Late-night Daegu Korean BBQ, cold noodle finish: Sangnok Hoegwan

A Goseong-dong, Daegu favorite — budget-friendly pork BBQ near Bukguchung Station: Sangnok Hoegwan. Text/photos © Vanilla

What kind of place is Sangnok Hoegwan Goseong Branch?

Sangnok Hoegwan Yeontan Gui Goseong Branch is a value-for-money spot in Goseong-dong, Daegu where you can grill everything from pork belly to cheese scallops over charcoal. As usual, on a night when I didn't feel like cooking, I talked my partner Ppo-nim into it after she got off work late, and we headed over for some grilling haha

• 📌Address: 39 Goseongbuk-ro, Buk-gu, Daegu, South Korea, 1st floor
• ⏰Hours: 17:00-24:00 (last order 23:30)
• 📣 Group reservations available

It's a 5-minute walk from Bukguchung Station on Line 3. Parking is available in nearby alleys, or you can use DGB Park after 8pm.

Finding Sangnok Hoegwan on the street in Goseong-dong

What the restaurant looks like from outside

A retro-mood sign fits right into the Goseong-dong alley scene. The weather was nice so they had all the exterior windows open like an outdoor tent, and you could smell the delicious aroma from just walking near it.

Inside Sangnok Hoegwan: interior and seating

The place is fairly spacious with lots of tables, so it feels like waits wouldn't be too long even at peak times. The layout works well for group gatherings too. We visited late on a weekday evening and customers kept steadily coming in.

I wanted to sit near the entrance, which has that street-food-stall feel, but since that table opened up too slowly, we settled for a seat further inside.

This Goseong-dong, Daegu favorite has a tank on one side of the store where you can pick out scallops, abalone, oysters and more straight out of the water to grill over charcoal. Starting in September, they also have a seasonal grilled prawn menu — perfect for anyone who loves both meat and seafood haha. But we came for the meat.

Side dishes and the self-serve bar

The downside of open-flame grilling is that it's hard to grill kimchi, but Sangnok Hoegwan Goseong Branch, a pork BBQ favorite near Bukguchung Station, gets around that by serving generous portions of bean sprouts and kimchi in foil dishes. Other classic side dishes like jaeraegi (young radish kimchi), ssammu (pickled radish wraps) and onion sauce are all provided in good amounts too.

The tangy-spicy radish salad and jaeraegi were both delicious. If any side dish runs low, you can grab more freely from the self-serve bar behind the tank.

The 35,000-won pork geun platter: how much meat for two?

We ordered the 35,000-won pork platter (han-geun, about 600g). It includes samgyeopsal, moksal, and specialty cuts like ogyeopapsal, hangjeongmoksal and handon-tosisal, all on one plate — plus a free serving of pork skin.

Usually when two of us go to a BBQ place, the bill easily crosses 50,000 won, but here we ate our fill for well under 40,000 won. It also hit my personal sweet spot for trying a variety of cuts — a proper signature dish for Sangnok Hoegwan.

Since it's so affordable, grilling it yourself is part of the fun :) The slightly smoky flavor is the whole appeal of charcoal grilling. We ordered the han-geun set to try a bit of everything, but each item is cheap individually too. Every cut in the combo can also be ordered separately in 100g portions, so it's great if you want to pick just your favorite cuts or mix in seafood.

How to grill pork over the charcoal fire

Moksal and samgyeopsal go on first. Roll them around on the grill so they don't burn while picking up that smoky charcoal flavor, and then—

—the fat renders out and the flavor deepens, genuinely comparable to pork that costs way more than 10,000 won a serving elsewhere. A real Goseong-dong, Daegu gem.

There were also three types of specialty cuts to enjoy, each with a different texture — fun to savor one by one.

I thought the accompanying sauces and condiments were on the simple side, but honestly, just salt or the onion sauce was more than enough.

I think this one was hangjeongmoksal — its crunchy, chewy texture was the appeal, good with just a bit of salt, and it also paired nicely with wasabi.

To ease my conscience, I wrapped some in vegetables too. I went through a phase of loving Vietnamese fresh rolls and visiting Vietnamese restaurants often, but in the end, the best wrap is still perilla leaf with meat haha

Free pork skin and what extra servings cost

Ordering the pork platter gets you a free serving of pork skin, which is great to eat almost like dessert. This texture is usually a favorite with women, and Ppo-nim loves pork skin too, so there's some serious behind-the-scenes negotiating over who gets more...

It comes pre-seasoned in a sweet-salty sauce, so it's delicious even just dipped generously in roasted soybean powder. We debated adding another order at 6,500 won for two pieces, but ended up craving carbs and ordered a meal item instead.

Finishing with 2,000-won doenjang jjigae and 5,900-won mul naengmyeon

Doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) for 2,000 won. The stone pot isn't small, and it comes filled generously, so it's plenty for two people. A classic, savory BBQ-restaurant-style doenjang jjigae, loaded with mushrooms and zucchini.

Mul naengmyeon (cold noodles) for 5,900 won. I ordered this trying to hold onto the last bit of summer. Bibim naengmyeon is the same price. Portions were generous as expected, and I liked that the broth was kept pleasantly cold rather than icy, matching the weather. The broth is on the sweeter side, so adding plenty of vinegar made it even better.

For dessert, we grilled marshmallows. It might seem like a small thing, but these little touches are exactly what make you want to come back again.

At the next table, a family was grilling meat along with cheese scallops. As for us, the han-geun platter was already plenty for two... Next time, I'd love to come back with a group of four. That was Sangnok Hoegwan, a Goseong-dong, Daegu favorite and charcoal grill specialist near Bukguchung Station.