Gwangju grill house with aged pork jowl and tofu stew: Gogup Yeonguso

I went to Gogup Yeonguso, a Korean BBQ restaurant in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.

It's a place with an easy layout to stop by after a round of golf in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, and you can eat aged pork jowl there. The restaurant has some unique side dishes too, and the value for money is good.

Where is Gogup Yeonguso, and where do you park?

The navigation address is 경기 광주시 경안로41번길 7-7 1층, Gogup Yeonguso.

There was space in front of the store, so I parked there. Since it connects right to Gyeongan Market, it's also close to the Gyeongan Market public parking lot.

Gogup Yeonguso opening hours and last order

• Sun 10:40 - 22:30 (last order 21:25)
• Mon 11:40 - 22:30 (last order 21:25)
• Tue 11:40 - 22:30 (last order 21:25)
• Wed 11:40 - 22:30 (last order 21:25)
• Thu 11:40 - 22:30 (last order 21:25)
• Fri 11:40 - 22:30 (last order 21:25)
• Sat 10:40 - 22:30 (last order 21:25)

How is the meat aged and served at Gogup Yeonguso?

Gogup Yeonguso in Gwangju comes up when you search for Gwangju or Gyeongan-dong restaurants, since it's known for its aged meat — this place sells meat that's gone through a second round of aging.

According to the menu details, the meat goes through a first round of water aging, then a second round of dry aging, and when you order it, they give it a pre-charring and oak smoking before serving. It comes out in a state that's easy to grill, so it was great for grilling on a date, too.

The aging process is unique — you can actually see the meat aging inside the restaurant, which was fun to watch while waiting for the food.

I ordered the aged pork jowl among the pork options. Since you can eat aged meat at such a reasonable price, it's a sensible choice for a Gwangju restaurant meal, family outing, or company dinner.

Inside Gogup Yeonguso: the room and the menu

Gogup Yeonguso, an aged meat specialist in Gyeongan-dong, Gwangju that's even appeared on TV, was friendly, with a cozy atmosphere and fairly wide spacing between tables. The space in the back is well separated, making it comfortable for conversation.

Looking at the menu, there's a variety of meat, from pork belly to pork jowl to beef short rib slices, so it was easy to pick.

What the aged pork jowl tastes like after the flame sear and oak smoke

Gogup Yeonguso's aging process starts with water aging, then dry aging to concentrate the meat's flavor compounds — and it really has that chewy, springy texture.

The meat comes out right after being pre-charred, and there's a fun little performance with smoke coming out of a dome-shaped cover. They said the smoke is oak smoking. Since the meat comes pre-charred, it's also easy to grill from there. They told us it's good to grill it until crispy, so we cooked it a bit more on the grill.

The pre-charred meat just gets cooked a little more at the table to make it easier to eat, so it was good to eat right away too.

Cooking the outside until golden while keeping the chewy texture inside gave the pork jowl a nice springy bite.

There were several sauces prepared to go with the meat, and it came with grilled vegetables like mushrooms, onions, asparagus, and grilled eggplant. I also tried grilling the green onion kimchi and regular kimchi, and they went well with the aged meat.

The side order: sundubu doenjang stew with bean sprouts

The soft tofu doenjang (fermented soybean paste) stew I ordered as a side is a different style from a typical BBQ restaurant's doenjang stew, made with bean sprouts and soft tofu. I ordered it because I needed some broth while eating meat, and it had a slightly spicy kick, which made it work well as a meal dish too.

Maybe because of the bean sprouts, the broth felt even more refreshing, and the soft tofu gave it a smooth texture. Since you can go from grilling meat straight into a full meal, this is a place that works for both lunch and dinner.