Hongdae Korean BBQ, holiday window seat with autumn views: Gogikkun

The BBQ place I notice every time I walk the Gyeongui Line Forest Park

Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch (고기꾼김춘배 숲길직영점) is a Korean BBQ restaurant that catches my eye every time I pass through the Gyeongui Line Forest Park, where I often go for walks. Especially in the evening, it's packed with customers, and with people grilling meat on the outdoor terrace it has a real open-air pub vibe that makes you look twice.

Right beside the park's walking path, the building is striking with its tile roof and hanok (traditional Korean house) style. There are terrace seats out front where you can grill meat in an open, airy setting, and in cool weather like this it's a great spot for proper open-air dining vibes.

Gogikkun Hongdae Supgil Branch: hours and location

• Hours: daily 12:00–23:00
• Last order 22:00
• Naver reservations available
• Corkage free
• No parking (use a nearby public car park)

The restaurant is near the spot with the old Gyeongui Line railroad crossing, known as Hongdae's Ttangttang-geori. It's a 6-minute walk from Exit 6 of Hongik Univ. Station and a 7-minute walk from Exit 7 of Sinchon Station, so it's easy to reach by public transport.

Do you need a reservation even at opening time on a holiday?

If you want a window seat, I recommend booking ahead. I reserved for opening time on a holiday, and when we walked in we were the only ones there, so I thought, 'Maybe it's only busy in the evening?' But by the time we finished and left, the window seats were full and reserved signs were popping up all over~

You can reserve through Naver, but only some seats take reservations, so walking in is also possible. If there's a wait on site, you can register through Catch Table, so keep that in mind~

Thanks to booking ahead, we got a window seat, and it was even better to eat leisurely while taking in the autumn scenery right in front of us.

Basic setup and menu

The basic setup includes meat's best companions: pickles (jangajji), scallion salad, kimchi, bean sprouts and myeongi namul (wild garlic-chive pickles), plus three sauces for the meat and meljeot (salted fermented anchovy sauce).

Both hanwoo (Korean beef) and pork can be ordered by single cut, and there are hanwoo sets, hanbok pork sets and sets that combine the two, so you can choose by taste and group size.

There are meal dishes to follow the meat, and drinks range from light highballs to regular liquor, baijiu and premium soju, so it's good for a drink too. Best of all, it's corkage free, so you can bring your own bottle and enjoy it there.

Hanwoo and pork set for two, starting with salchisal

We wanted hanwoo but were also curious about the pork, so we ordered the set for two that lets you try both. When you order meat, it comes with vegetables that are great grilled: enoki, king oyster and button mushrooms, plus minari (water dropwort) and potatoes.

The hanwoo cut that day was salchisal (chuck flap tail). Just looking at it you could sense the richness, with densely spread marbling that was really impressive.

Another plus: the staff neatly lay the meat and vegetables on the grill and cook everything perfectly from start to finish, so you can relax and enjoy. Beef first~

When the beef is about half cooked, they move it to one side. The salchisal's rich juices and deep savoriness, plus a texture that melts softly, literally melted in my mouth. I don't know whether "Gimchunbae" in the restaurant's name is the owner's real name, but anyway the word "gogikkun" (meat connoisseur) is definitely no empty boast~

Pork neck and rib meat with meljeot

After the hanwoo vanished in a blink, it was pork time. They laid thick pork neck and rib meat on the grill, and when done just right, cut them into fitting pieces and grilled each one golden and delicious.

The meat itself is tasty, so however you eat it, dipped in meljeot or with grilled kimchi and vegetables, it's satisfying every way.

Finishing with half-and-half naengmyeon and kkakdugi fried rice

After meat you always crave naengmyeon (cold noodles). I'm forever torn between bibim naengmyeon (spicy) and mul naengmyeon (in broth), but Gogikkun has half-and-half naengmyeon, so you get both at once, which is the icing on the cake.

We were already full from meat and naengmyeon, but I couldn't possibly skip the kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) fried rice. After polishing that off, I felt like I'd enjoyed absolutely everything a BBQ place has to offer. Haha

Gogikkun Hongdae Supgil Branch as a spot for group gatherings?

With a generous set combining hanwoo and pork, and half-and-half naengmyeon and kkakdugi fried rice, Gogikkun Hongdae Supgil Branch was satisfying down to the last bite. It sits inside the park, so you get a different atmosphere even in the middle of the city, and eating while looking out at the autumn scenery was a charm too. On nice days the relaxed feeling of being outdoors adds to it, so I'd recommend it for gatherings and company dinners.