Daegu BBQ with live clam tank and crab tomalley grill: Sangnok Hoegwan

On a rough day when only pork belly could fix things, I went looking for something reliable. But a pork BBQ place with a live fish tank? You can eat seafood there too? Sounds like a strange combo, but it turned out to be one that's impossible to get wrong — so I went to check out Sangnok Hoegwan Yeontan Gui Goseong Branch.

How to walk from Bukguchung Station to Sangnok Hoegwan, and where to park

Sangnok Hoegwan Yeontan Gui Goseong Branch is on the 1st floor at 39 Goseongbuk-ro, Buk-gu, Daegu. Getting off at Bukguchung Station on Line 3 and heading out Exit 4, it was closer than expected — maybe a 5-minute walk.

I arrived first, and my friend parked in the alley. There were quite a few open spots on a Monday evening. There were parking lines painted, but since we didn't pay a fee, I'm guessing it's alley parking rather than a public street lot... Anyway, access was pretty convenient! One glance and you can tell it's a charcoal BBQ place, haha.

But the moment we walked in, what caught my eye wasn't the charcoal — it was the tank of clams and shrimp! Here to eat pork, and there's a fish tank too, haha. Seeing that, there was no way I wasn't ordering clam grill.

Sangnok Hoegwan menu: the 600g mixed pork platter

There were a lot of pork cuts on offer, and honestly I don't really know my cuts, haha. After some deliberating, I went with the pork platter (600g) — a mix of pork belly, neck, skin, apsal, belly-brisket, and jowl, all in one go. The idea: try a bit of everything on the platter first, then order more of whichever cut was best!

You could also add 100g of any cut for a reasonable price, which was great for trying a little of several different cuts.

There was plain grilled scallop too, but how could I pass up cheese?👍🏼 I saw work dinner groups and friend groups around the restaurant, and besides cheese scallops there was also king scallop, abalone, stuffed octopus skewers, grilled squid, and more — perfect for drinking snacks. Watching customers keep streaming in, it seemed like this place was already known as a go-to spot near Bukguchung Station. There was also beef, plenty of drink options, and more side dishes.

I pretended to think it over, but really I opened the kiosk and ordered without hesitation.

• (1st round) Pork platter (600g), cheese scallops, draft beer
• (2nd round) Pork belly-brisket (100g), crab tomalley, doenjang jjigae, rice

Side dishes at Sangnok Hoegwan and the icy mu-saengchae

They brought the charcoal to the table,

and put bean sprouts and kimchi on the grill for us. I love the combo of grilled bean sprouts and kimchi with meat, so I was already happy from the start, haha.

And one unusual thing — marshmallows come as dessert. Marshmallows toasted over charcoal... now that's something to look forward to.

Mu-saengchae (seasoned radish salad) !!!!

There was a note attached saying the mu-saengchae is best eaten while still icy. And they weren't wrong. Like the radish inside bossam kimchi, this mu-saengchae has a slightly sweet taste, and it was definitely tastier cold. Not that it was bad when it warmed up! The mu-saengchae itself was just good, so I kept reaching for it.

The 600g pork platter: even the pork skin was good

Our main event, the pork platter! I tried guessing which cut was which by looking at photos, then just gave up and ate. In the end, every single cut was delicious, so honestly there wasn't much need to tell them apart.

As instructed, we grilled without cutting the meat first to keep the juices in.

Grilled to a nice golden brown, everything was delicious — including the skin. Mission of coming for pork belly: accomplished.

Cheese scallops, 17,000 won: pork and shellfish together

👍🏼👍🏼 I came for pork belly, but the cheese scallops were genuinely excellent. The scallops were huge.

Being that big gave them a proper chewy bite, and they were piled high with cheese on top. For ₩17,000, totally worth it.

The pairing of pork and cheese scallops was even better than expected. Rather than eating pork the whole time, having a cheese scallop in between kept refreshing my appetite👍🏼

Adding 100g of belly-brisket

Once I started getting full, it was nice being able to order just a bit more of whichever cut I wanted, instead of adding a whole new full order.

What does grilled crab tomalley taste like?

I was almost full of pork already, so I hesitated over ordering this one. But curiosity won, so we tried it anyway, haha. They told us to put it on the grill and let it simmer down until it thickens up before eating.

Crab tomalley, but with a surprisingly creamy flavor. It was great dipped with the pork too. A bit rich to finish alone, but I was glad I ordered it — savory, creamy, salty, delicious.

Doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew)

You can't skip doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) when eating pork BBQ, so we ordered that too. Nothing especially fancy, but exactly the kind of good doenjang jjigae you'd expect at a BBQ restaurant.

Marshmallows toasted over the charcoal

A perfect finish after all that food — the marshmallows. I've probably eaten maybe 10 marshmallows in my life (not counting Choco Pies), but toasting them that day made them taste amazing.

Would I go back to Sangnok Hoegwan in Goseong-dong?

• Eating clams at a pork BBQ place and finishing with soft toasted marshmallows made it feel almost like a little outing, haha. A restaurant with small, unexpected joys.
• The staff were very kind, and the food overall was delicious — I properly recharged at Sangnok Hoegwan Yeontan Gui Goseong Branch!
• Next time I'd like to try the beef short rib too. Plus the cheese scallops again!! Oh, and there was a poster on the wall for seafood ramyeon that looked really hearty — I should try that too.

If you're looking for a pork BBQ restaurant in Goseong-dong, or a good spot near Bukguchung Station for food and drinks, this is one I'd recommend! They've got draft beer too~

✔️ Also worth noting, there's a review event running. ✔️ I noticed at the register that they even had a portable battery for rent! Such a thoughtful touch for modern life.