Where to Eat Near Lotte World Tower: Hanwoo Bulgogi with a Lake View (Gwanghwamun Galbi, Seokchon Lake)

Looking for somewhere to eat near Lotte World Tower or Seokchon Lake? Gwanghwamun Galbi Seokchon Lake is a Korean beef restaurant on the 6th floor of a building facing the lake, about a 10 minute walk from Lotte World Tower and Jamsil Station. Window tables look out at the tower and the lake. The main dish is hanwoo saeng-bulgogi, Korean native beef simmered in broth at your table by the staff. It costs ₩23,000 (about US$17) per serving, minimum two servings, and the restaurant is open daily 11:00 to 22:00.

Gwanghwamun Galbi Seokchon Lake entrance, restaurant near Lotte World Tower Seoul

Where is it, and how far from Lotte World Tower?

The address is 296 Seokchonhosu-ro, 6F, Songpa-gu, Seoul. It sits on the far side of Seokchon Lake from Lotte World Tower, so the walk is around 10 minutes along the lake path, or 8 minutes from Jamsil Station (Line 2 and Line 8). Take the lift to the 6th floor.

Jamsil has plenty of chain restaurants inside the mall, but fewer sit-down options with a view once you step outside it. If you are already walking Seokchon Lake, this is on that loop.

Driving: 2 hours of parking in the building, with a ₩3,000 service fee.

What is the view like?

Floor-to-ceiling windows face the lake. From a window table you see Lotte World Tower and the tree line of Seokchon Lake together. There are only a few window tables, so ask when you arrive or reserve ahead if the view is why you are going.

During cherry blossom season, roughly late March to early April, Seokchon Lake is one of Seoul’s busiest blossom spots and these seats face it directly.

Window table with Lotte World Tower view at a restaurant near Seokchon Lake

Lotte World Tower seen from a Jamsil restaurant window

The dining room is large, wood-toned, with tables set well apart. Sound does not carry much between tables, which makes it usable for a longer meal or a conversation.

Spacious dining room at Gwanghwamun Galbi near Seokchon Lake Jamsil

What is saeng-bulgogi, and is it the same as Korean BBQ?

It is not the same. Grilled Korean BBQ means cooking pork or beef over fire at the table. Saeng-bulgogi is simmered, not grilled. Thinly sliced raw beef goes into a shallow domed pan with a soy-based sweet and savory broth, mushrooms and onion, and cooks in the liquid.

Practical differences for visitors: no smoke, nothing burns, your clothes do not smell afterwards, and there is no chili in it. If you do not eat spicy food, this is one of the safer Korean beef dishes to order.

Raw hanwoo beef bulgogi with mushrooms before cooking

Hanwoo beef with enoki and king oyster mushrooms in the pan

What is hanwoo beef?

Hanwoo (한우) is Korean native cattle, raised domestically and graded under a national system. It is known for fine marbling and a mild, clean flavour rather than the strong beefiness of aged Western steak, and it costs noticeably more than imported beef. Restaurants that use it write 한우 on the menu, so that word is the thing to look for anywhere in Korea.

Here the beef arrives raw at the table. The colour is bright, the slices hold their shape, and there is no pooled liquid in the dish.

Do I have to cook it myself?

No. Staff set the pan, pour the broth, and come back through the meal to turn the beef and portion it onto your plate. You do not need to judge when Korean beef is done, and nobody has to watch the pan. If you are eating with someone and want to actually talk, that is the useful part.

Soy based broth simmering in the bulgogi pan

Hanwoo bulgogi cooking in broth with mushrooms and onion

The broth is sweet and savory and soaks into the beef as it cooks. The meat is tender and easy to eat. Mushrooms and onion cook in the same pan, so vegetables come with the meal rather than as an extra order.

The usual way to eat it: a piece of beef and a mushroom on a spoonful of hot rice, with a little broth.

