Nowon Korean BBQ after a workout, Iberico platter: Junggye Gogi Party

It had been a while, and I needed to refill on protein after a workout, so I headed to Junggye Gogi Party Nowon Branch (중계고기파티 노원본점), a Korean BBQ spot in Nowon. A hidden gem discovery review 👀 Let's dive right in.

Junggye Gogi Party Nowon Branch hours and visitor info

Junggye Gogi Party Nowon Branch is open daily from 11:30 to 22:00, with a break from 15:00 to 16:30 and last order at 21:30. 📍 Note that entry is only until 21:00 📍

• Reservations ⭕️
• Takeout ⭕️
• Groups ⭕️
• Baby chairs ⭕️
• Parking 🚗⭕️

The restaurant also runs a blog and an Instagram account, so it's worth checking them before you go ✔️

How do you get to Junggye Gogi Party Nowon Branch, and where do you park?

It's a 10-minute walk from Eunhaeng Sageori (Bank Intersection) in Junggye, and 7-8 minutes by taxi from Hagye, Junggye or Sanggye Station. That's the base fare, so no worries about the distance.

There's parking for 7 cars in front. If it's full, park on the road in front of the lot and let the staff know 🙆🏻‍♀️

You can reserve through Catch Table and Naver Reservation 🎈

They offer puffed grain crackers (ppeongtwigi) as a dessert, one per person. But they don't make them on rainy or humid days, so in summer it seems hard to catch them. I couldn't have one today either, such a shame.. 😂

They even lend out umbrellas on rainy days. The owner's heart is so warm 💟

Seating and the busiest times

There's plenty of waiting seating too. "When you're feeling low, go for meat." A great saying 🙆🏻‍♀️

Seating works for anything from 2 people to big groups, and the tables are spaced widely so it's comfortable. I came on a weekday before 6 p.m., so it wasn't crowded, but after 6 the place filled up.

Side dishes and the salt and wasabi seasonings

I had reserved, so the table was already set. The sides go well with meat: bean sprout and scallion salad, myeongi namul (pickled wild greens), pickled radish wraps and more. Mushrooms are served once, and extras can be ordered for ₩1,000 each.

From left to right, the seasonings are Andes salt, curry salt, Himalayan pink salt, then shiitake wasabi, wasabi and whole grain mustard. You sprinkle them onto your small plate in that order. The plate is wide, so it was easy to use.

Junggye Gogi Party Nowon Branch menu and what we ordered

It's a BBQ place, but they don't sell samgyeopsal (pork belly). New menu items include galbi mandu (rib dumplings) and hanwoo gukbap (Korean beef rice soup) :)

With a set order, you can get red wine for ₩3,000. Here's what we ordered.

• Iberico black pork set
• Beef doenjang stew
• Steamed egg
• Mul naengmyeon (cold noodles) / bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles)
• Steamed rice

There's a guide on the table for grilling meat well. I only noticed it later so I didn't follow it, but if you're reading this, please do read it!

You can also leave a receipt review, so of course you have to take part, right~?

What's at the self-serve bar?

The self-bar has things not included in the basic sides: kimchi, cheongyang chili peppers, perilla leaves, lettuce and salad. Take what you need. I grabbed all of it, and the lettuce wraps and peppers were fresh and great.

500g Iberico platter for ₩49,000: how was the pork neck?

The meat finally arrived! The Iberico platter (500g) is ₩49,000 and it looks like a huge amount. The color is seriously crazy 🥺🥺 Acorn-fed Iberico pigs really do look different.

I was hungry, so I grilled it right away. It cooks fast for pork, so you can eat quickly. All the smoke gets sucked off to the side, so there was no stinging eyes or discomfort from smoke at all, and grilling was really comfortable.

Finally the thick flower-cut neck (kkotmoksal) is done. Looks so good, right? First bite plain. Neck can feel dry because it's lean, but maybe because it's Iberico pork, it was mild, tender.. perfect.

Take a shot of soju before you eat it and it's pure bliss. Wrap it in my beloved myeongi namul and that's.. heaven, isn't it?

₩5,000 beef doenjang stew and steamed egg

The beef doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) and steamed egg came out quickly too. The stew was only ₩5,000 but was hearty with ingredients, and the not-too-salty broth was excellent. The steamed egg was mild and great for cleansing the palate between bites. Protein refill! The rice was fluffy and went well with the stew and egg haha

A grill plate that never needs changing, and juicy king oyster mushrooms

The grill plate and charcoal here were really unusual: even when parts burned, it never got so burnt that we had to change the plate. Normally you swap it 2-3 times, so not having to was really comfortable.

Grill the king oyster mushroom that comes by default until just right, then cut it, and the juices drip out like this. My dad cut it and I almost drooled hahaha

The mushroom was as good as the meat. The juice spreading in your mouth beats even the Iberico pork!

In between, I made lettuce wraps with the meat haha. Not a single side dish was lacking, so the combination with the meat was fantastic.

Thick-cut Iberico pork jowl

After the neck, I grilled the jowl (hangjeongsal). Here it didn't come thin and long like usual jowl but in a slightly thicker cut. It seemed to take a bit longer than the neck. But I can wait!

Full of fatty flavor, this jowl was a little temptress. One bite and the juices fill your mouth, which immediately calls for soju ^^

₩6,000 dessert naengmyeon: mul vs. bibim cold noodles

Before grilling the jowl, I ordered mul naengmyeon and bibim naengmyeon as dessert. The photo above is the dessert naengmyeon (₩6,000), which is a different item from the meal naengmyeon (₩8,000). The dessert portion was big already, so the meal version must be even bigger.

One-two, chop chop: add vinegar and mustard and mix. A perfect soju snack is born~ Chewy noodles, cool broth, it tasted like textbook mul naengmyeon haha

For the bibim naengmyeon too, you season with vinegar and mustard. Personally, bibim suited my taste better.

The naengmyeon is good on its own, and even better wrapped with meat (yuk-ssam). It was just right as a dessert.

Friendly service: staff reheated our stew

The doenjang stew doesn't include rice, so I ordered it separately, but a lot of both stew and rice was left, so I asked them to reheat just the stew. I don't know if it was because we ordered alcohol, but they added more broth and reheated it. I was so touched.. 🥺🥺

I put the rice in the stew too and, wow~~~~ a hangover cure while eating 👍🏻👍🏻

Sikhye and yogurt dessert from the self-serve bar

The self-bar also has sikhye (sweet rice drink), so I had a cup each, and it was the best final palate cleanser. I wanted another cup but I was too full and went home without one, sad fact..

After the sikhye, they also give you a yogurt drink for dessert. You're supposed to peel the back and tear it open for the full experience, but I was too full to eat it… next time for sure!!

The shop sells orlanda, perilla seed and black sesame gangjeong (crunchy sweet snacks). You can charge your phone too~! The restrooms are inside the building, separate for men and women 🚻

Who is Junggye Gogi Party Nowon Branch best for?

It's 500g but feels like 5kg: a great value BBQ place. With generous meat, varied fresh side dishes, plus dessert and sweets, I recommend it for family gatherings and dates. The friendly staff make the meal even more enjoyable ✨💛👍🏻