Seongnae-dong Korean BBQ for friends, 2cm pork neck: Gim Sukseong

I went to Gim Sukseong (김숙성), an aged Korean pork BBQ place in Seongnae-dong near Cheonho Station, and had thick 2cm pork neck plus seasoned crab rice! The retro interior left an impression, the hall is huge and there are lots of side dishes, so it's a perfect spot for friends and group gatherings ~~

Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch: location, hours and booking

Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch is at 35 Cheonhoyet 14-gil, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, open daily from 11:00 to 24:00. You can book through Naver or make a group reservation, pets and corkage are allowed, and there's parking for 2 cars.

How to get to Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch from Cheonho Station

It's not far from the Jjukkumi Alley (octopus restaurant street) near Cheonho Station. Walk from Exit 6 along the main road toward Gangdong Station, and turn into the alley at Grantz River Park in Seongnae-dong. You're there!

The old-school sign is easy to spot, and it looks like the name was written with strips of blue tape, haha. I always hung out on the Jjukkumi Alley side, but this area has lots of BBQ places and fried chicken spots too, all with waiting lines, so I figure I should come around more often.

Is Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch good for group dinners?

The inside is decorated with blue tape in every corner, in that old-school style. There are lots of group gatherings and small meetups here, a warm and comfortable space to come to.

Old-school vibe, but spotless! The open kitchen guarantees cleanliness too!

Seats with less meat smell and easy storage for your belongings

The ventilation seemed good, because for a BBQ meal the smell clung to me less, and the chairs have lift-up lids, so storing belongings was easy. There's also a Naver receipt review event.

Since I'd reserved, the banchan (side dishes) were set out right away ~~!

Gim Sukseong menu: what should two people order?

For two people, I recommend the 550g or 800g Gim Sukseong Special Set. Besides meat, the side menu is totally varied and great value.

Special Set 2: 300g of 2cm pork neck plus 250g aged pork

Special Set 2 is 2cm pork neck for two (300g) plus aged meat (250g). The majesty of 2cm thick pork neck! The two of us ordered one set plus sides and ate until we were stuffed.

Six refillable side dishes

At the popular pork BBQ places these days, the banchan matter even more than the meat. Gim Sukseong's are cheese powder, doenjang (fermented soybean paste), shiitake mushroom sauce, scallion kimchi, seasoned raw crab and myeongi (wild garlic) greens. Only tasty ones! They said all of them can be refilled too!!!

480-hour cross-aged Korean pork, grilled by the staff

Gim Sukseong's meat is 480-hour cross-aged, Korean pork aged by alternating 4 days of dry aging and 16 days of wet aging, they say. You don't have to worry about the thick meat, because the staff take turns grilling it for you until it's bursting with juice, so we could just focus on talking. Love that~

Finally they piled on plenty of minari (water dropwort), and then we started eating! The look of it was insane. I posted one Instagram story, and then the real eating began!!

Best ways to eat Gim Sukseong's thick pork neck

Minari with cheese powder, bbb (thumbs up). Besides that, wrapping it in the special sauces, aged kimchi or myeongi greens is so good too, and maybe because of the aging method, the meat is nutty and the deep flavor spreads through your mouth.

Eating it with the various banchan makes it even better. There are really a lot of tempting side dishes, so do take another look at the menu. The highball lineup, with Earl Grey, apple mango, Wild Turkey and more, is good too.

Korean pork kimchi stew and seasoned crab rice to finish

If you order the Gim Sukseong Special Set, Korean pork kimchi stew comes with it. Steamed rice is separate!!

Instead of extra steamed rice, we ordered the seasoned crab rice, said to be Gim Sukseong Cheonho's best menu item.

The salty seasoning blends with the rice so you never get tired of it, and the portion is generous. Please, please, please order it ㅠㅠㅠㅠ A stomach full of meat, and then rice too! A perfect finish.

Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch: final verdict on this Seoul Korean BBQ

There are so many side dishes I still want to try that I'd definitely go back to Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch. Naver reservations are available for 2 to 12 people.