Gangnam Korean BBQ three-cut set with no early-evening wait: Giun

Last weekend my husband and I went out near Gangnam Station and found a place that nails both value and taste. 👍🏻

This is Giun Gangnam Station Main Branch. We went as a sponsored visit, but honestly, the whole time we were eating, my husband and I kept saying, "Wow... this place is worth coming back to even paying out of our own pocket!"

When is there no wait at Giun Gangnam Station Main Branch?

Going to Giun Gangnam Station Main Branch in the early evening on a weekend, we were seated right away with no wait. We got lucky with a table since we arrived a bit early, but from other reviews I've seen, Friday or Saturday evening peak hours pretty much always mean a wait..

⏰ Hours: Weekdays 11:00–24:00 (last order 23:00) / Weekends 11:00–23:00 (last order 22:00)

The moment we walked in, I thought, "okay, this is a real hit spot." Customers just kept coming, non-stop. I wanted to take a ton of interior photos to show you all, but with so many customers I gave up on shooting the interior..

How bad are the smoke and meat smell at Giun?

Giun Main Branch has its own grill and hood set up at every single table. Oh! And you know how the biggest worry at a Korean BBQ place is whether the smell will cling to your clothes? Well, even with that many customers, the smoke and smell were relatively light.

Giun Gangnam Station Main Branch menu and prices

The menu we picked without hesitation that day was Giun Main Branch's "Donggiun Set."

Giun's side dishes: gungchae namul and green onion kimchi

At Giun Gangnam Station Main Branch, the side dishes get set out before the meat, right after you order. Personally, I really love places where the basic side dishes are as generous as the main dish. Giun's side dishes are seriously amazing.

None of the side dishes felt like filler just to pad out the numbers — they were an elite lineup that cut right through the richness of the meat. In particular, the crunchy gungchae namul (seasoned aster greens) and spicy green onion kimchi were addictive enough that my chopsticks kept going back even before the meat arrived. haha

What you get in the 58,000 won Donggiun Set

The Donggiun Set is ₩58,000 for galbi samgyeopsal 200g + moksal 200g + galmaegisal 150g plus mixed vegetables.

Three cuts of aged pork plus mixed vegetables, over 500g total, right in the middle of Gangnam Station for around ₩50,000-something — isn't that already amazing value?

The cut I was most curious about was the "galbi samgyeopsal." Unlike the whole or thinly sliced pork belly we usually eat, this is apparently a bone-in cut that's been aged with the bone still attached! Maybe that's why, just looking at the raw meat, you could already see the ratio of lean to fat and the dense, chewy texture of the meat around the bone.

Staff grill every cut from start to finish

Giun's biggest strength! Staff carefully grill the meat from start to finish. My husband is usually great at grilling meat, so wherever we go he's always busy manning the grill — but at a place where the pros grill for you like this, we both just got to relax and chat while we waited. So nice.

As the meat started to brown, the pork fat dripping onto the grill soaked into the mixed vegetables, and that distinct savory aroma just rose up into the air... and, no exaggeration, my mouth was watering instantly. 🤤

Moksal or galbi samgyeopsal: which cut tasted best?

Finally, time to taste the perfectly cooked meat! We dipped the well-cooked meat lightly in just salt to taste it as it is. Being aged pork, the juices burst in your mouth with zero gamey smell, leaving only savoriness. My husband usually likes thick-cut moksal, and he raved that Giun's moksal had no dryness at all — the inside stayed moist and juicy, calling it the best of the three!

For me, the "galbi samgyeopsal" was hands down number one! The faint smoky char and the chewy, sticky texture unique to meat near the bone really stuck with me. Even though it's a fatty cut, thanks to the aging process it didn't leave that heavy greasy feeling — just clean savoriness. 👍🏻

Dipping it in salt, then topping a piece with a bit of sharp wasabi, or eating it with the spicy green onion kimchi or crunchy gungchae namul — there was no getting tired of it, it just kept going in.. haha Honestly, the raw meat itself was so good that any combination tasted amazing.

Finishing the meal with a hot soup

You can't skip Giun Main Branch's popular menu item, right? After all that meat, the hot, savory soup cuts right through the richness from deep down, wrapping things up perfectly! My husband and I both scraped up the very last drop of soup. 😂

If you're looking for a good-value Korean BBQ spot near Gangnam Station, I really recommend giving "Giun Gangnam Station Main Branch" a try. We left completely stuffed and headed home happy — a truly successful weekend outing. 😎