Salchisal and baby octopus after work at Gwangju BBQ Sangnok Hoegwan

Yesterday after work, my husband and I went to Sangnok Hoegwan Yeontan-gui (briquette grill) in Taejeon-dong, Gwangju, Gyeonggi. After a long day, I was craving meat grilled over hot briquettes. It was a rare dinner out for just the two of us, so we went in excited. I'm writing this review hoping it helps anyone looking for a briquette BBQ place in Gwangju.

Where is Sangnok Hoegwan Taejeon Branch? Hours and parking

Sangnok Hoegwan Yeontan-gui Taejeon Branch is at 350-6 Hoean-daero, 1st floor, Gwangju-si. It is open Monday to Saturday from 13:30 to 24:00 and on Sunday from 12:30 to 24:00, with no break time, which made it easy to visit after work.

There is parking in front of the restaurant, so it was fine to come by car.

What are the atmosphere and self-serve bar like at Sangnok Hoegwan?

There was a seafood tank near the entrance, and the inside was bigger than I expected.

Round tables were set out with plenty of room, so it looked good not just for a couple's dinner but also for family gatherings or company dinners.

The tables were well spaced and the room was well ventilated, so even with briquettes burning it didn't feel stuffy.

At the self-bar you can help yourself to lettuce and other wraps, side dishes, pineapple and more,

and after the meal you can finish with a slushie, which was a fun little extra.

Sangnok Hoegwan menu, prices and how to order

You order on the kiosk at your table. Meat is sold by 100g, and the pork one-geun and beef one-geun are 600g.

Pork cuts and prices

• Pork one-geun 600g ₩36,000
• Samgyeopsal (pork belly) / moksal (pork neck) 100g ₩5,900
• Dwitgogi (pork back meat) / hangjeongsal (jowl) 100g ₩7,500
• Galmaegisal (pork skirt) 100g ₩8,500
• Pork makchang (intestines) 100g ₩6,900
• Odol-galbi (pork rib with cartilage) 100g ₩5,900
• Pork skin 100g ₩5,500
• Marinated pork galbi 300g ₩12,000

Beef cuts and prices

• Beef one-geun 600g ₩49,500
• Beef salchisal (chuck flap) 100g ₩9,500
• Beef galbisal (rib finger meat) 100g ₩8,500
• Beef toshisal (skirt) 100g ₩9,500
• LA galbi 100g ₩9,500
• Beef makchang 100g ₩8,500
• Marinated LA galbi 300g ₩24,500

Seafood and other dishes

• Hanwoo yukhoe (beef tartare) ₩20,000
• Cheese scallops ₩19,500
• Scallops ₩17,500
• Sea squirt ₩12,000
• Pen shell ₩9,000
• Grilled abalone ₩12,000
• Live octopus (market price)
• Hororng nakji (grilled octopus) ₩8,900

The pork options included samgyeopsal, moksal, hangjeongsal, galmaegisal and makchang, and the beef options included galbisal, salchisal, toshisal and beef makchang. Briquette grilling isn't that common, so it felt extra special.

Beyond meat, there was a wide range of seafood too, like pen shell, scallops, abalone, live octopus and sea squirt.

You can order meat by the single portion, so it would also be great for sharing several cuts.

What did a couple order for an after-work dinner?

We ordered 2 portions of beef salchisal, 1 portion of beef galbisal, hororng nakji, doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) and rice. With meat and seafood both on offer, I thought it would be handy when everyone wants something different.

How do briquette-grilled salchisal and galbisal taste?

The briquettes here have strong heat, so the salchisal and galbisal turned golden quickly. Once the meat came out, we put it on the briquette grill.

With that much heat, the meat browned in no time. The distinctive smell of briquettes rising off the grill really got my appetite going.

The salchisal I tried first had a faint smoky flavor and a lovely tender texture,

while the galbisal got nuttier and chewier the more I chewed.

Having it with a little salt, ssamjang (seasoned dipping paste) and side dishes let me taste the meat itself even better.

I just lightly wiped off the blood from the meat before eating, and the juices came through as they were.

I wrapped some in lettuce and ate some on its own, alternating between the two ways.

I grilled the self-bar pineapple on the grill and ate it between bites of meat. It was refreshing and reset my palate each time.

Horong nakji and doenjang jjigae at a Korean BBQ restaurant

We grilled the hororng nakji (₩8,900) over the briquettes too. It stayed nicely chewy and went well alternating with the meat. I never thought I'd be eating hororng nakji at a meat restaurant! It was a lovely surprise and tasted great.

The doenjang jjigae we had last was rich and hearty, with plenty of ingredients, and with a bowl of rice it rounded off the meal nice and filling.

Is Sangnok Hoegwan good for an after-work date night?

Grilling meat and octopus over briquettes with my husband after work made an ordinary evening feel a little special. It was a satisfying date night for the two of us after a long while.

My husband enjoyed it too and said we should try more of the seafood next time. If you're looking for a good restaurant or BBQ place in Taejeon-dong, Sangnok Hoegwan is a nice way to have a different kind of dinner. It seemed just as suited to family gatherings or company dinners with a big group as to a couple's dinner.