Jongno 3-ga Seoul Korean BBQ: No. 36 in line at 4:30pm, Tapgol Gongwon

The weather's finally turned cool enough for outdoor BBQ season, haha. While looking for where to go, I found this outdoor BBQ spot near Tapgol Park in Jongno that's apparently blowing up on Instagram and blogs right now. Honestly, outdoor BBQ places are usually all about the vibe, so I didn't expect much — but I came away impressed by both the meat and the service.

What time should you arrive to beat the wait at Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga?

Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch opens at 5pm, but even arriving at 4:30pm got me waiting number 36. There are 35 seats, and apparently they all fill up in one go. You know famous places always come with a wait, right?

If that first round of seats gets fully booked, you're stuck waiting until people finish their meal — so budget at least another hour of waiting on top of that. With only 35 seats, waiting numbers were already past 35 by the time I got there, so keep that in mind and definitely show up before 4:30pm to register for the wait.

What we ordered and the self-serve banchan bar

We ordered pork belly x1, pork neck x1, brisket doenjang stew (된장찌개, fermented soybean paste stew), and a Terra beer. We finally got seated... so moved, haha.

The basic side dishes came out neatly arranged in a wicker basket — exactly the kind of banchan that pairs well with grilled meat. We're the type who likes to refill sides a lot, and there was a self-serve bar so we could eat as much as we wanted without feeling awkward about it. The self-serve bar was also fully stocked, which was great.

Pork belly and pork neck: why two servings weren't enough for three

The meat we ordered came out, and even though it was two servings, the portion was generous. They put the meat straight on the grill along with kimchi, bean sprouts, and bracken fern. Just looking at it made my mouth water...

The outdoor BBQ vibe, gosh... doesn't it look amazing just from the photos? Outdoor BBQ spots that are famous are usually famous for the atmosphere, with the food being just okay — so honestly I didn't expect much from Tapgol either. But the meat turned out to be way more delicious than expected. We both kept saying 'why is this so good,' and ended up adding a third serving when we'd originally planned on just two. No gamey smell, full of juice — you could really tell they cared about the quality of the meat. Eating it outdoors probably made it taste even better than usual, too.

Lettuce, ssamjang (쌈장, seasoned soybean paste dip), and meat — just these three together are pure bliss. It's the kind of taste that keeps coming back to mind. I want to eat it again already, ugh.

Brisket doenjang stew and doenjang rice at Tapgol Gongwon

So glad we ordered the brisket doenjang stew. So delicious — the spicy, savory broth is basically a thief of rice and soju!!!! Grilled meat alone can get a bit greasy, but with sliced cheongyang chili added to the doenjang, it was seriously the best, ugh. The soju just kept flowing... I wanted to learn the recipe for this stew.

They mixed the rice into the stew for us, nice and neat. Doenjang rice — who can resist that? We should've had soju with it, but I kept craving refreshing beer instead, so I got way too full but couldn't stop eating.

How was the service at this Jongno 3-ga Korean BBQ?

When a place gets busy, staff often get worn out and can come across as unfriendly — but everyone at Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch was so kind. Every staff member was friendly and kept smiling even while rushed off their feet, which was really nice. Even if the food's great, unfriendly service makes you not want to go back, and even if the vibe is great, rudeness will keep me from ever returning — but this is a place I genuinely want to come back to again and again!

Of course we had to get the fried rice too. It came out already made, wrapped in foil, and topped with a sunny-side-up egg with a runny yolk — absolute perfection.

Why the Jongno 3-ga outdoor BBQ atmosphere is better after dark

Tapgol Gongwon feels even better once night falls! Early evening is nice too, but the atmosphere just seems to get better the later it gets~~ Highly recommend it if you want to really feel that Jongno outdoor BBQ vibe!!! One more time, let me emphasize: go early to register for the wait, and two people ordering three servings is basically the rule~~ I need to go back again soon before it gets any colder.

• Hours 17:00 - 24:00
• 111 Supyo-ro, 1st Floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea