Where to eat: Samgyeopsal places in Manila that are worth every penny
“Wanna samgyup?” Saying no to an offer like this isn’t the easiest thing to do.
Samgyeopsal has been a crowd favorite for more reasons than one. On top of its satisfying goodness, the ones offering it in endless portions with equally delicious side dishes make it worth every penny. It’s also quite comforting to cook your own food on the table with a friend or two as you bond over good conversations.
If you’ve been dreaming of a samgyeopsal session lately, check out this quick roundup of some of the most satisfying samgyup places in Manila.
Premier The Samgyupsal
Ask a samgyup-loving group of people about the best places for this and at least one of them would answer Premier The Samgyupsal. It offers four kinds of pork, three kinds of beef, two kinds of chicken, two kinds of soup, 15 side dishes, and unlimited cheese that it’s long been famous for. “Quality never compromised” is their promise to their customers.
Unlike other samgyup places in the metro, Premier doesn’t have time limit so you can take a moment to devour each batch of meats and sides you would order. It costs P580 per head but the good thing is it has a lunch promo (from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) where you can score it for only P500.
Premier The Samgyupsal has branches in Tomas Morato, Bonifacio Global City, Makati, Banawe, Ortigas, Katipunan, San Juan, and more.
Geonbae Modern Korean Bar and Grill
Geonbae offers so much variety that goes beyond their meat lineup. With their P649 unlimited deal, you can choose from 30 meats, 14 sides, nine appetizers, three kinds of soup, and 10 entrees—including buffalo wings, sashimi, tempura, Korean ramen, bibimbap, kimchi rice, and so much more. Drinks, however, are still not included in the rate.
Another thing that makes this samgyup restaurant a standout is its efficient ordering system done via mobile phone. All you need to do is just scan the QR code, look through the menu, and make your orders.
Geonbae has branches in Tomas Morato, Marikina, and UP Town Center.
Leann’s Tea House
Leann’s Tea House has a P649 price for unlimited premium dishes, including pork and beef, dak galbi, spicy woosamgyup, Meltique beef, buchaesal, and kimchi rice. Each comes with unlimited cheese, corn, and egg as well as lettuce, rice, soup, and other side dishes.
Many can’t get enough of Leann’s Meltique beef that they also started offering it separately in unlimited portions for dine-in and frozen for takeout.
Leann's Tea House is located along Mother Ignacia in Quezon City.
Mr. Korea Unlimited BBQ
Can’t pick between samgyup and hot pot? Mr. Korea Unlimited BBQ is perfect for you. Starting at P549, you can delight in unli premium pork and beef, unli hot pot, and unli drinks.
For pork, they have samgyupsal, yangnyeom, Korean chili pepper, Szechuan, dry rub, pork teriyaki enoki roll, and jeyuk bokkeum. You may opt for the same flavors for their beef along with some bulgogi. Their hot pot includes fish cakes, assorted balls, noodles, mixed vegetables, and soup base.
Mr. Korea has branches at Market! Market!, Glorietta 3, Ayala Malls Feliz, Ayala North Exchange, and Mall of Asia.
Shabunoki
Just looking at Shabunoki’s wide selection of dishes would make your mouth water. They offer a filling mix of beef, pork, and seafood for P699. You may even step up your game by adding unli wagyu to your deal for an additional P150.
On top of the usual much-loved samgyup offerings, they also have scallops, shrimp, mussels, cheesy sausage, and more in their sets. Each one comes with lettuce, plain rice, kimchi rice, cheese, garlic, ssamjang, sesame oil, salt and pepper, and soup.
Shabunoki has branches in Parañaque, Pasay, and, soon, in Pasig.
Sibyullee
This list would not be complete without Sibyullee that’s been a favorite for its high-quality meats. Their samgyupsal variants include soy garlic, spicy pork bulgogi, sweet and spicy pork bulgogi, chili bean samgyupsal, woo samgyup, yangnyeom, and marinated bulgogi. They also have different kinds of chicken—from salt and pepper and spicy ones to fried chicken in soy garlic and spicy flavors.
There’s even beef bulgogi gimpap, seafood pancakes, and cheese dip included in its side dishes, along with more common ones like soup, rice, steamed egg, among others. It’s priced at P569 on weekdays/lunch and P599 during dinner, weekends, and holidays.
Sibyullee has branches at Ayala Malls the 30th, Promenade Mall, and Alabang Town Center.