Lunch-reservation Korean BBQ in Yongsan, Seoul: Byeoljin Hwarogui

I was looking for a place near Yongsan Station, a real transit hub, where I could book a lunch reservation, and ended up at Byeoljin Hwarogui (별진화로구이), a charcoal grill spot near Namyeong Station within walking distance of Samgakji Station! Yongsan has been hot for a while now, so hitting a popular lunch spot usually means a wait... but it was so scorching out that I just booked a time slot through Naver reservation~!

It's a BBQ restaurant, but with a camping concept, so it didn't feel too heavy for lunch!! The standing sign out front showing the smoked camping set seemed to be their signature.

What does Byeoljin Hwarogui look like inside?

Unlike what you'd guess from outside, once you step inside Byeoljin Hwarogui, it's ENORMOUS! Even the entryway leading into the restaurant was decorated like a glamping site.

The interior was quite spacious, and even though it's clearly indoors, the decor gave off real campsite-grilling vibes~~ Since it was lunchtime and a bit quiet, the two of us got a hall table.

For bigger groups, there's a cute little camping-themed group room tucked off to the side!!

It's separated from the main hall without feeling cramped, so it seemed perfect for coming with a bigger group for dinner too — casual, not stuffy at all, even as a group room~~~ great for a smoked BBQ night.

Byeoljin Hwarogui menu: is the 800g camping set too much for two?

The most popular menu item seems to be the smoked camping set!!

Ordering the medium camping set gets you about 2.5 servings, made up of pork ribs, dak-galbi (grilled chicken), and 800g of pork belly! My friend said 800g would be way too much for two of us — though thinking about it, the ribs probably look heavier because of the bone weight~ Anyway, she said she's gotten older and can't eat as much anymore... crying laughing lol. After going back and forth with the camping set, we ended up ordering the smoked pork belly for two instead.

No worries if smoked isn't your thing — they also have raw meat options. Lots of variety, so it's a good spot for a group to order whatever suits each person's taste~

Side dishes and the charcoal grill setup

The side dishes came out, and somehow they were all things you'd actually pick up at the mart for an actual camping trip lol, which I found kind of charming. The kimchi was well-aged mukeunji and genuinely delicious, really opened up the appetite, and they gave a generous amount of myeongi-namul (mountain garlic chives) too!! There was also a tangy pickled olive that later goes on the grill — unusual, but great wrapped with the meat~~

They also gave a good pile of vegetable salad with black sesame dressing — since it was our first meal of the day, the salad calmed our stomachs before the meat.

The well-heated charcoal arrived. You could tell at a glance the charcoal quality was good~ And thankfully the interior was spacious and airy enough that the charcoal didn't make it too hot.

How does the smoked pork belly for two taste?

The smoked pork belly arrives~~~ We deliberately ordered the smoked version instead of raw pork belly to lean into the camping mood — wondering how it'd taste~~ At first glance the fat looked like maybe a bit much?? but once grilled, it turned out to be surprisingly perfectly balanced...

Looking at it this way, the combo of lean meat and fat is honestly fantastic!!!?? Okay, let's start grilling~

They also gave us garae-tteok (cylindrical rice cakes) and grilling skewers of vegetables to cook alongside, so we grilled those too.

The charcoal was good, so it got a nice char quickly! Even though the meat was already smoked, the owner still reminded us to grill it properly!!

They told us to dip the meat in this wasabi-garlic sauce shown here.

For my first bite, I'd been wanting to wrap it with myeongi-namul, so I added a touch of wasabi and made a wrap combining the smoky pork belly's aroma, its savory flavor, and the tangy garlic chives~ chomp chomp.

Smoking it once and then grilling it a second time over charcoal really does something to the color of the meat... it was insane. My friend also said the pork belly tasted clean and light and delicious!! And you know the parts near the bone are always tastier, right~? Chewy yet so tender~~~

Beef tartare bibim naengmyeon: worth ordering

After eating our individual servings of meat, my friend said it was hot out and she was craving something tangy, so we ordered the beef tartare naengmyeon!!!! Honestly, I don't know what we would've done if we hadn't ordered it — the presentation blew us away. There was way more beef tartare piled on than expected, and underneath, they even threw in chwinamul (aster greens) or minari (water celery), such a classy touch~~~~~

The noodles were the chewy, kudzu-colored kind you'd find at a proper kudzu naengmyeon place, great for soaking up the sauce~ And most importantly, the seasoning itself wasn't sweet at all — it had a spicy kick with a hint of sesame oil aroma, which paired perfectly with the beef tartare...

Now that the bibim naengmyeon was here, obviously we had to eat it alongside the pork belly again~~ The pork belly slowly browning over the charcoal, straight into my mouth!

My friend grilled the second batch, and as expected... she really knows her stuff... grills meat so well... thanks, friend..

Is Byeoljin Hwarogui a good lunch spot in Yongsan?

You can conveniently book a lunch reservation through Naver even in the hot Samgakji/Yongsan area~~ and since N Seoul Tower is close by, it was also great to take a stroll after the meal~~