Charcoal wagyu yakiniku course in Gwanghwamun, Seoul: Hwarodam

If you're after a meal with more variety than just grilling meat until you're full, a course-style wagyu restaurant is a solid option. Hwarodam, which I visited recently, had a pretty solid lineup — starting with salad and hantaek hoe (raw squid), moving into charcoal-grilled wagyu, chicken neck meat, fish cake soup, fried shrimp, and finishing with soba noodles and maki.

The beef in particular came with salted oil, curry sauce and yakiniku sauce to swap between, so each cut tasted a little different depending on what you dipped it in. There are also private rooms good for 6 or 8 people, worth keeping in mind if you're looking for a spot for a Gwanghwamun work dinner or group gathering.

What kind of restaurant is Hwarodam in Gwanghwamun?

Hwarodam blends the feel of Japanese-style yakiniku with the appeal of charcoal grilling. Walk in and you'll spot Japanese liquor and draft beer equipment — the overall vibe leans more toward drinks-and-course-dining than a typical Korean BBQ joint.

This time I went with the Hwarodam course, which lets you try a lot in one sitting. Per the menu, it runs through salad and sashimi, an assorted beef platter, a seasonal soup, fried shrimp, and seaweed maki with soba noodles. Unlike an à la carte meal focused purely on meat, the standout feature here is going through appetizers to a proper meal course, in order.

Course starter: salad and hanchi hoe (raw squid sashimi)

The Hwarodam course opens with a generous salad of fresh vegetables. Lettuce along with various leafy greens, red cabbage, tomato and more come dressed lightly, which freshens up the palate before the meat arrives.

Charcoal-grilled wagyu has a clear richness from the fat, so diving straight into meat can feel heavy — starting with vegetables first makes the whole course flow much more comfortably.

The hantaek hoe (raw squid) that follows is also easy to enjoy. It has a soft, chewy texture, making it a light first course alongside the salad. Rather than opening with something bold, starting clean and building up to the charcoal grilling feels like a natural progression.

Wagyu sirloin, chuck flap and short rib grilled over charcoal

The part of the Hwarodam course I was most looking forward to was, of course, the assorted wagyu platter. Looking at the plate, each cut has a clearly different shape and marbling, which makes comparing them as you eat pretty fun. Sirloin, chuck flap, short rib and more go straight onto the charcoal grill, cooked to your liking.

Since wagyu is dense with fat in many cuts, it suits a light sear over high heat rather than prolonged cooking — best eaten while the juices are still there.

Sirloin has a relatively balanced texture and a savory beefy aroma, while chuck flap is impressively tender given its visible marbling. Short rib has more of a chew compared to sirloin or chuck flap, so it's easy to feel the difference between cuts even though it's all beef. Having several cuts on one plate keeps things far more interesting than sticking to just one.

Chicken neck meat, scallops and mushrooms on the Hwarodam grill

What I liked about the Hwarodam course is that it doesn't stop at beef. Chicken neck meat is included too, good for grilling alongside the wagyu. It's a far cry from the dry texture of regular chicken breast — chewy yet tender, which pairs well with charcoal grilling.

Switching from beef to chicken neck meat completely changes the aroma and texture, giving the course a fresh reset. Mushrooms and scallops are also on hand to grill in between. Even though it's a meat-centered meal, having seafood and vegetables in the mix keeps things well-balanced.

Three sauces at Hwarodam: salted sesame oil, curry and yakiniku

The three sauces that change up the flavor of the meat were another fun part of Hwarodam. The salted oil-based sauce works well when you want to taste the beef's natural flavor as is. Since wagyu's own fat already brings plenty of richness, it's worth trying the first few bites with just salt.

The curry sauce is a bit different. The familiar curry aroma meeting the meat's fattiness changes the flavor quite a lot. The same cut tastes noticeably different dipped in salt versus curry. The yakiniku sauce is salty with added umami, and pairs safely well with grilled beef.

