After-work makchang at a Gajeong Station Korean BBQ: Euljiro Yeontan

Where is Euljiro Yeontan Gui Luone City Branch, and is there parking?

I was looking for a good spot near Gajeong Station to grab dinner with my younger sibling after work, and ended up at Euljiro Yeontan Gui Luone City Branch. It's about a 5-minute walk from Gajeong Station Exit 6, so I just walked over.

You'll find it if you walk a bit past the Cheongna Kkotgalbi row in the Luone City food alley. If you're driving, there's a basement parking lot in the building with 3 hours free — good to know before you go.

Hours run Tuesday to Saturday until 5am the next day, and Sunday and Monday until 1am. The exterior had a green, slightly retro vibe right from the entrance.

There was a seafood tank out front too, which told me right away this place serves seafood dishes alongside the meat!

Inside Euljiro Yeontan Gui and the outdoor tent seats

Walking into Euljiro Yeontan Gui Luone City Branch, the staff greeted us warmly, and there was a mix of customers — friends, couples, and married pairs — all eating together.

The round tables gave the whole place a bit of a street-tent feel, and there were also outdoor tent-style seats toward the back.

That's where we sat, and each table had its own tablet ordering system, so we could browse the menu and order easily.

The menu and the 600g pork platter for 38,000 won

The menu was more varied than I expected — pork, beef, seafood, and even rice dishes. The pork options included pork belly, pork neck, back meat, jowl, skirt meat, gochujang pork belly, garlic skirt meat, pork king ribs, makchang, and pork skin, with a separate beef section too.

There were also plenty of seafood options like scallops, razor clams, abalone, and king prawns, good to add if you want seafood alongside your meat. We wanted to try several cuts at once, so we ordered the 600g pork platter.

It cost ₩38,000 and came as an assortment plate with pork belly, pork neck, jowl, back meat, and skirt meat. Pork skin came free on top, and there was even a piece of king oyster mushroom tucked in — the plate was piled high. It was plenty for two, which made the price feel less steep.

What comes as side dishes and what's on the self-bar

The basic side dishes came out right away — lettuce, perilla leaves, fresh kimchi salad, ssamjang, salt, sliced onion, and soy sauce, plus bean sprouts, napa cabbage kimchi, garlic, and sesame oil placed right on the grill.

A spicy bean sprout soup came along too, perfect for sipping between bites of meat.

There was also a self-bar set up separately.

It had lettuce, perilla leaves, pineapple, pickled radish, cheongyang chili, garlic, seasoned bean sprouts, napa cabbage kimchi, and pickles — a wide variety of things to pair with the meat.

Ssamjang, onion soy sauce, salt, sesame oil, salted shrimp, and roasted soybean powder were all there too, so you could season things however you liked.

How does pork grilled over charcoal briquettes taste?

Once the charcoal grill heated up, we laid out the different cuts of meat. The heat was quite strong, so the meat cooked fast, and I loved the sizzling sound as it cooked.

The cuts all had good thickness, with juices coming through and no off smell — clean-tasting overall.

It's always a bit of a letdown when the flow of eating meat gets interrupted, but the strong heat kept things moving quickly, which I appreciated!

We grabbed a bit more seasoned bean sprouts and napa cabbage kimchi and grilled them together on the pan too.

The kimchi softened up, and the bean sprouts took on a flavor that went really well with the meat.

I put grilled kimchi and meat on top of pickled radish for a wrap, and also wrapped things up in lettuce and perilla leaves — but honestly, the meat was delicious dipped in just salt too.

Bibimbap, doenjang jjigae and the free bean sprout soup compared

Partway through, we ordered a bibimbap (mixed rice bowl) too. It came topped with lettuce, bean sprouts, seaweed stems, radish salad, seaweed flakes, and a soft fried egg, with sesame oil and sesame seeds adding a nutty aroma.

It came in a generously sized metal bowl that we shared, and it paired nicely alongside the meat.

We also added a doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew).

It arrived bubbling in an earthenware pot with zucchini, onion, scallion, and cheongyang chili — a clean, straightforward style of doenjang jjigae. It was solidly fine, but personally I preferred the spicy bean sprout soup that came as a basic side. Its broth was clean and refreshing, and I kept reaching for it while eating the meat.

Adding king oyster mushroom, pork skin and makchang

We grilled up the king oyster mushroom we'd added later, and it was better than expected too.

The outside browned nicely while the inside stayed moist, and biting in released the mushroom's juices.

Grilling the mushroom in between the meat gave a nice change of texture too.

We also grilled up a piece of pork skin.

Compared to when I'd had it before, the color of the roasted soybean powder had changed — this time it had a nutty color like injeolmi (sweet rice cake), which I liked.

That said, the pork skin had a slight distinct smell that day, so I personally didn't eat much of it.

I remembered enjoying the makchang here before, so we ordered it again this time.

Just as I'd hoped, it grilled up crispy on the outside and chewy inside — really tasty.

Dipping it into the separate makchang sauce added a savory, salty depth, and this was actually my favorite dish of the night. We didn't order seafood this time, but I'd love to try it alongside the meat next time.

Is Euljiro Yeontan Gui worth it for an after-work dinner?

My sibling enjoyed the meal too, so I was glad we came here for dinner after work together. Being able to enjoy charcoal-grilled meat and a variety of dishes right in the neighborhood, without having to drive all the way to the coast, was also a plus.

If you're near Gajeong Station looking for charcoal-grilled meat, this place is worth a visit.