Born and Bred

"Open for: Lunch and dinner Wednesday to Monday Price range: $$$ Born and Bred is a three-story paradise for hanwoo aficionados. The three above-ground floors operate as different concepts: a butcher shop, a private dining space, and a casual restaurant where you can enjoy a traditional barbecue meal. While the casual restaurant promises a superb experience, try your luck securing a spot at the exclusive basement counter. The meal features just about every cut of Korean beef and it’s become a benchmark for countless high-end barbecue restaurants. Know before you go: Be sure to double check your booking and the menu, since the floors are really different." - Matty Kim

"Born and Bred is the brainchild of Jeong Sang-won, whose obsession with top-quality Korean beef started young, thanks to his beef purveyor father. Jeong created a one-of-a-kind space that offers three different dining concepts. The casual eatery on the second floor has been inspired by the butcher restaurants that populate the vicinity of the Majang Meat Market, but it is decidedly more modern and refined. The butcher lounge occupies the first floor while the third floor offers a multi-course beef experience. However, for a taste of what the restaurant is truly all about, head down to the basement for the chef's specialty beef course." - Michelin Inspector

"The name of this restaurant in Seongdong-gu is an homage to the Majangdong meat market, where owner Jeong Sang-won’s father worked. Born and Bred started as a private social dining club showcasing only the most pristine Korean beef to exclusive guests, inspiring countless modern Korean beef restaurants with its practice of serving different cuts as courses. In early 2019 the business expanded into a three-story building, where each floor operates as a different concept: a butcher shop, casual restaurant, and private dining. For a full-on Born and Bred experience, take your shot at one of the seats at the basement counter, an intimate space usually reserved for groups, where the restaurant puts on a hanwoo extravaganza featuring just about every cut of Korean beef." - Matty Kim

"Try the: Omakase."

"Rank: #36 "You’ve heard of wagyu, but how about hanwoo? To put it into perspective, wagyu is to Japan what hanwoo is to South Korea. Little known outside of its home country because it’s rarely exported, hanwoo is a breed of cattle indigenous to Korea that is prized for its fat-marbled flesh (with prices to match). However, top-grade hanwoo is laced with less unctuous white fat and ultimately yields meat with a balanced fat-to-flavour ratio."