Gwanghwamun Korean BBQ: 7-course beef on personal grills at Hwarodam

Today I was looking for good places to eat near Gwanghwamun and got a craving for a beef course meal, so I came to Hwarodam! haha

Where is Hwarodam, and is there parking?

Hwarodam is located at 9 Saemunan-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 2nd floor. It's 98m from Exit 8 of Gwanghwamun Station on Line 5.

You could check out the menu at a glance even from outside. Parking isn't available at Hwarodam.

It's on the second floor. You can see the streets of Gwanghwamun from inside. The bar seating was also spacious.

Private rooms and outdoor seats at Hwarodam

There's also a private room. You can eat together cozily! I think it would be great for a family meeting before a wedding too.

This is the outdoor seating. It feels like you're up in the trees — kind of reminded me of somewhere I've seen abroad. haha The vibe is so nice, ㅠㅠ.

Hwarodam menu and prices

Hwarodam's menu is broadly divided into grilled beef, grilled chicken and other items, courses and à la carte, and set meals.

• Wagyu Special Course ₩80,000
• Hwarodam Course ₩60,000
• Hwarodam Set Meal ₩45,000
• Chicken thigh 150g ₩19,000
• Beef tongue ₩30,000
• Australian lamb rib ₩30,000

Reservations are confirmed immediately.

There was a wide range of drinks — sake, small-bottle sake, wine, house wine, Japanese soju, Korean soju, whiskey, beer, highballs, and non-alcoholic drinks too.

What comes with the 60,000-won Hwarodam course?

Let's get into the Hwarodam course. haha It goes: salad, muchim (seasoned appetizer), beef assortment platter, seasonal soup, fried shrimp, seaweed maki, and buckwheat noodles.

The sauces used were green tea salt, yakiniku sauce, and shio tare, apparently all imported directly from Japan.

Pickled ginger, danmuji (pickled radish), and pickled chili peppers. Surprisingly, I ate all the ginger. haha

Hwarodam opening hours and reservations

• Phone 02-720-8007
• Hours 11:30–23:00
• Closed every Sunday
• Reservations and group bookings available

I ordered the signature menu and it felt just like a full course meal! If you order à la carte, you'll need side dishes though. As for draft beer, there's Hanmaek and Asahi! And apparently the highball is their own house-made recipe — supposedly the best in Gwanghwamun, because they pour in a lot of liquor!

Grilling the beef platter on a personal grill

Alright, let's get started! This is the personal grill. haha It cooked surprisingly well and things were ready quickly.

The salad had a sauce with a hint of soy sauce that went well with the meat, so I finished it all.

The muchim was cooked squid. It was good since you could eat it with vegetables too.

Sirloin, galbisal (rib meat), salchisal (chuck flap), chicken thigh, and scallops. It was plenty for two people, and you can order more if you need. haha Grilling a little at a time, just as much as you wanted to eat, was perfect.

It cooked well and got eaten fast. We grilled the sirloin and galbisal first, then moved on to the chicken thigh. The meat quality was really good — the most tender meat I've had in a while. And it was delicious!

An individual portion of fish cake soup also came out. The broth was good, and the fish cake along with what seemed like konjac had a chewy texture, so I ate it alongside the meat.

We grilled king oyster mushrooms too. It's nice being able to eat so many different cuts of meat! You can see the juices, right? Ahh, haha.

Fried shrimp and cassava chips at Hwarodam

Wow! The fried course came out one per person. Shrimp, sweet potato fritters, and cassava chips. Not potato chips — what's under the fritters is cassava chips. They recommended dipping generously since the sauce is mild, but it was tasty even plain. The cassava chips had a crunchier, firmer texture.

How to grill the chicken neck and scallops

The scallops went on too. How done should the chicken thigh be? haha I checked by snipping it a bit with kitchen scissors to see how cooked it was. If you burn it, the smell turns off, so you have to flip it carefully. haha

After eating some beef, we put the seasoned chicken thigh in the center of the grill. Chicken thigh burns easily, so we kept cutting it with scissors and flipping it often. It was so chewy that my chopsticks kept going back for more. haha We grilled the scallops too, and the plump meat was nice.

Finishing with flying fish roe maki and mini buckwheat noodles

The finale of the course: flying fish roe maki and mini buckwheat noodles. The maki has flying fish roe on top.

The buckwheat noodles came with grated radish, seaweed flakes, chives, and wasabi. Oh! Usually you only get a little grated radish, but they gave a generous amount, which I really liked. The chives were finely chopped, and seaweed was mixed in too. The noodles were cooked just right. Mixing them with wasabi and grated radish made the noodles soft yet chewy. The broth, once I tried it, was refreshing as expected. haha

Is the Hwarodam beef course worth it?

To add a genuine final thought — even the water was good. The water was pu-erh tea. haha The course composition was solid, and the meat was delicious. Finishing with the buckwheat noodles at the end made for a satisfying, filling meal. This is a place I'd want to come back to. Above all, the meat was delicious. haha If you're looking for a beef course meal near Gwanghwamun, I think Hwarodam is worth trying. I had the Hwarodam course this time, but next time I'd like to try the special menu too.