Gongdeok pork stir-fry restaurant with kids: Horangi Gotgan, Seoul

A Mapo mom's Gongdeok pick from Green Mango 🥭 I wanted Korean food today, so after looking around I ended up at a place called Horangi Gotgan.

I asked my husband to choose between bibimbap and gyukatsu, and of course he said bibimbap~~~ haha, so off we went.

Before going I checked the menu and the prices were so low I didn't expect much, but it turned out way tastier than expected — my husband, our kid and I inhaled it all. In this economy, this quality at this price? Horangi Gotgan was both delicious and cheap.

Where is Horangi Gotgan Gongdeok Branch? Parking and hours

Location: Horangi Gotgan, 1F 101, 13 Mapo-daero 8-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul Parking: free parking in front and beside the restaurant Hours: daily 11:00–21:30 / last order 21:00

It's right next to Gongdeok Elementary School, and once you turn off the main road Mapo-daero into the alley, it's easy to spot — no trouble finding the place.

The menu reads like a home-style Korean restaurant, but the interior was modern and clean. On the way in our kid kept trying to bring a kickboard through the door, which felt dangerous and a bit embarrassing, but the owner kindly held the door for us, which eased my nerves a little.

Is Horangi Gotgan good for eating out with a child?

Horangi Gotgan Gongdeok Branch seems like a great Korean restaurant to visit with kids. They brought out kids' spoons right away, and there were even hair ties already set on the table.

Weirdly, whenever I take my kid out to eat, I get so self-conscious about the people around us. Haha — not weird actually, since plenty of people just can't stand noise...

Anyway, Horangi Gotgan really does seem like a good Korean restaurant to bring kids to. The owner looked unmarried, but had a very kid-friendly vibe.

They brought out this cute little kids' spoon set right away. At the next table over, another family with what looked like a kindergartener was eating too, which made me feel even more at ease. If it's just my kid acting up... so embarrassing.

And how thoughtful — there was even a hair tie set out on the table. Our kid, who barely has enough hair to tie up, kept asking me to tie it anyway, so I grabbed one and did it for her.

Horangi Gotgan menu and prices

Hanwoo bone broth rice menu

• Sagolbap (bone broth rice) ₩10,000★
• Spicy sagolbap ₩11,000
• Spicy soft tofu sagolbap ₩12,000
• + Extra meat ₩2,000

Bibimbap and rice bowl menu

• Pork belly bibimbap ₩10,000
• Beef short rib bibimbap ₩10,000★
• Yukhoe (raw beef) bibimbap ₩12,000
• Charcoal-grilled pork rice bowl ₩11,000
• Charcoal-grilled soy pork rice bowl ₩11,000

Drinking snacks menu

• Horangi bossam (boiled pork wraps) ₩27,000
• Horangi sulguk (hangover soup) ₩28,000
• Seasoned beef shank ₩16,000
• Steamed beef shank ₩24,000

Since we were eating with our kid, we ordered the beef short rib bibimbap, bone broth rice, and pork stir-fry as a side. Oddly enough, pork stir-fry wasn't a main dish here — it was listed under sides.

Beef brisket bibimbap, 10,000 won

The first dish to arrive was the beef short rib bibimbap. It's mixed with a ssamjang-style sauce, served separately. The meat was charcoal-grilled and had that smoky flavor — totally my style! It paired beautifully with the stir-fried kimchi on the side. The sesame oil smelled great too, so I think they use a good one.

First I scooped out a portion for our kid into a small bowl, then we loaded up on sauce and mixed it all together, haha. So glossy. It's often the case that bibimbap you buy outside is expensive but skimpy, but this one was packed with meat and the special sauce brought it all together perfectly.

Bibimbap and rice bowl dishes also come with bone broth as a default side, so you get to enjoy bibimbap and sagol soup at the same time — a nice touch.

Sagolbap (bone broth rice), 10,000 won

Next up was the sagolbap. Milky broth with rice at the bottom and a generous pile of meat on top. The broth was rich and savory with no gamey smell — clean and delicious.

The meat was also tender, so our kid ate it really well. And you know a place is good when a kid eats well there, right?

Pork stir-fry side menu, 10,900 won: the dish to order in Gongdeok

And then the pork stir-fry we ordered as a side! This dish... was so totally my style. Pork stir-fry should never be too watery or soupy — since it comes out on a hot plate, the sauce keeps reducing and reducing, letting you enjoy an even more concentrated flavor.

Wow......... I'm obsessed. It's genuinely getting harder to find a place that does pork stir-fry well these days, but this place nails it.

With pork stir-fry especially, you can't season the meat in advance — you have to cook the meat first and season it after, so the texture stays firm instead of going mushy. They call it a soul food for men, but honestly, women love pork stir-fry too, haha.

My husband said the pork was really delicious but he wished it had come with lettuce wraps or some vegetables on the side — a small letdown. If you want vegetables, there's also a pork bibimbap version you could order instead.

Banchan refills at the self-serve bar

The banchan (side dishes) were diced radish kimchi and pickled onion, and if you run out, you can grab more from the self-serve bar nearby.

Even the side dishes were tasty, so I kept picking at them.

I kept wondering why everything on the menu tasted so clean and delicious, and I think it's the charcoal-grilling technique. The meat on top of the bibimbap is quickly seared over high heat, so it stays clean with no gamey smell — same with the pork stir-fry. Fire really does make all the difference in cooking.

Is a 10,000-won meal at Horangi Gotgan worth it?

These days, it's rare to find a meal that costs just ₩10,000. Prices have gone up so much that most menu items are now at least ₩11,000 to ₩13,000, but here you could get a hearty meal for exactly ₩10,000 — such a good deal. And the quality was so good that on the walk home, my husband and I worried whether they were even making any money selling it this cheap...

If you're looking for a Korean restaurant near Gongdeok Station, I recommend Horangi Gotgan.

• First, it's clean and hygienic
• Second, the prices are affordable
• Third, high-quality dishes made with charcoal-grilled meat!