, 한우) costs the most.
Order by the serving (인분). Meat is priced per serving, and many places ask for at least two servings to start. Some menus also show the weight of a serving.
The extras come free. Lettuce and perilla leaves for wrapping, garlic, green chillies, ssamjang, kimchi and a dipping plate arrive with the meat, and refills are free. Some places have a self-service bar (셀프바).
Grill. Staff often put the first round on the grill and cut the meat into pieces with scissors. Cook pork until no pink is left; thin beef such as chadolbaegi needs only seconds.
Wrap it (쌈, ssam). Hold a lettuce or perilla leaf, add a piece of meat, garlic and a dab of ssamjang, fold it and eat it in one bite.
Dip. Plain grilled meat goes into sesame oil with salt and pepper (기름장); wraps get ssamjang.
Ask for a new grill plate when it gets charred: 불판 갈아 주세요.
Finish with a meal (식사). Many people end with cold noodles, soybean paste stew with a bowl of rice (공기밥), or fried rice made on the grill — look for the 식사 part of the menu.
Pay at the counter on the way out. There is no tipping.

Pork cuts in English

Korean butchers divide the pig differently from American or British ones, so some cuts have no exact English name. These are the names you will see on menus.

Korean	Say it	In English	What it is
삼겹살	samgyeopsal	Pork belly	The classic: layers of fat and meat — the name means “three layers”.
오겹살	ogyeopsal	Pork belly with skin	Belly with the skin left on, so the layers make five.
목살	moksal	Pork neck and shoulder (collar)	Meat from the neck and upper back — leaner and chewier than belly. The nearest US cut is the Boston butt.
항정살	hangjeongsal	Pork jowl	From the back of the neck towards the shoulder — finely marbled, with a crunchy bite. A pig gives only about 200–400 g.
가브리살	gabeurisal	Pork cap muscle (loin cap)	A small cut where the neck meets the loin — tender and juicy. Its official name is 등심덧살; a pig gives only about 200–400 g.
갈매기살	galmaegisal	Pork skirt (diaphragm)	The thin diaphragm muscle — lean, tender and often compared to beef. A pig has only two strips. 갈매기 means seagull, but this is pork.
돼지갈비	dwaejigalbi	Pork ribs	Usually in a sweet soy marinade.
등갈비	deunggalbi	Pork back ribs	Ribs from next to the spine — grilled, or braised as deunggalbi-jjim.

Beef cuts in English

Korean	Say it	In English	What it is
차돌박이	chadolbagi	Thin-sliced brisket	Paper-thin slices of fatty brisket from the front of the chest. They cook in seconds.
우삼겹	usamgyeop	Thin-sliced beef belly (short plate)	Fatty slices from the short plate — like samgyeopsal, but beef.
등심	deungsim	Beef loin (sirloin on many menus)	Well-marbled loin grilled at the table; hanwoo (Korean beef) is the premium choice.
안심	ansim	Beef tenderloin	The leanest and most tender cut.
갈비살	galbisal	Rib finger meat	Boneless meat from between the ribs.
안창살	anchangsal	Skirt steak (outside skirt)	Part of the diaphragm — juicy, with a strong beefy flavour.
토시살	tosisal	Hanger steak	The muscle that hangs from the diaphragm — chewy and full of flavour. There is little of it per animal.
살치살	salchisal	Chuck flap	A very marbled cut from the front of the loin.
소갈비	sogalbi	Beef short ribs	Plain (생갈비) or marinated (양념갈비) — one of the priciest choices.
LA갈비	LA galbi	LA-style short ribs	Short ribs cut thinly across the bone and marinated in sweet soy.
불고기	bulgogi	Bulgogi (marinated beef)	Thin slices of beef in a sweet soy marinade, grilled or cooked in a pan with broth.

Grilled intestines are a BBQ of their own, usually at specialist places: gopchang (small intestines), makchang and daechang (large intestines).

What it costs

The Korea Consumer Agency checks restaurant prices every month. Because a serving weighs different amounts at different restaurants, it compares samgyeopsal per 200 g: in September 2026 that was ₩17,906 on average across Korea. In Seoul it was above ₩21,000 in every month we checked (March, April and September 2026). Beef costs more, and hanwoo most of all. Rice, stews and noodles are ordered on top.

Spice and special diets

Plain grilled meat is not spicy. The heat comes from what you add: kimchi, green chillies and ssamjang.
Marinated meat such as galbi and bulgogi is made with soy sauce, so it usually contains soy and wheat.
No pork? Choose a beef or duck place — but the meat is not halal unless the restaurant is certified. See pork-free and halal food.
Vegetarian? BBQ places are hard: lettuce, rice and some side dishes are fine, but stews are often made with meat or anchovy broth. See vegetarian and vegan in Korea.

Sources

Quick answers

How much does Korean BBQ cost in Korea?

Pork belly (samgyeopsal) cost ₩17,906 per 200 g on average across Korea in September 2026, and over ₩21,000 in Seoul, according to the Korea Consumer Agency. Beef — especially hanwoo — costs more, and rice, stews and noodles are extra.

Can I eat Korean BBQ alone?

It depends on the restaurant: many BBQ places ask for at least two servings, and some only seat two or more. Ask before you sit down: 혼자인데 돼요? (Is it okay for one person?).

Do I have to grill the meat myself?

Staff often grill the first round and cut the meat with scissors; after that you can turn it yourself. If you are not sure, ask them to do it.

What is the difference between samgyeopsal and ogyeopsal?

Ogyeopsal is pork belly with the skin left on — five layers instead of three.

Is galmaegisal seagull?

No. 갈매기 means seagull, but galmaegisal is pork: the thin diaphragm muscle, or pork skirt. A pig has only two strips.

What do you eat after Korean BBQ?

Many people finish with cold noodles (naengmyeon), soybean paste stew with a bowl of rice, or fried rice made on the grill.

How to Eat Korean BBQ 고깃집 가이드

Useful phrases