Friday night Korean BBQ for two in Hongdae: ₩55,000 at Gogi Salon

Where is Gogi Salon, and what are its hours?

Gogi Salon is a Korean BBQ restaurant at 60 World Cup Buk-ro 6-gil, 1st floor left, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It's open Mon–Fri 11:30–21:00 (last order 22:00), with break time from 15:00 to 17:00. Saturdays run 17:00–23:00 (last order 22:00), and it's closed on Sundays! No parking on site, so you'll want to use the nearby public parking lot.

If you walk from Hongik University Station toward Yeonnam-dong, you'll run into this Korean BBQ restaurant — Gogi Salon, the place I'm reviewing today. I wanted to share this for anyone looking for a good Korean BBQ restaurant near Hongdae!

Was there a wait at Gogi Salon at 7pm on a Friday?

We went as a party of two, arriving around 7pm on a Friday. Luckily we got seated right away with no wait — a comfortable time to visit without worrying about queues! By around 8pm there were quite a few people waiting though (about 1-2 groups!)

What the dining room at Gogi Salon feels like

Compared to a typical Korean BBQ restaurant, Gogi Salon felt much more polished and cozy, and the interior was quite clean. The lighting and table spacing felt carefully thought out for comfort, so I'd recommend it without hesitation for dates or gatherings with friends!

What comes in the ₩51,000 meat set for two

What we ordered that day was the meat set (flower pork neck x2 + pork belly x1 + bibim noodles), priced at ₩51,000. On top of that, to eat a bit more heartily, we added doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) for ₩2,000 and two bowls of rice for ₩2,000.

• Flower pork neck x2
• Pork belly x1
• Bibim noodles (spicy mixed noodles)
• Doenjang stew (+₩2,000)
• Rice x2 (+₩2,000)

The three sauces and the banchan at Gogi Salon

On the table, three sauces sat lined up side by side — from left, wasabi, salt, and whole grain mustard (generous portions).

The pickled peppers were sweet and spicy and delicious, and especially the marinated crab (yangnyeom gejang) was so, so good.. 💚

Alongside the lettuce came a lettuce pickle-type side dish, which was great to eat when you get tired of the meat 👍

The meat was delicious, but the quality of the banchan (side dishes) really impressed me! A corn-sauce salad, marinated crab, pickled peppers — every single one felt carefully made :) The banchan alone were good enough to pair with a drink. The composition was that solid. Especially that marinated crab ㅜㅜ 💚 seriously

Flower pork neck and pork belly, grilled by the staff

The meat arrived. Potatoes grilling on the side too 🥔

The meat itself was juicy and satisfying, but what I liked best was the staff grilling it for us table-side :) No need to worry about the first flip timing or how done it was — we could just focus on conversation. This is where it clearly stood apart from other Korean BBQ restaurants. (They really grilled it well, so good ㅠㅠ)

The bibim noodles included in the meat set

Not long after the meat, the bibim noodles (mixed noodles) came out, and these were also tangy and sweet and delicious. Might have been because we were hungry, but the sweet-tangy flavor really won us over. We finished off cleanly with the meat and then the noodles. Truly a tangy-sweet flavor that paired well with the meat.

Is Gogi Salon's ₩2,000 doenjang stew worth adding?

You can't skip doenjang stew at a Korean BBQ restaurant. Meat then doenjang stew is basically mandatory, right? It was cheap too, so I ordered it without hesitation.

But the portion was absolutely not what you'd expect for ₩2,000. It's outstanding value first of all. It seemed to have almost a whole block of tofu in it, with a slightly spicy, savory taste that even had a bit of a cheonggukjang (fermented soybean paste) feel to it. Bottom line: unbeatable value. The doenjang stew wasn't optional — it was essential.

Friday dinner for two at Gogi Salon: ₩55,000 total

So that's our trip to Gogi Salon — a very satisfying meal for two at a total of ₩55,000 (₩51,000 meat set + ₩2,000 doenjang stew + ₩2,000 rice). The taste, service (staff grilling table-side), atmosphere, and banchan lineup were all satisfying overall!! I'll wrap up with a strong recommendation for this Korean BBQ restaurant near Hongik University Station, whether for a work dinner or a date :) If you're looking for a Korean BBQ restaurant with a good atmosphere around Hongdae or Yeonnam-dong, I recommend Gogi Salon!