Free-corkage Korean BBQ rooms in Gwanghwamun: Gwanghwamun Deungsim

Weekday evening, what to eat? After some thought, the easiest answer — beef!! haha. Torn between going back to our usual spot or trying somewhere new, I decided on Gwanghwamun Deungsim since the reviews were good and their black beef is supposed to be famous!

Where is Gwanghwamun Deungsim and what are the hours?

Gwanghwamun Deungsim Gwanghwamun Branch is on the 2nd floor of a building at 34 Jongno 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, within walking distance of both Gwanghwamun and Jonggak stations. It sits right in the middle of the office building cluster around Gwanghwamun Station, near D Tower, Le Meilleur, Grand Seoul, and the KT building — a great spot for a coffee run after dinner too!

It's already well known among the office workers nearby, so it's busy even at lunch. And here's the real win — corkage is completely free, so in the evenings it turns into a go-to spot for company dinners or small gatherings.

• 📍 Location: 34 Jongno 5-gil, 2nd floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul (subway: Gwanghwamun or Jonggak Station)
• ⏰ Hours: 11:00–22:00 (break time 15:00–17:00) / Closed Sundays
• 🚗 Parking: 2 hours free with Doosan We've Pavilion parking
• 🎯 Other: phone reservations, private rooms, ongoing special events

It's a commercial building behind Grand Seoul, and since there's a Tous les Jours on the first floor, the entrance right next to it was easy to spot.

Inside Gwanghwamun Deungsim: seating and private rooms

Going up to the 2nd floor, Gwanghwamun Deungsim takes up the entire floor, so it's bigger inside than you'd expect!

Since I'd booked ahead by phone, we were shown to a comfy sofa seat. They use a grill rather than charcoal, with a direct ventilation intake right there, so I figured the smoke smell would be less of an issue — going to a beef place usually means your hair and whole body reek afterward, haha.

What we ordered at Gwanghwamun Deungsim

Since black beef sirloin is the BEST menu item Gwanghwamun Deungsim is most famous for, we ordered two servings of that first, plus square galbisal and doenjang stew. If it's a drinking dinner, the galbi doenjang jurbap (rice soaked in stew with soju) sounded good too, but this time we decided to focus on the meat! So we went with the old-style doenjang stew.

The side dishes that come with the meal

Salad, green onion kimchi, white kimchi, seasoned laver-like seaweed(?), and myeongi namul (wild garlic leaves). Honestly, this is more than enough for a beef restaurant's basic side dishes! Each one was fresh, clean, and tangy, pairing really well with the beef. They kept refilling whenever we ran low, which was so appreciated!

How did two servings of black beef sirloin taste?

Gwanghwamun Deungsim's black beef sirloin is sourced fresh every morning by the owner himself and hand-trimmed, and the marbling was a work of art... You could tell right away the fat was evenly distributed throughout, and it was thick, so the quality looked great.

Let's grill it right away~~~

If you have the time, a staff member will grill it for you, but since the evening was packed, we grilled the first bit ourselves. They came over right after that and helped from the second batch on.

Getting that proper crispy sear going,, and at this point the kids started demanding meat faster, so my hands got really busy haha.

Once it's cooked enough, you move it to the side! Black beef sirloin — let's eat it quick~~~~

The classic first bite is with salt, but I prefer wasabi haha. Ahh,,, it was really so tender and juicy, super delicious.

Wrapped some in myeongi namul too~~~ and ate it with green onion kimchi~~ but wait, that kimchi tastes familiar? I realized the seasoning was quite similar to the green onion kimchi at Hwapo Sikdang.

Old-style doenjang stew vs. doenjang rice porridge: the difference

Gwanghwamun Deungsim's old-style doenjang stew (fermented soybean paste stew) comes out bubbling in a small earthenware pot. I debated between the doenjang jurbap and the old-style stew, but since they're basically the same doenjang soup, I ordered the old-style version. It looks like enough for about two adults to share! The doenjang jurbap version just comes with rice mixed in, so adults might want to finish the meat first and then have the jurbap haha.

Is the Gwanghwamun square galbisal worth ordering?

I heard the Gwanghwamun square galbisal (short rib meat) was excellent value, so I ordered it, and it did look pretty good. Since galbisal has more texture than sirloin, timing the grill is key — you have to eat it right as it's cooked.

The portion is quite generous, definitely the value pick haha. Still, my personal preference is clearly the black beef sirloin over the square galbisal! Now I get why the sirloin is the best-seller. Genuinely delicious...

While we were eating, they gave us a complimentary octopus stir-fry. The octopus was so tender and tasty haha. The seasoning was mildly spicy in just the right way, perfect mixed into rice!

Free wine and whiskey corkage plus the Friday–Saturday wine event

Whiskey and wine corkage, completely free!

Wine and whiskey corkage is fully unlimited and free!! Isn't that perfect for bringing your own bottle when meeting up with friends??? The meat quality is quite good too, so if you're someone who likes Jongno's lively vibe, this seems like a really reasonable choice. The wine sold in-store is also cheap, so no pressure there either. To the right of where the wine bottles are displayed, there were also private rooms.

They're currently running a special Friday/Saturday event, worth noting if you visit on a weekend!! Order 3+ servings of sirloin and get 1 bottle of wine, order 5+ servings and get 2 bottles (leftover wine can be packed to go). That's such a great deal,,,,??? haha.

Where to park near Gwanghwamun Deungsim

Parking at Doosan We've Pavilion gets you 2 parking tickets (2 hours) supported by the restaurant.

Final verdict on Gwanghwamun Deungsim

Since they slaughter the cattle weekday mornings and deliver same-day, I'd love to try the hanwoo mungtigi (raw beef) too sometime!! This was a spur-of-the-moment choice for a Jongno beef restaurant, but the kids ate well and my beef-expert husband was satisfied too — a great pick! Felt proud~~ The staff were kind despite being so busy, and helpful over the phone too.^^ I'd definitely come back again!