Discover the South Korean capital’s rich culinary heritage on this 3-hour Korean BBQ, pub and market tour in Seoul. Follow your guide through Seoul’s Mapo district, famous for its traditional Korean BBQ restaurants. Enjoy speciality dishes such as charcoal-grilled pork and aged kimchi, and soak up the vibrant atmosphere for which South Korean restaurants are famous. Explore Jeon Market, where locals buy pigs’ feet for traditional recipes at home. Then, visit a traditional pub to enjoy a drink and learn about South Korea’s drinking rituals and culture.

Get inside tips from a local
Small group ensures personal service
Dinner included
Free drinks included
Informative, friendly and professional guide
Small-group tour

Sample Menu

Main

Grilled Pork

Pork belly and "Galmegisal," pork cut considered a delicacy. Grilled over natural wood charcoal on a pan with a ring around it filled with egg.

Main

"Jeon" and "Twigim"

Plates piled with various savory pancakes and tempura treats.

What's Included

Dinner
Unlimited drinks (within reason)
Local guide
Snacks
Alcoholic Beverages

Gratuities
Extracurricular activities (karaoke, fried chicken pub) are optional after the main part of the tour

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Ultimate Korean BBQ Night Out
56-75 Singongdeok-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Gongdeok Station, Exit 7, bottom of the escalator

Start time

07:00 pm

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

정대포

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Cheonghakdong Pancake

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Minimum drinking age is 19 years
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking.
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Not recommended for unadventurous eaters
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Pork is the only BBQ option. The restaurant has no substitutions.
Subway is the best way to arrive at the meeting point. Taxis tend to get stuck in traffic.
If you’re landing after 3 p.m., you may not make it in time. Please anticipate bottlenecks and traffic. Unfortunately, this has happened a lot.
Most travellers can participate
Tour includes pork and alcohol
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 11 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

The two restaurants of this tour are very local, difficult to find for tourists.

Reviews

5.0

70 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 70 reviews

Great food, fantastic guide. Above & beyond.

Angela_A, May 2023

Seoul can be an intimidating city for visitors. There are so many unique cultural and food options. It was so wonderful entrusting ourselves to an expert like Ron to curate a delicious and fun dinner experience. My family included a 75 year old Korean born grandma and American born 50, 60 and two 19 year olds. Ron managed to engage with all of us in a fun and informative way. He brought the group together and we really enjoyed our time with him and the other tour participant. Not only did Ron provide great info about the delicious food we tasted, but we also learned so much about Korean history and culture overall. It was clear that Ron has established good relationships with the owners of the 3 restaurants we visited - it felt like we received especially great and generous service and portions. We would not have found these places on our own and we really enjoyed them. My 6’3” 19 year old twin sons especially loved the Korean BBQ. You will not be hungry at the conclusion of this tour. Ron also went out of his way to assist the other tour participant with getting a taxi at the end of the evening and sent such helpful info after the tour to help shape the rest of our visit to Seoul. In the end, we so enjoyed the food and Ron’s fun and informed guidance that we booked another tour with him - this time of the Majang Meat Market. Another great experience if you want to try Korean Hanwoo beef!

Response from Host, May 2023

I had a wonderful time showing you and your family around. I hope you all had a blast here in Korea and come visit us again soon.

Excellent experience

Katrin_I, May 2023

We had so much fun on our Korean barbecue night in Seoul! Our tour turned out to be private so we got the chance to enjoy a somewhat customised experience. Besides the barbecue we also had the opportunity to try Korean fried chicken and enjoy some soju. Our guide shared a lot of interesting information about Korean lifestyle and we would definitely recommend this tour to any traveler who wants to experience Seoul at night.

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you so very much for taking the tour. I had a pleasant time talking with you and your friend and hope you visit us again soon. Next time, come in the fall when the leaves are changing, one of the best times to visit.

Great Introduction

Matthew_C, Apr 2023

We took the tour our first full day in Seoul and it was the perfect introduction to Korea. Ron was the perfect host and made everyone feel welcome. One of the top 3 tours I’ve ever taken!!

Great BBQ experience

Wynona_L, Mar 2023

My husband and I had a great night, with Hannah as our host. Hannah was a delight, bubbly, knowledgeable and easy going. The Korean BBQ venue was a great choice and we loved the selections made. It was a good idea to not include the rice as we were in for more food in the next two stops. Loved the leafy wraps and interesting condiments! We met some really nice people from different parts of the world, which made for fun conversation. The second stop was unique too, we enjoyed the fermented rice wine beverage. The fried food was tasty although a little heavy as everything is friend. Ok to have a few bites (but hard to resist). The last stop at the sports bar served delicious chicken and huge jugs of beer. All in all, pricey but good value for money as everything was included and a bit extra. Thank you Hannah, for being so funny and lovely!

Response from Host, Mar 2023

The pleasure was all mine, Wynona! You were fantastic, fun guests. I’m so glad you enjoyed your evening with me!

Korean BBQ with Ron

Michael_H, Jan 2023

This tour was awesome! Highly highly higly recommend to all first time visitors to Seoul. The food was soooo good! All hole in the wall places away from other tourists. So you know it’s the real deal. Do the add on for the fried chicken because it’s worth it. Just make sure to pace yourself on the food because it’s alot. Also I’m not a big drinker but all the drinks were really good. Our tour guide Ron was amazing. He was so patient with us despite the fact that we were over 30 minutes late! He was so chill about it and was super cool to just hang out with. He is super informed and gave us great info on Korea, Seoul, and food culture. He is a great with communication and made sure we got back to our hotel okay. Loved this experience!

Response from Host, Jan 2023

The pleasure was all mine. To see you and your aunt enjoy all the food and the experience overall made me smile and glad I was able to be a part of your short visit here.

