Korean BBQ, Seoul

Thick pork belly slices with a salt-and-sesame-oil dip, ssamjang, and a lettuce wrap.
The default Korean weeknight dinner.

Marinated short rib, pre-seasoned and sweeter.
Yangnyeom-galbi is sauce-marinated; saeng-galbi is unmarinated premium cuts.

Korea's own native cattle breed — not Wagyu, though both are prized for marbling.
Sweet fat, tender, and pricey (around 50,000 won a portion).
Graded up to 1++, the top tier.

Thin-sliced beef brisket.
Grills in seconds and is easy to share in volume.

At premium hanwoo spots a server tends the meat for you, so just relax and enjoy.
No need to reach for the tongs.

Lettuce in your palm, then grilled meat, garlic, ssamjang, a little kimchi.
Wrap it and take one full bite.
A cheek-stretching bite is correct etiquette.

Soju or makgeolli is the pairing.
Fill your neighbor's glass, not your own.
If a senior pours yours, hold the glass with two hands.

The side dishes refill on request at no charge.
Just catch the staff's eye and point.

Most grills serve a half-portion of naengmyeon at the end to clear the palate.
Worth ordering.

Common at premium and tourist-area grills, rarer at local spots.
Every place on the list below is foreigner-checked.