4pm Korean BBQ in Bukchang-dong: 600g pork set at Geumseong Hoegwan

What kind of restaurant is Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch?

Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch is a charcoal BBQ restaurant in the Bukchang-dong food alley where you can enjoy both beef and pork in one sitting. The meat is great and the vibe is nice, making it perfect for a City Hall Station date course. If you're looking for a Bukchang-dong food alley favorite or a City Hall Station Korean BBQ spot, check out this post on Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall branch!

Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall branch is open daily from 11:00 to 23:00, and the address is 30 Namdaemun-ro 1-gil, 1st floor, Jung-gu, Seoul.

How long is the walk from City Hall Station Exit 7?

Geumseong Hoegwan is about 400m from City Hall Station Exit 7. It's inside the Bukchang-dong food alley, so it's very accessible.

You can preview the Geumseong Hoegwan menu on the standing sign in front of the store. As a charcoal BBQ specialist, they have a variety of meats ready, including galbi bonsamgyeop (thick-cut pork belly), 1% pork neck, emperor galbi, marinated galbi, and Korean beef yukhoe (raw beef).

Inside Geumseong Hoegwan: interior and seating

Here's the inside of Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall branch — pretty clean and upscale for a BBQ place, right? There's a chandelier in the center that makes it feel even more high-end.

Standard tables seat 4, and each table has a tablet installed. There are also tables for larger groups, which looked great for work dinners or group gatherings.

Parking near Geumseong Hoegwan in Bukchang-dong

Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall branch has no parking space. I'd recommend using a nearby public parking lot or public transit.

Can you eat at 4pm on a weekday? No break time

My schedule wrapped up early, so I visited around 4pm on a weekday. Since there's no break-time, it was great for visiting during that awkward window before dinner.

First, they set out the sauces and side dishes. There were pickled banchan (side dishes) and kimchi to go with the meat, plus ssamjang (dipping sauce), wasabi, tonkatsu sauce, and breadcrumbs.

You know the same meat tastes even better grilled over charcoal, right? They had the charcoal ready too.

What comes in the 600g pork set, plus the free sundubu jjigae

The pork set (400g pork belly + 1% pork neck) is a good size for 2-3 people, and I ordered this set so I could enjoy both the belly and the neck at once.

I was about to order a stew separately, but they told me sundubu jjigae comes free! With 600g of meat plus a stew included, I thought this place had pretty great value.

The spicy sundubu jjigae was packed with egg and soft tofu — really generous for a stew that comes free, and hearty enough to make a full meal.

How the pork belly tastes off the charcoal

Once the grill heated up, they put the bonsamgyeop (thick-cut pork belly) on to grill. I did the grilling myself for once — looks pretty appetizing, doesn't it? This portioned galbi bonsamgyeop is chilled and aged, giving it a chewy texture.

You can tell from the first bite dipped in salt — the fat-to-meat ratio is just right, so it's rich yet savory. Dipping it in tonkatsu sauce and breadcrumbs gives you a tonkatsu-like feel too, and pairing it with the various sauces and side dishes made it even tastier.

The texture of the 1% pork neck

Time to try the pork neck too — it has less fat and more lean meat than the belly, but it wasn't dry at all, and the soft texture was great.

The kimchi served as a side dish was nicely spicy, so I enjoyed it with the kimchi and also wrapped in lettuce in various ways.

Naengmyeon won on the review-event roulette

Through the review event, I spun the roulette and got naengmyeon (cold noodles) as a free extra, leaving full and satisfied. They have various prizes ready from 1st to 5th place, so I'd definitely recommend joining the review event.

Final verdict on Geumseong Hoegwan near City Hall

I visited Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch, located near Seoul City Hall Station. Since it's directly operated by the headquarters, the meat quality was great and the atmosphere was nice, making it feel like a date I hadn't had in a while. If you're visiting Namdaemun Market or the Bukchang-dong food alley nearby and looking for a Seoul City Hall Korean BBQ restaurant, give Geumseong Hoegwan a try.