Ron our guide

pattibrown, Dec 2022

Ron was great. Very personable and a interesting guide. Made sure everything was to our liking from our first stop until our last. He even made sure we had no issue finding the appropriate subway back to our hotel!

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Patti! You and your husband were a delight as well. Thank you for joining!

Worth every penny!!!

Gregory_M, Nov 2022

Amazing tour. Food and drinls were great! Tried lots of things I never would of if I hadn't gone!! Guide was super knowledgeable, informative amd was tons of fun to bar hop with!!! Definitely reccomend you will get your money's worth!!!

Response from Host, Dec 2022

I had a lot of fun with you guys too! Thanks for the kind words, and for being great guests.

A trip wasted and expecting refund

prem_S, June 2022

Shocking there were no others except myself, my wife and our 19 year old daughter. The guide was Joe, a Caucasian. At the first stop of BBQ, we were joined by Joe’s female friend. Then we moved to another eating place but no explanation of the place. Tour ended there! We did not get the “market” tour and the secret gem of a pub experience. We left the eating place with Joe and his friend continuing to enjoy the meal and rice wine. Very disappointing and fundamentally wrong for the tour I booked for my family. Not professional and we learnt nothing except it was money wasted when we could go out and eat better, and find our own pub.

Response from Host, June 2022

I apologize for your experience and that I am not the race you expected. To clarify, the tour consists of two stops, the BBQ place and the pub, which we went to. It is a place that only locals know about. Our tours focus on non-touristy, more immersive experiences. The market is the traditional pancake and tempura market, where we got the food for the pub. It's one of the last of its kind in Korea, and it's not in conventional tourist guides. Since the upstairs section wasn't open that evening, which is rare, we ate outside. We would have ventured further into the pigs feet section, but I was sensing some members were already outside their comfort zones, and that section of the market can be a bit--adventurous. I felt that since your family was the only booking for that evening (a private tour), bringing someone else along at my expense would make things more fun. The second part of the tour consists mainly of an introduction to Korean traditional alcohol, but since no one had more than a sip, we couldn't continue with it. Sensing the increasing discomfort, I offered to help you get back to your hotel, which you refused, and left. I apologize for the misjudgment, and I am disappointed--I am hurt--that the evening didn't fit with what you envisioned. I wish you had told me, but both of us remember you saying while you were leaving that you'd write a positive review. I hope the rest of your trip around Korea goes well, and that you make use of the map of secret restaurants I sent, which is an exclusive item we haven't released to the public yet. Best, Joe

Good time

Erin_M, May 2022

This was a wonderful experience for my family. Ate good food, learned a lot about Korean food and drinking culture and heard lots of interesting stories.

Response from Host, June 2022

Thank you! Your family was a lot of fun.

Great food, guide, experience

stevetsreviews, Jan 2020

There were 6 of us on tour. A family of 4 (2 teenagers), and 2 individuals. Joe was our guide. We started at an authentic back street 'locals' restaurant that specialised in Korean bbq. The food was cooked at the table over hot coals supplied direct from the furnice outside on the footpath. Joe explained the process, the etiquitte, and showed us how best to eat it. This is the best Korean bbq I've ever tasted. The Terra beers were good too :) We then walked through a series of 'locals' eateries to the second place where we picked out what we wanted from a large array of pre-battered (and lightly deep-fried) mostly seafood items before heading to a secluded (almost hidden) little 'pub' where we waited for our previously hand picked items to arrive once they were fully cooked. They were very good too. We also learnt about the etiquitte & drinking of Soju, Makgeolli, and Dong dong ju. They too where all good too. Overall, a great night, with a great (and very interesting guide with great stories to tell). Highly recommended.

Response from Host, June 2022

That was a fun evening. You described the tour better than we did.

Authentic

TszYing_Y, Mar 2019

The guide, Joe, is an expert in local and authentic Korean food. He is friendly and caring. The two restaurants of this tour are very local, difficult to find for tourists. The pork belly are delicious. I really enjoyed the rice wine that Joe introduced.

Awesome tour. Tried foods I would've...

Zackary S, Nov 2017

Awesome tour. Tried foods I would've never dreamed of trying in restaurants I wouldn't have known how to order in. This was also a good way to meet other travelers. One of the highlights of my trip to Korea.

Top notch experience! Great...

Paolo P, Sept 2017

Top notch experience! Great food, amazing guide, lots of fun and great memories. Highly recommended

Joe, the ZenKimchi, was awesome! He...

Thomas F, Aug 2017

Joe, the ZenKimchi, was awesome! He was fun, knowledgeable, and gave us great insight into the Korean culture and how to best experience it via food and drink. It was a fun night and we highly recommend it!

The tour was fantastic, I woulod...

Sarah S, Feb 2017

The tour was fantastic, I woulod highly recommend this tour for everyone. Joe was an amazing host and we had a ball.

Very nice barbeque in a typical...

Ulla F, June 2016

Very nice barbeque in a typical Korean barbeque restaurant, we would never have found this place by our selves. The market with 50 or more different things to choose from was great very tasty with good dip sauces and fermented ricewine to accompany the dishes. Guide very nice and friendly. The other guests were also very nice.

This tour guide is awesome! Really...

Nathan I, Mar 2016

This tour guide is awesome! Really chill and funny. Definitely knows his stuff about Korean food and all food, in general. He went out of his way to make sure I had a great experience as I have a seafood allergy. I could tell that he's very very enthusiastic with his work, which made the experience that much better. 10/10 would do this or one of his other tours again. Oh and the food and drinks were delicious! He will take you to the heart of Korean food where you will experience Korean cuisine as if you were a local.