Jung-gu Seoul pork BBQ platter with naengmyeon: Geumseong Hoegwan

Where is Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch?

Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch is a BBQ restaurant on the 1st floor of 30 Namdaemun-ro 1-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, open daily from 11:00 to 23:00. Today I was drawn in by the smell of grilling meat near Seoul City Hall and ended up at Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch 🥩🔥

The gold sign at the entrance was shining bright, giving it real presence 👑 True to the name Geumseong Hoegwan, the place already gives off a fancy BBQ restaurant vibe before you even walk in 😎

And there was a whole row of waiting chairs set up right outside the entrance. Isn't a waiting chair one of the basic signs of a good restaurant 😂 More seats means more people waiting, right?

At the entrance there was also a big photo from a TV appearance 📺 Apparently it's been featured on a well-known food show, so my expectations went up a notch 😆 There were also signs for foreign guests, so this seems like a solid option for tourists near Seoul City Hall looking for Korean-style charcoal BBQ 👍

If there's a wait, you just write your name on the list and wait. Don't panic and wander around if it's crowded — write your name down fast 😂 Quick reflexes matter when meat is involved 🥩

Inside Geumseong Hoegwan and the side dishes served

Walking inside, the place was bigger than I expected and packed with people 😮 Smoke rising from every table — just seeing this made it clear Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch is a serious BBQ spot 🔥

Once seated, the basic side dishes arrive first 🥢 Kimchi, white kimchi, pickled vegetables, and a variety of sauces to go with the meat were all set out 😋 There was salt, ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), and wasabi, so it was fun to switch up the combination bite by bite. Same meat, different sauce — feels like a whole new dish each time 😂

Ordering the pork platter on the table tablet

Ordering is easy — just use the tablet set up at each table 📱 No need to flag down staff with a menu in hand, you can check what you want and order right away 👍 After some deliberation, we went with the pork platter 🐷🔥

The menu had quite a range, from set meals to pork and beef 😋 Looking at nearby tables, a lot of people were ordering the marinated beef galbi. Next time I'd like to try that too 🥩

What comes on the pork platter?

And here comes the pork platter I'd been waiting for 🐷✨ The meat arrives with zucchini, king oyster mushrooms, and green onion on the side — seeing it all laid out, my stomach started responding immediately 😂

Before the meat goes on, they coat the grill plate with fat first 🔥 A familiar start if you've been to a few BBQ places 😎

Once the grill is hot enough, the meat finally goes on 🥩 The moment the thick cuts hit the grill, conversation starts to fade 😂 From here on, the meat matters more than the talking.

The pork turning golden brown 🤤🔥 As the surface of the thick cuts started getting that delicious color, my chopsticks kept reaching forward even while I was taking photos 😂 The zucchini grilling alongside was a perfect match for the meat.

The free sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew)

And here's a welcome sight — the complimentary sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew) 🔥 Halfway through eating meat, you always start craving something hot and spicy, and it was great that Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch brings this out without even ordering it 😍

One bite of meat, one spoonful of broth — it refreshes your palate and gives you the strength to keep eating 😂

The soft tofu stew was even better bubbling away on the burner 🔥 There was plenty of tofu and even an egg inside, so the portion was more generous than expected 🥚

Grilling the zucchini and king oyster mushrooms

With the well-cooked meat set aside, this time I properly grilled the vegetables that came with it 😋🥩 The meat was golden brown, and so were the zucchini and king oyster mushrooms 🔥

I thought only the meat would turn out well, but after a trip across the grill the vegetables suddenly had real presence too 😂 The vegetables that soaked up a bit of meat fat were way tastier than eating them plain 😆 At this point, the vegetables on the grill count as meat too 🥒🔥

Salt or lettuce wrap: the best way to eat the pork

Now the real meat feast begins 🤤🥩 First I wanted to taste the meat on its own, so I dipped it lightly in salt. Just a touch of salt on well-grilled pork really brought out the juices and the savory flavor 😍

Then I put meat on lettuce with white kimchi and took a big bite 😆 Eating it with salt, then as a wrap, trying different combinations — the meat disappeared fast 😂 Watching the pace it vanished, I thought someone had been stealing it 🥩🤣

Adding naengmyeon (cold noodles) and steamed egg custard

After happily eating all that meat, I started craving something cold and refreshing 😆 So I ordered naengmyeon (cold noodles) right away 🍜❄️ The half-frozen broth with noodles, radish, and egg on top looked refreshing just from the photo.

Naengmyeon is delicious on its own, but its real partner is meat 😋🥩 I grabbed a big bundle of noodles, topped it with a piece of meat, and tried it together. Cold noodles meeting warm, savory meat — this combination is basically impossible to mess up 😍 It wasn't that I ordered naengmyeon while eating meat — I'd been saving meat to put on the naengmyeon 😂

And it felt like something was missing without one more thing, so I added the steamed egg custard too 🥚🔥 It arrived all puffed up and fluffy, looking soft just from the look of it 😆 A big spoonful was warm and soft, perfect to eat in between bites of meat.

The Naver review event: 2 free heart skewers

Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch also runs a Naver review event 😆 Write a Naver review after your visit and show the screen to staff, and you get two heart skewers for free 🔥

Meat, naengmyeon, egg custard, and then a little event bonus at the end — it's a genuinely good feeling 😂 I left completely full that day 🥩😋 If you're looking for a BBQ restaurant near Seoul City Hall, Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch is worth a look 👍