You could go with sirloin and salt, chuck flap and curry, short rib and yakiniku sauce — mixing and matching to your taste. Rather than settling on one right answer, trying a different sauce with each bite was the way to enjoy the Hwarodam course.

A hot fish cake soup between rounds of wagyu

After some charcoal grilling, you start craving a warm broth — that's when the fish cake soup comes in. The clear broth is packed with fish cake, green onion, konjac and more, good for resetting your palate from the richness of the meat.

Rather than a thick or heavy broth, it's clean and light, which is nice since it doesn't compete with the main event of the meat. A spoonful or two of hot broth and then back to the grill — it clears the palate nicely. If you're pairing the meat with a highball or beer, having this warm broth show up midway through feels even more welcome.

Crispy fried shrimp, another highlight of the Hwarodam course

The fried shrimp that shows up after the meat isn't just there for show — it's a real texture change-up. The long shrimp are fried until crispy, light and crunchy on the outside with the shrimp's springy bite still intact inside. With the crispy sides and sauce that come with it, it's a totally different flavor from the meat.

Salad, sashimi, charcoal grilling, soup, and now fried food — the cooking method keeps changing as the course progresses, which is a real plus. Especially when eating with a group, having a menu that hits different preferences for different people is a solid touch.

Finishing the course with soba noodles and maki

At the end of a charcoal grilling course, a dish that resets the palate really fits well.

At Hwarodam, cold soba noodles come next. Soba noodles sit in a chilled broth with radish, seaweed and green onion on the side, so it goes down easy even after plenty of meat.

Lift the noodles and the springy soba comes up coated in cold broth, with the freshness of radish cutting through the richness. Sometimes a cold noodle dish suits the end of a wagyu meal better than rice does, and this was exactly one of those times.

Adding maki on top wraps up the course meal. Starting with salad and hantaek hoe, moving through charcoal wagyu and chicken neck meat, then fish cake soup and fried shrimp, and finally soba noodles and maki — the whole flow felt pretty solid.

Hwarodam private rooms for 6 and 8: good for a Gwanghwamun work dinner

As much as the food lineup, the space itself stood out. Hwarodam has private rooms comfortable for 6 or 8 people, making it a good fit for dining with a group. Given Gwanghwamun's location, a lot of people come here looking for a spot for office dinners or evening get-togethers, and if you prefer a separate space, this place looks quite useful.

Unlike a regular hall with tables all mixed together like a typical BBQ joint, being able to chat with your group while slowly working through the course is a real advantage. For an important meal, a small work dinner, or a friend gathering — where the conversation matters as much as the food — a spot with a private room is definitely more comfortable. If you have a set headcount, it's worth checking room availability and booking ahead.

Is Hwarodam worth it? Final verdict on this Gwanghwamun wagyu restaurant

The Hwarodam course at Hwarodam in Gwanghwamun isn't just a few wagyu cuts grilled over charcoal and called a meal. It opens light with salad and hantaek hoe, then moves through multiple beef cuts — sirloin, chuck flap, short rib — plus chicken neck meat, all grilled over charcoal. Alternating between salted oil, curry sauce and yakiniku sauce adds the fun of enjoying each bite a different way.

After the meat, a warm fish cake soup follows, then crispy fried shrimp, and finally cold soba noodles and maki — so the flow of the meal carries through well.

The wagyu itself was great, but what I personally liked was that so many dishes came one after another in sequence, so it never got boring until the very end. With private rooms for 6 or 8 people too, this is a place that suits a quiet gathering or work dinner over wagyu in Gwanghwamun.

In short, Hwarodam in Gwanghwamun is appealing for its course structure centered on charcoal-grilled wagyu sirloin, chuck flap, short rib and chicken neck meat, all enjoyed alongside hantaek hoe, fish cake soup, fried shrimp, soba noodles and maki. With salted oil, curry and yakiniku sauce to choose from, the same meat can be enjoyed in different ways, and with private rooms available, it's worth considering for a Gwanghwamun group gathering or work dinner.