Goseong charcoal-grilled pork galbi dinner: Yongchon Gogi-jip

While trying to figure out what to eat for dinner on a Goseong trip, I found a place known for pork galbi (marinated pork ribs) — Yongchon Gogi-jip. When I travel around Gangwon I usually go for raw fish or seafood first, but at some point charcoal-grilled meat starts calling too.

Where is Yongchon Gogi-jip? Hours and parking

Yongchon Gogi-jip is located at 20-3 Yongwon-ro, Toseong-myeon, Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, and there's a free parking lot right in front that fits 40 cars at once. The lot is spacious so parking is easy, and since it's a room-style restaurant with sliding doors, it's a good spot for family meals out or group gatherings.

• Address: 20-3 Yongwon-ro, Toseong-myeon, Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, South Korea
• Closed: every Wednesday
• Fri, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 21:00 (break time 15:00 - 17:00)
• Mon, Tue, Thu 12:00 - 21:00 (break time 15:00 - 17:00)
• Ingredients may sell out early on weekends and holidays
• Parking: free, 40 spaces available right in front of the restaurant at once

What is the restaurant like inside?

Walking in, the overall vibe was relaxed and comfortable, easy to enjoy a meal without pressure. It had that lively energy typical of a Korean BBQ place, but wasn't so loud and chaotic that you couldn't hold a conversation over dinner.

What's on the menu at Yongchon Gogi-jip?

Yongchon Gogi-jip's main menu is pork galbi and samgyeopsal (pork belly) made with top-grade domestic meat, and for the finish you can order doenjang bokkeumbap (soybean paste fried rice), doenjang stew, steamed egg, or pollock hoe naengmyeon (cold noodles with raw pollock). With raw meat kimchi stew, dried radish-green doenjang stew, and pollock hoe naengmyeon on the menu as full meals, it's a good stop for lunch or dinner even if you're not eating meat.

Checking the country-of-origin board, most ingredients were domestic — a trustworthy Goseong restaurant to eat at!

Ordering 3 servings of raw pork galbi plus 1 marinated

After sitting down and looking over the menu, I ordered the night's main event — galbi. Samgyeopsal was on the menu too, but pork galbi seemed to be the signature dish, so I went with that, and the raw meat looked great at a glance. I ordered 3 servings of hand-butchered raw pork ribs and 1 serving of marinated pork ribs.

The raw pork galbi was trimmed into easy-to-eat pieces along the grain, letting the natural flavor of the meat really come through.

A generous Goseong-restaurant spread once it arrived. From the moment the meat hit the grill, the delicious smell spread through the room, making the wait enjoyable.

Side dishes, steamed egg and doenjang stew

A full spread of side dishes came out to go with the meat — shredded scallion, pickled onion, cabbage, lettuce wraps, scallion kimchi, and baek kimchi (white kimchi). Adding steamed egg and dried radish-green doenjang stew made the meat spread even more complete!

How the salt-aged marinade grills and tastes

The meat looked even more appetizing as the edges turned golden brown over the flame. Rather than flipping too often, I grilled it slowly, watching so it wouldn't burn, and once it was cooked enough, a bite delivered a savory marinade flavor paired well with the meat's own nutty richness.

With a lot of places, one serving of meat feels skimpy once you count the sauce or bones, but since this marinade is salt-based, nearly all of the 250g was actual meat.

The pork galbi is aged in a salt-based marinade, so it barely burned on the grill, and the seasoning was evenly soaked into the meat.

The marinade on the pork galbi wasn't overpowering, so I kept eating without getting tired of it. It went well with rice, and eating the meat plain wasn't heavy either. Meat really does taste best grilled yourself at the table — the faint charcoal aroma gives it a distinct edge over pork galbi grilled at home. It was good wrapped in lettuce with the sides piled on, and just as good paired with warm rice.

Is Yongchon Gogi-jip worth it for a Goseong trip dinner?

Eating good meat in Goseong really made it feel like a proper trip, which was fun. Picking a meal when you're traveling can be tricky, but pork galbi is a familiar, satisfying menu with low risk of disappointment. The pork galbi at Yongchon Gogi-jip, a Goseong favorite, was a hearty dinner that made me forget the fatigue of traveling. I left after a satisfying meal of pork galbi and wrapped up my Goseong trip on a happy note.