Jongno Korean BBQ for a cozy outdoor date: Tapgol Gongwon

Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga: the basics

It is at 1F, 111 Supyo-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea (서울 종로구 수표로 111 1층), in the alley right beside the Tapgol Park stone-wall road near Jongno 3-ga Station. Hours are 17:00–01:00 on weekdays and weekends, and dining time is limited to 1 hour 30 minutes on weekends and public holidays.

Because this is a Jongno outdoor-dining alley, there is no dedicated parking. I recommend the public lot beneath Nakwon Arcade or a paid private lot nearby, but honestly, taking the subway to Jongno 3-ga Station is the easiest option 👍

Stone-wall outdoor seating and my best seat tip

Outdoor tables stretch all along the Tapgol Park stone wall, and the atmosphere is seriously unreal. The moment you enter the alley, it feels like you have escaped central Seoul and gone somewhere far away.

Each table has a burner set up, and when it gets dark they turn on soft lantern lighting too. The autumn-night mood along this stone wall was just so good.

It is an outdoor spot, so there is some bustle, but the spacing between tables meant we could focus completely on our own conversation. It was exactly the outdoor-drinking vibe I wanted: upbeat and pleasant, not chaotic! The restroom and self-bar are in the inner area.

Restrooms are always my biggest concern at outdoor drinking places, but the women’s restroom here is inside the restaurant and was very clean, so I could use it without any icky feeling.

Avoid the seats in front of the self-bar entrance

🚨 [Must read] A really important seating tip! Definitely avoid seats directly in front of the inner self-bar entrance! These are indoor-adjacent seats near the self-bar and restroom, where the air conditioner blows straight at you, so I was shivering while eating meat ㅠㅠ I strongly recommend a fully outside table, which is a little less crowded and has no windbreak to worry about!

Menu and generous self-bar sides

Once seated, I gave the menu a quick look. The lineup is nicely focused on pork and beef grills that perfectly suit the outdoor BBQ mood. Check the prices before visiting!

• Tapgol Set (1 serving pork belly + 1 serving flower pork neck + 1 serving duck roast): ₩55,000
• Flash-frozen pork belly 180g: ₩18,000 / flash-frozen flower pork neck 180g: ₩19,000 / flash-frozen duck roast 180g: ₩18,000
• Beef brisket 150g: ₩20,000 / beef rib meat 150g: ₩24,000 / beef oyster blade 180g: ₩24,000
• Kimchi fried rice ₩6,000 / beef brisket doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew) ₩7,000 / pork kimchi stew ₩9,000 / steamed egg ₩5,000 / rice ₩1,000
• Soju or makgeolli ₩5,000 / Terra beer ₩6,000 / soft drinks ₩2,000

We ordered the flash-frozen pork belly, flash-frozen flower pork neck, and beef brisket doenjang-jjigae! When we ordered, I actually did not even know there was a self-bar inside?

Before I even went to look at the self-bar, a staff member set out a huge retro-style tray piled high with banchan (Korean side dishes). Lettuce, peppers, garlic, bean sprouts, and kimchi came standard, along with bracken fern and green-onion kimchi—absolute heaven when grilled with meat. And the amazing part: salted squid came as a side dish too!

The salted squid was such good quality that you could polish off a bottle of soju just picking at it before grilling any meat. Once you finish the first set of sides, you can refill as much as you want at the self-bar inside, no awkwardness at all haha.

The self-bar is so clean, right?

Flash-frozen pork belly, flower pork neck, and beef brisket stew

Thin flash-frozen meat is even tastier

The flash-frozen pork belly is ₩18,000, and the flash-frozen flower pork neck is ₩19,000.

The smell of frozen pork belly grilling on a foil-lined grill outdoors with a gentle breeze... you know exactly what I mean, right? Even though it was frozen, the meat was good quality and had no unpleasant odor, so it was truly delicious.

💡 Meat-grilling tip: The meat here is on the thin side, so leaving it on the grill too long can dry it out and make it tough. The key is to grill it only lightly, until tender, without burning it!

Once the meat fat started running down the grill, I piled on plenty of bracken fern, green-onion kimchi, kimchi, bean sprouts, and garlic from the self-bar and grilled everything together. It was honestly fantastic.

You have to order the beef brisket doenjang-jjigae

The beef brisket doenjang-jjigae is ₩7,000. Everyone, you absolutely have to order it with your meat. It is insanely good. The broth is rich, there is beef brisket in it, and it is loaded with tofu!! It warms away the slight chill of the outdoor setting.

The two of us had meat, stew, and generous self-bar sides, and we felt like we might burst. But the atmosphere was great and the food was delicious, so we cleared every last bit. 😎

If you are looking for a romantic outdoor spot in Jongno 3-ga

A cool breeze, atmospheric stone-wall lighting, thin and tender meat, and perfect self-bar sides! It was not the overwhelming kind of place where you get swept up by crowds, so it completely melted away weekday-evening stress!!

If you are looking for an outdoor drinking spot in Jongno with real atmosphere, somewhere pleasant for drinks with friends, or a special date course, I totally recommend Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch! After eating, it is also perfect for a light walk toward Ikseon-dong or along Cheonggyecheon Stream. I need to go again before this autumn ends!! 🤍