Price: ₩23,000 (about US$17) per serving, ordered from two servings up, so around ₩46,000 (about US$34) for two before drinks. For hanwoo in Seoul that sits at the reasonable end.

What are the side dishes?

Banchan arrive before the beef and are refilled free of charge, as at most Korean restaurants. Two are worth knowing: geotjeori, a fresh un-fermented cabbage kimchi that is crunchy and lightly sour rather than deep and pungent, and a seaweed salad that is mild and briny. Neither is heavily seasoned, which is useful if you have found Korean side dishes strong elsewhere.

Korean banchan side dishes served before the meal

Fresh geotjeori cabbage kimchi and seaweed salad

Chilled starter with shrimp at a Jamsil Korean restaurant

The meal ends with omija-cha, a chilled tea made from the Korean five-flavour berry. It is tart with a little sweetness and clears the palate after the beef and broth.

Chilled omija tea served after a Korean beef meal

What else is on the menu?

If you would rather grill after all, the restaurant serves galbi (marinated beef short rib), saeng-galbi (unmarinated short rib) and kkotdeungsim (ribeye), plus à la carte dishes. On weekdays there are lunch sets priced well below dinner, which is when nearby office workers come in. Wine is available, so the room also works for a dinner you want to make an occasion of.

The menu is in Korean with photographs. If you want the signature dish, showing staff 한우 생불고기 works.

Menu at Gwanghwamun Galbi Seokchon Lake Jamsil

Seating and interior of the restaurant near Lotte World Tower

Quick facts

Name: Gwanghwamun Galbi Seokchon Lake (광화문갈비 석촌호수점)
Address: 296 Seokchonhosu-ro, 6F (Lakeside Tower), Songpa-gu, Seoul
Getting there: About 10 minutes’ walk from Lotte World Tower around Seokchon Lake; about 8 minutes from Jamsil Station (Lines 2 and 8)
Phone: 0507-1338-3319
Hours: Daily 11:00 to 22:00
Price: Hanwoo saeng-bulgogi ₩23,000 (about US$17) per serving; weekday lunch sets cost less
Minimum order: Hanwoo saeng-bulgogi starts at 2 servings
Parking: 2 hours in the building, ₩3,000 service fee
Spice level: None in the bulgogi
Best for: Lunch near Lotte World Tower, a window seat, non-spicy Korean beef, a meal where you want to talk

Frequently asked questions

Where can I eat near Lotte World Tower that isn’t inside the mall?
Gwanghwamun Galbi Seokchon Lake is about a 10 minute walk around Seokchon Lake, on the 6th floor at 296 Seokchonhosu-ro, with lake and tower views from the window tables.

Is bulgogi spicy?
No. Saeng-bulgogi is sweet and savory with no chili, which makes it a straightforward order if you avoid spicy food.

Do I have to cook the meat myself?
No. Staff pour the broth and return during the meal to turn and portion the beef.

What is hanwoo?
Korean native cattle, raised domestically and graded under a national system. Finer marbling, milder flavour, and priced above imported beef.

How much does it cost?
The hanwoo saeng-bulgogi is ₩23,000 (about US$17) per serving, ordered from two servings, so roughly ₩46,000 (about US$34) for two people before drinks or extra rice. Weekday lunch sets are cheaper.

Can two people eat here?
Yes. The hanwoo bulgogi is sold from 2 servings.

Is it good for cherry blossom season?
The window tables face Seokchon Lake, one of Seoul’s main blossom spots in late March and early April. Reserve ahead in that period.

In short: a 6th-floor Korean beef restaurant on Seokchon Lake, a short walk from Lotte World Tower, serving hanwoo bulgogi that staff cook at your table. Worth knowing if you are in Jamsil and want a proper sit-down meal with a window rather than a food court.

Written by WY, a Seoul-based local sharing honest, first-hand guides to Korea. Every guide here is a place I’ve actually been to, written from my own visit and my own photos. More about me →