Korean BBQ pork ribs for ₩17,000 in Gochon, Gimpo: Soyangan

You can tell right away that something's different about this ₩17,000 pork rib set. The cool yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi), the tangy yeolmu broth, the handmade doenjang (soybean paste) — all of it made by the owner herself.

A Gochon meat restaurant people deliberately travel to from Seoul for, one you'd never know about without a friend's recommendation. So what's the story here? I went to check it out myself.

Where is Soyangan in Gimpo, and what are its hours?

Soyangan is located at 69 Taeri-ro, Gochon-eup, Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do. It's open daily from 09:30 to 21:30, and there's ample parking right beside the restaurant, enough for 10 or more cars.

First impression: no marketing at Soyangan, just flavor

Walking into Soyangan, there's nothing flashy, just a clean, tidy space. It's set up in a converted house, and you can walk right in without taking off your shoes. There are plenty of charcoal grill places around, but you could tell this one was different just from the menu. No special deals, no loud marketing — it felt like a place focused purely on the food itself.

Soyangan's menu and prices: charcoal pork ribs for 17,000 won

What I ordered that day was the charcoal-grilled pork ribs (₩17,000). Since it's real charcoal, not gas, controlling the fire matters, and the timing here is spot on. It takes about 6-7 minutes for both sides to cook evenly. There was almost no wait, and with so many regulars, the turnover seemed fast.

What arrived first was the liver and tripe, and the portion is generous enough that you'd call it more than just a freebie. Honestly, you could fill up on just the liver and tripe alone — dipped in the savory sesame oil sauce, it tastes amazing.

The side dishes are the point: doenjang and kimchi made in-house

The key to Soyangan's Gochon pork ribs is the sauces and side dishes. The cool, tangy, refreshing yeolmu kimchi was enough to blow away even midsummer heat. It had the depth of something your grandmother used to make long ago.

The moment I picked up a piece of grilled meat, I dipped it in the secret doenjang. I'd dipped garlic in doenjang before, but never charcoal-grilled ribs, so this was a first for me, and the combination was genuinely strange in the best way. The doenjang is a handmade secret recipe, and when the char and richness of the meat meet it, it goes beyond simply

Why the charcoal smell at Soyangan is different

The liver and tripe came out before the main meat, so I'd already picked at a piece or two by the time the ribs arrived — with the side dishes, this alone made for a proper meal. The meat's juices were intact, the texture was tender, and even the smell coming off the charcoal was different. This felt like where the authenticity of a place with no marketing really shows.

Everything at Soyangan is made by the owner's own hands

When I paid and asked the owner, she told me she makes the kimchi herself too, and the doenjang as well. So every time I ate a side dish, I kept thinking, "this isn't just food, it's care." That's where you find the answer to why the same meat tastes flat at one place and deep at another — running into a charcoal pork rib place this good for the price in Gochon felt like pure luck.

Soyangan vs other Korean BBQ spots at the same price: the biggest difference

Regular meat restaurants in the ₩17,000-20,000 range typically give you 3-4 side dishes, store-bought doenjang, and one type of yeolmu kimchi. Here, for ₩17,000, you get 5 side dishes, the owner's handmade secret doenjang, yeolmu kimchi (cool and tangy), plus free liver and tripe — everything is different. When the gap is this big at the same ₩17,000, no other restaurant can match Gochon pork ribs on value.

• Typical restaurant: ₩17,000-20,000, 3-4 side dishes, store-bought doenjang, one type of yeolmu kimchi
• Soyangan: ₩17,000, 5 side dishes, handmade secret doenjang, cool and tangy yeolmu kimchi, complimentary liver and tripe

Is Soyangan worth going back to?

Value and care — both words live here. If you're looking for the experience of home cooking and a handmade touch rather than just spending money on a meal, this is worth a visit. Gochon's charcoal pork ribs hold their own even against a trip from Seoul, and it's well worth going. The reason regulars keep coming back isn't hidden — it's exactly this difference.