Maple Tree House is a korean bbq restaurant in Itaewon, Seoul.
Editorially verified May 29, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Hanu sirloin, Jeju black pork belly
Must order: Aged hanwoo sirloin, cooked tableside over charcoal and served with perilla wraps.
Tip: Arrive at opening on weekends to skip the queue; the staff will cook for you if you prefer.
Address: 26 Itaewon-ro 27ga-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
The most visited samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) restaurant in Seoul, set in a cluster of traditional hanok buildings near Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Signature: Samgyetang, Black chicken samgyetang
Order: Classic samgyetang: whole young chicken stuffed with glutinous rice.
Tip: Come at 10:00 on a weekday to walk straight in; the broth is identical morning and night.
Insa Dodam is a renovated hanok off Insadong-gil that runs a lunch-only bibimbap programme, capping bowls per day to lock in same-morning vegetable delivery.
Signature: Dodam bibimbap, Vegan bibimbap
Order: Dodam warm-steamed bibimbap: farm-direct vegetables on rice in the house build.
Tip: Bibimbap is lunch-only; arrive before 14:00 to be sure of a dolsot order, and ask for the vegan build if you want the no-egg version.
Open since 1946, Woo Lae Oak is Seoul's canonical address for Pyongyang-style naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), the broth made from hanwoo foreshank.
Signature: Pyongyang naengmyeon, Bulgogi
Order: Pyongyang naengmyeon: hand-pulled buckwheat noodles in cold hanwoo bone broth.
Tip: The broth is clear and mild; if you want spice ask for bibim naengmyeon. Bulgogi is the other order.
In the Michelin Guide and on 50Best Discovery, Byeokje Galbi has served premium charcoal-grilled hanwoo short ribs since 1986, handling its own butchery.
Signature: Charcoal galbi, Hanwoo ribeye
Order: Galbi (short ribs) over charcoal.
Tip: Book the private room for groups; the galbi course includes side dishes and a naengmyeon to close.
Family-run since 1953, Ojangdong serves Hamheung-style cold noodles: the noodles are made from potato starch and are notably chewier than Pyongyang-style.
Signature: Bibim naengmyeon, Mul naengmyeon
Order: Bibim naengmyeon: chewy starch noodles in a sweet-spicy sauce with cold beef slices and a halved boiled egg.
Tip: Cut the noodles with scissors if you prefer shorter strands; the kitchen leaves them long by tradition.
The original Maple Tree House, in a restored hillside house in Samcheong-dong, with a more intimate setting than the Itaewon branch and a view of the old.
Signature: Hanu beef, Samgyeopsal
Order: Hanwoo beef tasting set: three cuts of heritage Korean cattle served in the original house that started the Maple Tree brand.
Tip: The Samcheong branch has fewer tourist crowds than Itaewon on weekday lunchtimes.
