Seonyudo Station Korean BBQ: pork belly, then hagfish & beer at Gamgol

If you're looking for a great-tasting meat restaurant with a nice atmosphere near Seonyudo Station, I recommend Gamgol Yeontan-jip (감골연탄집), with its retro interior and a wait on weekends! You can grill not only pork belly but also kkomjangeo (grilled eel) over the briquette fire. It's good enough for a family get-together too, so let me introduce this Seonyudo Station pork belly spot 🎵

Where is Gamgol Yeontan-jip Seonyudo Station Branch and when is it open?

Gamgol Yeontan-jip Seonyudo Station Branch is a 4-minute walk from Exit 5 of Seonyudo Station, so it's easy to reach. I visited around 6:30 pm on a weekend and saw lots of customers who looked like local residents. On weekdays I'd guess it's full of office workers.

• Mon–Fri 11:30–22:30 (break time 14:00–16:30)
• Sat–Sun 16:30–22:30 (no break time 🙅‍♀️)
• Paid parking available: ₩3,000 for the first 60 minutes, ₩3,000 per additional 60 minutes, max ₩9,000

Retro interior and pork belly grilled over coal briquettes

The retro interior I noticed from outside stood out even more once I stepped inside. The briquette fire and the retro mood go together really well.

Book ahead for weekend evenings at Gamgol Yeontan-jip

Maybe because it was a Saturday evening, once it got to around 7 pm, just past dinner time, groups kept coming in one after another and the place was almost full. If you're planning a weekend visit, I recommend booking ahead 😀

What's on the menu at Gamgol Yeontan-jip?

🔎 Here's what I ordered:

I'd strongly recommend it as a pork belly place, but besides meats like pork belly, pork neck, kkodeulsal (pork skirt meat) and briquette bulgogi, there's a wide range of other dishes such as kkomjangeo, smelt and chicken feet. With drinks, it's a good spot to go for round one and round two back to back.

How were the side dishes and doenjang jjigae?

The side dishes were as memorable as the main menu 🎵 The two kinds of kimchi, served in big chunks, and the shredded seasoned garlic scapes were special.

I'd never thought of pairing pork belly with basil pesto, but it goes surprisingly well and felt fresh, you know?

Also, doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) comes by default here, so you save about ₩7,000–8,000.

Even though it's included, it's generously packed with tofu and seafood, and the flavor is deep! It's Gamgol Yeontan-jip's own special stew, so it has a different charm from the doenjang jjigae you get elsewhere, which I liked.

Honest review of Gamgol Yeontan-jip's briquette-grilled pork belly

I ordered 2 servings of pork belly, and they prepared them separately, one serving each.

You grill the meat yourself, but as you can see it comes cut into bite-sized pieces, so you just need to pay attention to flipping it.

The chewy, nutty pork belly was tasty on its own, but honestly, at Gamgol Yeontan-jip it's much better eaten with the side dishes and sauces, so keep that in mind!

Wrap the flat bibim noodles in grilled pork belly

The flat bibim noodles (spicy mixed noodles), a side dish you can only get at Gamgol Yeontan-jip, were sweet and tangy with the nuttiness of roasted soybean powder added.

These... are appealing on their own, but wrapped with the meat they're out of this world +_+ I recommend the flat bibim noodles 👍🏻

Round 1: pork belly and soju; round 2: kkomjangeo and beer

After eating tons of meat and starting to get full, have you ever craved something that's not as heavy as meat but not quite a side dish? I had pork belly with soju for round one and kkomjangeo with beer for round two at Gamgol Yeontan-jip, and this combo was pretty amazing, haha.

How much did two people spend at Gamgol Yeontan-jip?

Two of us visited Gamgol Yeontan-jip Seonyudo Station Branch and the total came to ₩69,200. But that includes drinks, haha. Without the alcohol, 2 servings of pork belly + flat bibim noodles + kkomjangeo came to about ₩52,600.

The verdict in one line

Gamgol Yeontan-jip, a charming retro Seonyudo Station pork belly spot, is a meat restaurant with a weekend wait, and with a wide range of dishes beyond meat, it works for round one or round two.

For two people, budget around ₩50,000. I'd recommend it as a family get-together place for locals, and for office workers as a spot to eat and have a drink after work.