Daytime drinking at a Gangnam BBQ: aged pork neck and injeolmi skin

A Gangnam BBQ between Gangnam and Sinnonhyeon Stations known for daytime drinking

🐰 Kkondae Kim Bujang Gogi-jip Gangnam Station Branch is an aged-meat BBQ restaurant on the ground floor at 20 Gangnam-daero 98-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Whenever you're planning a get-together with friends or coworkers around Gangnam, finding a proper BBQ spot that satisfies everyone's taste is always a headache. This place, tucked in a busy alley between Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station, has been getting nonstop praise from office workers for its excellent meat quality and generous spread. Whether you come from Line 2/Sinbundang Gangnam Station or Line 9 Sinnonhyeon Station, it's an easy walk either way.

🐰 Walk in and you're greeted by a spacious, well-kept dining hall with a table layout designed to comfortably fit large groups — great for a Gangnam Station BBQ work dinner, a reunion, or a big pre-wedding gathering. Especially among people who like a laid-back drink at an easy hour, it's already earning the nickname 'Gangnam's sanctuary of daytime drinking.' The generous free corkage policy makes it even better if you want to bring your own drinks.

How many house-made banchan come with the meal?

🐰 The banchan (side dishes) at Kkondae Kim Bujang Gogi-jip Gangnam Station Branch arrive on a huge round tray, packed edge to edge. The moment you sit down and place your order, this spread appears and it's genuinely gasp-worthy. Most BBQ places just give you kimchi, ssamjang, and garlic — but here you get spicy-sour chewy squid muchim (seasoned salad), nostalgic pan-fried sausage that everyone loves, salty fish cake stir-fry, cool and bouncy acorn jelly, and crispy savory jeon (pan-fried fritters) — not a single miss in the lineup.

🐰 You can tell these are made in-house by an owner who genuinely believes guests should leave well-fed and satisfied — a totally different vibe from banchan that tastes mostly of seasoning powder. Fresh ssam vegetables and neatly arranged pickles round out the setup, doing solid duty as drinking snacks even before any meat hits the grill. The generosity in every single side dish makes you feel properly cared for from the very start of the meal.

200g aged pork belly and 200g aged whole pork neck, grilled over charcoal by the staff

🐰 The mains are aged pork belly (200g) and aged whole pork neck (200g). Right as you're savoring the banchan, the meat arrives triumphantly alongside high-quality charcoal. Even at a glance, the meat's deep red freshness and dense marbling stand out, and the sheer thickness of the cuts gives off serious presence before it's even cooked. Thanks to the restaurant's own aging method, the meat is remarkably tender while still keeping a satisfying, springy bite.

🐰 As the saying goes, 'meat tastes best when someone else grills it for you' — the staff's skilled grilling meant we could just relax and focus on conversation. Biting into the pork belly, seared golden and crisp over charcoal, releases a savory burst of juices that fills your whole mouth. The thick pork neck was just as good, tender with zero dryness, and deeply infused with that unmistakable smoky charcoal aroma — genuinely impressive.

200g crunchy oddol galbi and pork skin dipped in injeolmi soybean powder

🐰 After properly enjoying the clean flavor of the plain meat, it was time to switch grill plates for the 'crunchy oddol galbi' (200g). This dish is the restaurant's secret weapon — fresh domestic cartilage rib coated evenly in a special house sauce. Rolled gently on the grill so the sauce doesn't burn, each bite delivers a sweet, savory bulgogi-like flavor paired with a delightfully crunchy texture — a fantastic combo. It's an easy-on-the-teeth, satisfying bite that makes it an ideal drinking snack.

🐰 Next up is the hidden card: pork skin, grilled golden brown and crispy to peak savoriness. Crispy outside, chewy inside — dip a piece into the fragrant injeolmi (rice cake) powder and you get a burst of chewiness and nuttiness in your mouth, a true delicacy among delicacies. Pairing it with a smooth, clean glass of Saero soju washes away the greasiness and completes a perfectly balanced drinking experience.

Bibim naengmyeon to finish, and the verdict on Kkondae Kim Bujang

🐰 To wrap up the meat feast, we chose the generously portioned bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles) for dessert. Chewy thin noodles come topped with a hearty amount of spicy-tangy special sauce — mix it up with your chopsticks, wrap it around a well-cooked, thick piece of pork belly, and it perfectly cuts through the richness. A truly fantastic pairing.

🐰 Kkondae Kim Bujang Gogi-jip Gangnam Station Branch delivers on all three fronts — high-quality aged meat, a table-groaning spread of house-made banchan, and friendly staff-grilling service — a rare gem of a BBQ spot in Gangnam. Walking out the door after finishing the meal, I felt genuinely full and well taken care of. If you're looking for a foolproof BBQ dinner spot near Gangnam Station, or a fun daytime drinking session with friends, I'd strongly recommend heading here without hesitation.

Kkondae Kim Bujang Gogi-jip Gangnam Station Branch: address, seating and corkage

• Address: 20 Gangnam-daero 98-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, ground floor
• Hours: Contact the restaurant (lunch and dinner, group reservations available)
• Free corkage supported, group gatherings and dinners welcome