Seocho Korean BBQ restaurant for charcoal pork: Gamdol Yeontan Jip

Retro exterior and waiting area

Today I visited Gamdol Yeontan Jip Yangjae Citizen's Forest Branch, a very famous restaurant near Yangjae Citizen's Forest Station! Its slightly unusual, retro-focused concept caught my eye right from the exterior ☺️

I had read that there can be a wait at peak times, and seeing that they even have a separate waiting area made me even more excited for the food~!

A 1970s–80s interior and ordering

Ta-da~ Here is the inside! Can you feel the retro interior that is hard to find these days just by looking at it? 😆 From the tables, chairs, and tableware to the overall décor and atmosphere, it had a 1970s–80s feel, which made the unusual mood so charming! Most places these days favor an urban, clean look, but being able to enjoy ✨this nostalgic interior✨ made it feel warmer and somehow more relaxing.

The menu and prices could be viewed with actual photos and ordered conveniently through the tablet at every table. I also included a photo of the menu board on the wall so you can see the wide selection at a glance~ 🍴☺️🍴

📺📺📺 Looking at the framed displays on the wall, it seems like this well-known restaurant has even appeared in broadcast media! What would the food be like? Drumroll...

Restrooms and hovenia tea

The restrooms were clean and separated by gender, too! If you are facing the kitchen at the front, the men's room is on the left and the women's room is on the right, for your reference 🚽

Another thing that made Gamdol Yeontan Jip feel truly distinctive and retro was 🫗🫗🫗 its hovenia tea water in bottles styled like Del Monte bottles, something you rarely see these days! Rather than plain bottled water, it felt like they had paid attention to even this little detail, which I loved~ The refreshing flavor unique to hovenia tea was great haha.

There was also a free dried filefish event. Follow the participation instructions in the photo and you get dried filefish for free~! 💵

This is what the table looked like~ 😋

One especially thoughtful touch at the sauce and side-dish spread was the paper laid out to explain items that might make you think, “What is this?” It was so convenient and nice to be able to see what each food was while eating 👍

Juljul-i Teukmoksal is a must-order

🍹🍹🍹 I thought eating only meat might get a little rich, so I ordered a Coke too—and even the Coke cup was effortlessly hip.. ⭐

• Juljul-i Teukmoksal, specialty pork neck (₩15,900 × 2)
• Odol Galbi (₩14,900)

First, just give the grill a quick swipe with pork fat to grease it!

I had originally planned to order only galbi, but the ordering screen called this “the best meat of your life” and ⭐strongly recommended⭐ it, so I was curious and ordered it. Gamdol Yeontan Jip = Juljul-i Teukmoksal! You absolutely have to order it! Saying something is delicious may sound cliché, but it was reaaally, truly so good!

I tried the meat with all these different combinations, and because the meat itself was high quality and delicious, every pairing worked beautifully! Every side dish was so good, but kimchi went especially well with the meat 😋

Hangover sundubu-jjigae with crab

🍴Next, I ordered the hangover sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew, ₩6,900) too haha. It was loaded with all kinds of ingredients, and I could not help admiring the sight of crab in the stew... 😋✨ It was neither bland nor mild, but deeply rich, so the sundubu-jjigae is personally another ⭐strongly recommended⭐ menu item!

Crunchy Odol Galbi

Next was a dish I had wanted to try: 🍗Odol Galbi! I thought, “Galbi is galbi—but what is odol?” It was my first time having galbi with such a crunchy texture, so it was fascinating! I think anyone who enjoys that crunch will like it.

The grill is not just an ordinary grill either—the owner said it is a special one they put a lot of thought into. Maybe that is why it definitely made everything taste better than a standard grill!!! 👍

They say it is a special charcoal-fired flavor that maximizes the meat’s aroma through a “real” briquette-grilling method, enhanced with the scent of patented eco-friendly briquettes.

If you are looking for a restaurant near Yangjae Citizen's Forest Station where you cannot go wrong, I recommend it! ✔️The retro mood, ✔️the meat that speaks for itself, and ✔️the kind owner all made for a thoroughly satisfying meal ☺️