Gunja butcher-shop Korean BBQ, charcoal-grilled hanwoo: Hwayangri

I hit up a real meat gem near Children's Grand Park Station in Seoul! 🔥 It's a butcher shop restaurant, but the vibe is hip from the moment you walk in, and the grilling method — charcoal plus a rod-shaped grate — locks in insane juiciness. From the second I stepped in, the owner and staff radiated such positive energy that my mood instantly lifted. Here's my honest review of 'Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang Main Branch' (화양리정육식당 본점), a Gunja neighborhood favorite! 👇✨

Where is Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang, and what are its hours?

Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang Main Branch sits at 65 Gunja-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, just a 5-minute walk from Children's Grand Park Station. It's open Mon–Fri 17:00–23:00 and Sat–Sun 12:00–23:00, and you can bring your own wine, whiskey, or sake with zero corkage fee! 👏

The storefront on Gunja-ro

Being just a 5-minute walk from Children's Grand Park Station really makes it easy to get to! 🚶‍♂️✨

Inside Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang: seating for group dinners

The interior of Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang Main Branch has plenty of seating and generous spacing between tables — perfect for a group dinner or gathering. It has a much hipper feel than your typical butcher-shop restaurant. 🪑

The moment we walked in, the owner and staff greeted us so warmly and brightly — their energy was so good that I felt instantly energized and happy! Exactly the vibe you'd expect from a well-known Gunja restaurant! 😊⚡️

We visited on a weekday evening, and the place was pretty packed with office workers who'd just gotten off work. They've got a well-arranged waiting area too!

While checking out the celebrity autographs on one wall, I couldn't believe it — CORTIS had apparently been here! Isn't that amazing?! 😲 And I even spotted an autograph from actress Ahn Eun-jin, who I really love, so my excitement was through the roof before I'd even eaten haha 😲

Where to park near Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang

For parking, search 'Misik Banjeom' and use the ground-level lot right next door! You get 2 hours free — just make sure to mention it to staff when you pay!

Menu and ordering: picking your own hanwoo sirloin and pork belly

True to being a butcher shop restaurant, you pick your meat by eye from the showcase! Looking at the case, the marbling and color on the Korean beef was pure art... and the pork looked just as stunning 🥩 We wanted both beef and pork, so after some deliberation we picked Korean beef sirloin and pork belly! We also added spicy beef radish soup (₩12,000) and cheese egg steamer (₩5,000) as sides 😋

Free side dish spread, and a welcome sign for reservations

We had reserved ahead of time, and they'd written such a sweet welcome message on the wine bottle at our table... 🥹 The owner's thoughtful, tasteful touch really moved us!

The basic table setting includes mustard leaf kimchi, pickled onions, seasoned lettuce, and minced seasoned garlic, all neatly arranged. Most butcher shop restaurants charge a separate table setting fee, but Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang charges none at all! 🔥

Charcoal and rod grates: how juicy was the beef?

The beef is grilled by staff to perfect condition with real care! This is where Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang clearly sets itself apart from typical Korean BBQ spots, thanks to a combo of 'charcoal + rod grate.' 🔥 Instead of a flat grill plate, they use a specially built rod grate designed to hold heat, which sears the meat's surface instantly and locks the juices in so they don't escape.

Staff grilled the insanely marbled sirloin to just the right point on the special rod grate, and the moment I took a bite... my face automatically did that satisfied-banana-eating expression 🍌🤣 All that trapped juice burst in my mouth — golden brown outside, incredibly moist and tender inside. Genuinely insane texture! 🎉

After clearing the beef, it was pork belly time! You know how sometimes the skin side isn't properly trimmed of hair and it kills the mood a bit? Well here, the hair was completely and cleanly removed, so I could eat worry-free 👍 The thickness was just right and the inside was so moist... plus that subtle charcoal aroma made it a flavor beyond words!

Tips and the best combinations to order

If you search 'Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang' on Naver, you can download a coupon for their [umami-bomb scallop and herring roe jeotgal (salted seafood)]! You absolutely need to download this! ✨ Staff brought it out at just the right moment to pair with the pork, and it was sweet, not salty at all, and packed with insane umami... Piling the herring roe jeotgal onto a golden-brown piece of pork belly is a party in your mouth 🎉

My husband's favorite combination

The seasoned minced garlic side dish is surprisingly delicious on its own, and paired with wasabi it's an absolutely killer combo!

Steamed cheese egg (5,000 won) and spicy beef and radish soup (12,000 won)

The cheese egg steamer looks incredible from the start — all puffy and fluffy! It's so generously portioned and soft you'll think, 'This is only ₩5,000?' The seasoning is spot on too, making it hard to stop reaching for more!

I'm from Gyeongsang Province, so my standards for a proper spicy radish soup are high... and this one is the real deal! 🌶️ It's packed with tofu, radish, bean sprouts, beef, and more. The radish is sweet and the beef is incredibly tender! The broth is spicy and rich, and the moment my husband tasted it, he said,

If we'd had a company dinner here, I'd have kept drinking because it was so good, I wouldn't have made it home.

he joked haha 🤣

Final verdict on Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang

🔥 Hwayangri's signature grilling method (charcoal + rod grate!) Using a specially structured rod grate that holds heat, instead of a regular flat grill plate, combined with charcoal, is the biggest secret behind this place. It locks in the meat's internal juices without loss, so every bite bursts with rich juiciness and delivers a moist, top-tier texture. 🥩✨

💰 No table setting fee, and free corkage for wine, whiskey, and sake! The charcoal-plus-rod-grate combo maximizes the meat's natural flavor and juiciness, and with no table setting fee and freedom to bring your favorite drinks, this Gunja restaurant nails both value and style!

⚡️ The owner and staff's incredible energy! From the moment we walked in until we left, the owner and staff's upbeat energy filled the place, making everything taste and feel even better. I totally understood why celebrities line up for this Gunja restaurant 👍

If you want to experience insanely good meat and a real atmosphere near Children's Grand Park Station, definitely check out 'Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang Main Branch'~ 😋