Wasabi self-bar and a second meat order at Gwangju BBQ Sangnok Hoegwan

Sangnok Hoegwan Yeontan-gui Taejeon Branch, a charcoal BBQ restaurant in Gwangju

I was craving pork belly out of nowhere. But not the kind grilled over gas — I mean hot, direct-fire pork belly grilled over real briquette coals! Fellow food lovers know that's a totally different thing, right? And on top of that, beef, pork, AND seafood all at once!! I heard there was a place where you could enjoy all of it together, so I went right away 🫡

• 📍Location: 350-6 Hoean-daero, 1st floor, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do
• ⏰Hours: Mon–Sat 13:30–24:00 / Sun 12:00–24:00
• 🚗Parking: Available

Parking and seating at Sangnok Hoegwan Taejeon Branch

Sangnok Hoegwan Yeontan-gui Taejeon Branch has a lot in front that fits about 15 cars. Here's what it looks like.

Here's the inside of the restaurant. Round four-person tables are lined up neatly, and there's plenty of space between tables so you can eat comfortably. Looks like about 20 tables in total.

The chairs have built-in storage, so if you don't want your clothes to soak up the meat smell, you can tuck your bag and jacket underneath.

You can feel a bit of retro vibe from the menu board, right?

And the real charm of Sangnok Hoegwan Yeontan-gui Taejeon Branch!! It's a place where you can grill beef, pork, AND shellfish together! Isn't that pretty rare!? The tank was absolutely packed with fresh seafood.

It's a great restaurant to bring kids to in Gwangju. They have high chairs ready too.

Menu and prices at Sangnok Hoegwan

A menu that's easy to look through at a glance. Pork options include samgyeopsal (pork belly), mokssal (pork neck), hangjeongsal (pork jowl), dwitgogi, galmaegisal (skirt meat), pork skin, and makchang. Beef includes galbisal, salchisal, tosisal, and beef makchang. Shellfish and seafood include keyjogae (fan mussel), scallop, abalone, live octopus, and sea squirt!!

The pork one-geun (600g), where you can taste a variety of cuts, is 34,000 won!! Most other meat is under ten-thousand-something won per 100g!!! In this era of high prices, a place like this is rare indeed ㅜㅜ

Side dishes and what is on the self-bar

This is the basic spread that comes out when you order. If you feel like something's missing, just head straight to the self-bar!!

Ta-da!! There's pineapple, wild garlic (myeongi-namul), sliced onion, lettuce wraps, and more, all sorts of things. There are extra plates and utensils on top, so just grab as many as you need.

The moment you order, they bring you the briquette fire!! Wow,, it's a real briquette. True to being a pork belly spot in Gwangju, this is the classic version of charcoal grilling!

What we ordered: pork one-geun and a second helping

The first thing I ordered was the pork one-geun!! It's 600g made up of various cuts of pork!! I was debating whether to order pork skin separately, but it's already included 🤍🤍

I grabbed a bunch of stuff from the self-bar, loaded up the table, and started grilling!!

Sizzling and grilling nicely. I think meat grilled over briquette fire is the tastiest! Grilling on a griddle leaves too much oil which I'm not a fan of, but grilling over briquette fire gets the outside crispy and the inside juicy, while draining out the fat much better — way tastier 😘

Oh, and I also brought over oil-salt dip and garlic from the self-bar to grill together — you can't skip this, so make sure to grill it along with the meat.

The fire was strong and good, so the meat cooked really well. Once it's cooked enough, cut the meat into bite-sized pieces to finish it off.

My beloved pineapple gets grilled too, and now it's time to eat!!

I put two pieces of meat on a perilla leaf wrap and take a bite with some onion! Oh, there's wasabi at the self-bar too 🫡 If it's not there, just ask staff and they'll bring it.

I'm a total fan of grilled pineapple!!! How about you all??

Pork skin dipped in soybean powder

Lastly, we grilled the pork skin too.

Dipped right into the soybean powder, it's so chewy and delicious. And pork skin is collagen so ~.~

Try cutting it into long strips or into square pieces — it somehow tastes different depending on the cut, haha ㅋㅋ

Finishing with mul naengmyeon and doenjang jjigae

To finish, of course, naengmyeon!! Mul naengmyeon~~!! Faithful to the basics with a slushy icy broth.

This is the doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) to warm the stomach that naengmyeon had just cooled down. It's mini in size, but the contents — zucchini, onion, and more — are solid.

Actually, even after eating all that, my food-loving other half still felt like something was missing, so we ordered more meat.

Grilled up like a steak!! Truly, truly the last round with naengmyeon!!

Is Sangnok Hoegwan Taejeon Branch worth a visit?

A charcoal BBQ restaurant where you can enjoy pork, beef, and seafood all at once. Great value, great taste, great service. I'd definitely visit again.