Restaurant in Seoul, South Korea
OAD-ranked Korean barbecue in Jongno.
An OAD Asia Top Restaurants listee three years running, Maple Tree House brings serious Korean charcoal barbecue to the composed surroundings of Jongno's Samcheong-dong neighbourhood. It handles groups well and is easier to book than most venues at this recognition level. The best format: four or more people, Saturday lunch or a weekday evening.
Maple Tree House earns its place on the shortlist for Korean barbecue in Seoul. Its address in the Samcheong-dong corridor of Jongno District puts it in one of the city's more considered dining neighbourhoods, and its OAD Asia ranking — climbing from Recommended in 2023 to #405 in 2024 and #417 in 2025 — confirms it as a venue that serious food trackers keep returning to. If you have been once and are weighing a return, the case is direct: the format rewards repeat visits more than most Korean BBQ restaurants in this price tier, and the group experience is where it earns the most points.
The setting on Samcheong-ro places Maple Tree House in a neighbourhood more associated with gallery spaces and traditional hanok architecture than with the dense, neon-lit barbecue strips of Mapo or Mapo-gu. That context matters if you are choosing between venues for a group dinner: the approach here is calmer, and the cooking-at-table format feels less rushed than at comparable spots in busier districts. The charcoal smoke that filters through the room is the first signal you are in a serious operation , Korean barbecue at this tier uses charcoal rather than gas, and the aromatic difference is detectable from the moment you are seated.
For returning visitors, the practical question is usually about pacing and group size. Maple Tree House handles groups well. If you visited solo or as a pair on your first trip, a return with four to six people is the format that makes the most sense here: more cuts on the table, faster pacing through the menu, and a more social experience around the grill. The private dining angle is worth considering for a special occasion , while specific room configurations are not published, Korean barbecue at this tier commonly offers semi-private or dedicated group seating, and it is worth calling ahead to ask.
Saturday and Sunday are the days to choose if you want the full, uninterrupted lunch-to-dinner service , the restaurant runs 11:30 am through 10 pm on weekends without the afternoon break that applies Monday through Friday. Weekday lunch (11:30 am to 3 pm) is the quieter option and typically the faster booking: the dinner service fills first, particularly on Friday and Saturday evenings. If your priority is a relaxed meal without time pressure, a Saturday lunch sits in the leading window: the room is less pressured than Saturday dinner, and the Samcheong-dong neighbourhood is easy to extend into an afternoon of walking.
For groups planning a special occasion dinner, Friday or Saturday evening requires the most lead time. Book early in the week for the following weekend minimum. Weekday evenings are easier to secure and still deliver the full experience.
Maple Tree House is at 130 Samcheong-ro, Jongno District. Hours run Monday through Friday 11:30 am to 3 pm and 5 to 10 pm, with continuous service Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 am to 10 pm. Booking difficulty is rated Easy. No specific booking method or dress code is published; standard smart-casual applies for the neighbourhood. For context on what else is available in the city, see our full Seoul restaurants guide, our full Seoul hotels guide, our full Seoul bars guide, our full Seoul experiences guide, and our full Seoul wineries guide.
Quick reference: Jongno District · Korean Barbecue · Mon–Fri 11:30 am–3 pm, 5–10 pm · Sat–Sun 11:30 am–10 pm · OAD Asia Leading Restaurants 2024–2025 · Booking: Easy
If you are building a Seoul itinerary around serious Korean dining, Mingles and Kwonsooksoo both operate at the leading of the Korean format, though in a more structured, multi-course register than barbecue. For contemporary Korean with tasting-menu ambition, Jungsik and Soigné are the logical next stops. alla prima is worth a look if you want something in the innovative bracket. Outside Seoul, Mori in Busan and Double T Dining in Gangneung represent the wider Korean dining circuit. For Korean barbecue benchmarks outside Korea, Genwa Korean BBQ and Soot Bull Jeep in Los Angeles offer useful points of comparison. 권숙수 - Kwon Sook Soo in Gangnam-gu, Baegyangsa Temple in Jangseong-gun, The Flying Hog in Seogwipo, and Market Café in Incheon round out the broader regional picture.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maple Tree House | Korean Barbecue | Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Asia Ranked #417 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Asia Ranked #405 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Asia Recommended (2023) | Easy | — | |
| Solbam | Contemporary | ₩₩₩₩ | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Onjium | Korean | ₩₩₩₩ | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| 7th Door | Korean, Contemporary | ₩₩₩₩ | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| L'Amitié | French | ₩₩₩ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Zero Complex | Korean-French, Innovative | ₩₩₩₩ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Maple Tree House measures up.
Korean barbecue as a format is largely meat-forward, so guests with significant dietary restrictions should check the venue's official channels before booking. The cuisine type listed is Korean barbecue, which typically centres on grilled proteins — pescatarians and vegetarians will find limited options in this format. If dietary flexibility is a priority, venues with broader Korean menus may serve you better.
No bar seating is documented for Maple Tree House. Korean barbecue restaurants of this style typically seat guests at grill-equipped tables rather than a counter or bar setup. If counter or casual drop-in dining is what you're after, this format doesn't support it — book a table or look elsewhere.
Maple Tree House has ranked on the Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Asia list three consecutive years — #405 in 2024, #417 in 2025 — which signals consistency rather than flash-in-the-pan buzz. It sits on Samcheong-ro in Jongno District, a neighbourhood associated with galleries and traditional architecture, so the setting is quieter than the usual tourist-heavy BBQ strips. Go in knowing the format is Korean barbecue: table grilling, shared dishes, and a pace that rewards groups who aren't rushing.
Saturday and Sunday are the days when lunch runs directly into dinner service (11:30 am through 10 pm), giving you the most flexibility. Weekday lunch cuts off at 3 pm before reopening at 5 pm, so a relaxed midday visit is easier to plan on a weekend. For a first visit without time pressure, Saturday lunch is the practical choice.
For a different register of Seoul dining, Mingles and Kwonsooksoo operate at the top of contemporary Korean cuisine, though in a tasting-menu format rather than barbecue. Within the Korean barbecue category, comparing Maple Tree House to Solbam or 7th Door gives a clearer read on whether the Jongno address and OAD recognition translate into meaningful differences in execution. Your choice depends on whether the barbecue format or the neighbourhood matters more to your itinerary.
Three consecutive appearances on the Opinionated About Dining Asia list give Maple Tree House enough credibility to anchor a celebratory meal, and the Samcheong-dong setting — quieter and more considered than central Seoul dining corridors — suits an occasion better than a rowdy BBQ hall would. Korean barbecue is an inherently social, table-sharing format, so it works well for groups of three or more. For a couple wanting a more intimate, course-driven special occasion, a tasting-menu venue like Kwonsooksoo would be a stronger fit.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
