Jongno family Korean BBQ: ₩99,000 set for 3, Gogikkun Kim Chunbae

Jonggak-ap Nosang Gongyeong Juchajang (Gogikkun Kim Chunbae Jongno): a weekend BBQ where staff do the grilling

Jonggak-ap Nosang Gongyeong Juchajang (고기꾼김춘배 종로직영점, also known as Gogikkun Kim Chunbae) is a Jongno BBQ place near Jonggak Station where the staff grill the meat for you. I went last weekend with my family, and honestly, a BBQ place that grills for you is the best. I visit the Jongno area a lot. I really love strolling around Gwanghwamun, Jongno and Cheonggyecheon, and even more often when the weather is as nice as it is these days.

Gogikkun Kim Chunbae has a recommended set that lets you taste beef and pork in one go. You get hanwoo (Korean beef), fresh pork belly and fresh pork neck at a reasonable price, and since the staff grill everything, it turns out to be a pretty famous spot for team dinners.

The meat is chilled, not frozen, and the marbling on the hanwoo and the sow pork neck and belly looked really fresh at a glance. Just seeing the condition of the meat got me excited. I love hanwoo, pork belly and pork neck alike, so I liked that this set menu lets you enjoy a variety of meats starting with hanwoo.

The charcoal grilling service was very satisfying. The staff watched our eating pace and came by at just the right moments, grilling the hanwoo first, then the pork neck, then the pork belly, so we could eat really comfortably as a family. Normally my husband is the griller and I help out, so I'm frantic the whole meal. At Kim Chunbae, where they grill for you, I could relax, and maybe that's why the meat tasted even better.

Where is Jonggak-ap Nosang Gongyeong Juchajang, and what are its hours?

It's at 17 Samil-daero 17-gil, 5th floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 330m from Jonggak Station Exit 4. It's open daily 12:00–23:00.

The restaurant is by Jonggak Station. Behind Bosingak Pavilion, Jongno's Piano Street is full of great eateries, and this one is there. It's also a perfect spot for walking along Cheonggyecheon after your meal. I was so full after lunch that day that I slowly walked along Cheonggyecheon and all the way to Myeongdong.

Set menus and prices

The sets run from the ₩99,000 recommended set up to the ₩167,000 premium set. The Kim Chunbae sets really seem like great value.

• Recommended set (500g): today's hanwoo, pork neck, pork belly, ₩99,000
• Pork Set A (600g): pork neck, pork belly, galmaegisal (skirt meat), ₩69,000
• Pork Set B (1000g): pork neck, pork belly, galmaegisal, hangjeongsal (jowl), ₩119,000
• Premium set (400g): saewoosal (beef chuck flap), salchisal (chuck flap tail), sirloin, galbisal (rib meat), ₩167,000

Gogikkun Kim Chunbae uses good hanwoo and chilled sow pork, so the meat tastes really special. I had the hanwoo, pork neck and pork belly from the recommended set, and honestly all three were delicious.

Atmosphere and side dishes: is it good for a team dinner?

The restaurant is cozy with moderate lighting, and it has seating with tables lined up in a row, which suits group dinners.

Maybe it's the well-judged lighting, but the cozy mood really stood out. I'd highly recommend it to anyone planning a team dinner around Jonggak. The meat quality is excellent and the staff grill it, so it's a place where the youngest team member doesn't get stuck grilling and everyone can enjoy the food.

The side dishes are neat too. There were vegetables and jangajji (pickled vegetables) to eat with the meat, plus salt and meljeot (salted anchovy sauce), just the sides and sauces you need.

The ₩99,000 recommended set: is it enough for a family of 3?

When I ordered the recommended set, it came with today's hanwoo, fresh pork neck and fresh pork belly, plus mushrooms and corn. I liked the variety, and the hanwoo marbling was a work of art.

They grill everything for you while you just sit there, which is so comfortable. For the meal part, I ordered mixed naengmyeon (cold noodles) and kkakdugi fried rice (fried rice with diced radish kimchi).

Doesn't the hanwoo look delicious? And they grill it so well: cooked through outside and slightly rare inside, so the juices burst out. I was amazed by the taste.

First they grill the mushrooms and hanwoo over the charcoal. The hanwoo just melted in my mouth. Judging by the amount of meat, it was a very filling set for 3 people, and with everything grilled for you at ₩99,000, I think this really is a great-value BBQ place.

Today's hanwoo made my hanwoo-loving daughter's chopsticks speed up

Golden-brown hanwoo is always love. The meat itself was so good and juicy that I ate it without even dipping it in salt. My daughter, a total hanwoo killer, started moving her chopsticks faster and faster. I ate a bit more slowly, waiting for the pork neck.

Today's hanwoo that made my daughter's chopsticks fly!!! Even my picky kid must have found it really delicious. When I had a bite, I realized again that good meat grilled over charcoal is on a different level from grilling at home.

The outside of the meat is crisp and the inside is nicely pink, and grilled like this it really melts in your mouth. The doneness was totally satisfying. They cut it into perfect bite sizes, and the grilling and service were the best.

Meal menu: mixed naengmyeon and kkakdugi fried rice

The banban naengmyeon (반반냉면, half-and-half cold noodles) here comes with both bibim naengmyeon (spicy) and mul naengmyeon (in cold broth). No need to agonize between the two, since you get both, which is great! Naengmyeon really goes well with meat.

My husband ordered the kkakdugi fried rice. The chewy mix of meat and crunchy kkakdugi made it a very good meal dish, and the portion was generous even for 2 people.

With seaweed flakes and chopped green onion on top, the kkakdugi fried rice was really delicious and I recommend it. Meat with naengmyeon is a great combo, and the fried rice with its crunchy kkakdugi goes well too. After eating this much, a walk along Cheonggyecheon was a must, of course.

After the hanwoo, fresh pork neck, and finally fresh pork belly

With the recommended set, once you finish the hanwoo they grill the pork neck, then the pork belly. I ate the leaner pork neck next, and maybe because it's chilled sow pork, the neck was again clean-tasting and so good.

They put the mushrooms and well-grilled pork neck on our plate, then grilled the highlight, the pork belly. It was even better than the pork belly I had in Jeju. The recommended set is really well put together: the quality of all three, beef, pork neck and pork belly, is so good that it's delicious, and I love that you get to enjoy them in order starting with the beef.