Korean BBQ restaurant near Gyodae Station with a baby chair: Galgol

I had such a good meal at the Yangjae Citizens' Forest branch of Galgol Yeontanjip before, so this time, while looking for somewhere to have dinner near my sibling's place, I spotted that there's a Galgol Yeontanjip in Gyodae too — no hesitation, went straight there haha.

Four adults and a baby, five of us in total, and long story short, the Seocho Gyodae branch was genuinely delicious too...! 👍🏻👍🏻 I went chasing another branch because one location was so good, and turns out there's really no drop-off between branches — it's just as tasty!!

Galgol Yeontanjip Seocho Gyodae Branch: address and basics

• 📍 Address: 24 Seocho-daero 51-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 1st floor
• 🚇 Location: near Gyodae Station
• 👶 Baby chair available
• 📌 Note: group seating and Naver reservations available

As the name suggests, Galgol Yeontanjip Seocho Gyodae Branch is a Gyodae Station BBQ restaurant that grills meat over charcoal briquettes (yeontan). There's a baby chair too, so it worked fine for us visiting with a baby. The interior has that old-school charcoal-house vibe, but it's not run-down or uncomfortable — actually pretty clean!

There were five of us, and the seating worked fine for a group — this place also seems like a solid pick for a work dinner or gathering near Gyodae.

Overall the retro feel gave it a distinct character! It matches the name 'charcoal house' well, and honestly, isn't this exactly the kind of place you want to duck into after work for meat and a shot of soju haha.

Inside Galgol Yeontanjip: seating with a baby

Once you step inside, the retro atmosphere from the exterior carries right through. It's not uncomfortable like a genuinely old, worn-out spot though — the interior was cleaner than I expected.

With four adults plus a baby, seating mattered quite a bit for us, and it worked out fine for all five of us to sit and eat together. A baby chair was ready too, which was a real plus for taking a baby to a BBQ place!

What comes with the table, including basil ssamjang

The table comes set with the basics to eat alongside the meat — shredded scallions, kimchi, and various sauces. What surprised me was that alongside the regular ssamjang (soybean paste dip), there's also basil ssamjang — that combo felt pretty unexpected at a charcoal BBQ place! haha

The overall spread was clean and centered on things that pair well with meat, so it was easy to mix and match haha. And honestly, even the water caught my eye lol — retro plus hip, all in one.

Then once the charcoal briquette lands in the middle of the table, that's when it really feels like Galgol Yeontanjip! You can grill the kimchi and scallion kimchi right along with the meat too, so even before the meat arrived, just looking at the spread got me excited. The seats were spacious too, which made it comfortable to visit as a family with a baby!

There was a sign near our seat saying members of something called 'Hongsi Danwon' get grilled smelt fish, but I honestly still have no idea what Hongsi Danwon is...? 😮

Menu and prices: what five people paid

Galgol Yeontanjip has a varied menu — pork belly, pork neck, gochujang charcoal bulgogi, pork skin, and more. That day we ordered 1 gochujang charcoal bulgogi, 2 orders of charcoal salt pork belly, 2 orders of pork neck skewers, pork skin, and 2 doenjang rice. Charcoal salt pork belly is ₩15,900, and pork neck skewers are also ₩15,900.

With four adults, we started off ordering two portions each of pork belly and pork neck, then added a bit more as we ate. In the end we properly worked through everything — from the meat to the pork skin to a proper meal at the end haha... it came out to maybe around ₩150,000? Actually a bit under that, and everyone was completely full...... incredible value haha.

Charcoal salt pork belly and pork neck skewers

First up, the charcoal salt pork belly and pork neck skewers! The meat comes out nice and thick, so from the moment it hits the charcoal grill it's hard for it to be anything but delicious haha.

Honestly though... my sibling turned out to be really good at grilling meat. It was genuinely delicious, to the point I was wondering if it could really be this good haha.

I'd eaten so well at the Yangjae Citizens' Forest branch that my expectations were pretty high going in this time. But the Gyodae branch was delicious too!!!! The pork belly has that rich, fatty savoriness, and the pork neck has its own distinct chew, so if you're going with a group, I'd recommend ordering both. Grilling the kimchi alongside the meat and eating it together was genuinely so good ㅠㅠ.

Pork neck is chewier and firmer than pork belly, and since it has no fatty layer, it almost feels healthier (?). Our baby is more of a pork-neck person than a pork-belly person, so our little one ate it up happily too, hahaha.

But what really stood out was — the person grilling really does matter ▪▪▪! How did it come out this juicy inside and not burnt outside, so delicious haha. Not exactly 'after a long time', but another delicious meal today too haha.

Gochujang charcoal bulgogi, grilled last

We grilled the gochujang charcoal bulgogi last. After eating plain grilled meat for a while, switching to the marinated meat completely changed the flavor and I found myself digging in all over again haha. If you're visiting with a group like our four adults, don't just stick to pork belly and pork neck — mix in some gochujang charcoal bulgogi too. You get a full arc of flavors that way haha.

Since it's marinated, the trick is grilling it without letting it burn.

Pork skin, then doenjang sul-bap to finish

And then, another thing I love — pork skin!

I enjoyed the pork skin at the Yangjae Citizens' Forest branch too, and it was just as good here. That chewy, bouncy texture means my hand kept reaching for more even after being stuffed on meat haha. I feel like I'll order pork skin again next time too.

Chewy and rich but not greasy — my sibling and sister-in-law were surprised the pork skin could be this good, saying it was so nutty and savory haha. And to finish it off, doenjang rice (soybean paste rice with sake)! Since there were four adults, we ordered two instead of splitting one, and that was the right call. After all that meat, digging into hot doenjang rice felt like a proper ending all the way through..💛

And there's an orange slush for dessert too, which was the perfect palate cleanser after everything..!!

Is Galgol Yeontanjip worth it for a family dinner?

I had such a good meal at the Yangjae Citizens' Forest branch of Galgol Yeontanjip that I went hunting for another branch, and since it was near my sibling's place this time, I tried the Seocho Gyodae branch — genuinely no regrets. This one's delicious too..💗

Our baby ate the meat well too, so the whole family left satisfied — if you're looking for a BBQ spot to visit with a baby near Gyodae Station, or somewhere for a family dinner, I'd recommend Galgol Yeontanjip Seocho Gyodae Branch..💛 After nailing both the Yangjae branch and now the Gyodae branch, I think I'll keep walking into whichever branch I spot next haha.