Songpa Korean BBQ beef-and-scallop trio: Chowon Salt Grill

My friends and I were finally getting together after a long time, and Jamsil was the midpoint from our offices, so we decided to have dinner and drinks in Bangi-dong. Since it was a long-overdue get-together, we decided to splurge on delicious beef. This time, we visited Chowon Salt Grill (초원소금구이), a Bangi-dong beef place that is well known for its great food.

Chowon Salt Grill specializes in premium Hanwoo beef cuts and is known for its samhap, a trio of Hanwoo cuts, pen-shell scallops, and aged kimchi enjoyed together. Beef is delicious on its own, but having it as a trio with rich scallops and tangy aged kimchi was so good that I was very satisfied.

Chowon Salt Grill in Bangi-dong Food Alley: location and hours

The restaurant is in Bangi-dong Food Alley. It sits between Jamsil Station and Mongchontoseong Station on Subway Line 8, and after getting off the subway and walking through the lively alley, we arrived in no time.

Hours were 16:00 to 24:00, extending until 01:00 the next day on Fridays and Saturdays, with no regular closing day. It may close during holidays, so check the closure notice on Naver Map before visiting.

What about reservations, waiting, and parking?

As soon as we arrived, it was obvious that this was a long-established restaurant with an old-school feel. I personally love old neighborhood establishments, so I was excited. The weather was cool, the folding doors were open, and we could eat while enjoying the outside air. Even on a Tuesday evening, every table except our reserved empty one was full. While we were eating, one party started waiting.

There is usually a long wait, and Naver Map says the restaurant accepts only five reservation parties a day. I recommend reserving the day before if at all possible.

• Reservations are limited to five parties daily: Monday–Thursday 16:00–20:00; Friday–Sunday 16:00–18:00.
• There is no dedicated parking lot; use the nearby Hyochang Plaza Parking.
• Valet parking is ₩2,000, and parking is ₩4,000 per hour.
• If you are going for drinks, designated-driver fees are expensive, so I recommend public transit.

Old-school atmosphere and group gatherings

The restaurant had the feel of an old, long-running place, with round barrel-shaped tables. Each table had a grill set on it. The diners enjoying meat ranged from their twenties to their fifties. There were company dinner groups as well as people visiting with friends or partners.

They say group reservations are available for up to 50 people. Corkage is free, so feel free to bring a good bottle to enjoy with Hanwoo.

Autographs on the wall suggested that singer Lee Mujin, actress Go Eun-ah, and TWICE's Momo had visited too. We had to grill the meat ourselves, but the staff were kind, which made the experience pleasant.

Chowon Salt Grill samhap set menu

The main offering was the samhap set. It included premium Hanwoo cuts including brisket, scallops, and aged kimchi. Since there were three of us, we ordered the three-person samhap set.

You could order extra meat, and there were also beef sashimi, brisket soybean-paste stew, brisket soybean-paste ramen, and fried rice. Chowon Salt Grill says it uses 100% Hanwoo, domestic pen-shell scallops, and aged kimchi from Haenam. The set was made with Hanwoo, yet the price felt quite reasonable, which was nice.

Getting the Hanwoo, scallop, and aged-kimchi trio ready

Shortly after ordering, the side dishes arrived.

The side dishes were seasoned scallion salad, sesame oil dipping sauce, and salt, all good with the meat. The spicy-sweet, nutty scallion salad went especially well with it.

The special soy sauce was good enough that I could have mixed it with rice and eaten it that way.

They turned on the heat before the meat arrived, with garlic, onion, and garlic scapes already on the grill.

Soon, the brisket and special Hanwoo cuts arrived. The red-toned Hanwoo looked like it had great texture, and it is always so delicious. Nutty mushrooms to enjoy with the meat came along too.

Pen-shell scallops also came with the meat. There was more scallop than I expected. A staff member told us to put them on the grill and eat them as soon as they turned opaque.

The aged kimchi, one part of the trio, was Haenam aged kimchi, and its sharp tang really woke up my appetite.

The wall explained how to enjoy the trio deliciously: lightly cook the Hanwoo and pen-shell scallops, dip them in sauce, and eat them with the uncooked aged kimchi.

The grill was hot, and we were ready for the trio. Happy to be together again after so long, we toasted with somaek, a soju-and-beer mix. Everyone said they were really excited to find out what the trio would taste like.

Hanwoo samhap, starting with brisket

We grilled the well-marbled brisket first. I have had scallops at barbecue restaurants many times, but this was the first time I had seen such a generous amount.

We put the scallops on too. The brisket was thin, so it cooked quickly, and we grilled the pen-shell scallops in the fat released from it. Everything was cooking beautifully.

Like the brisket, the scallops cooked quickly and turned opaque. Be sure to cook them only briefly, because overcooking makes them lose their juices and turn dry.

On my small plate, I assembled the meat, scallop, and aged-kimchi trio.

I tried it with a light dip in the sauce. The meat and scallop were both wonderfully nutty. Their richness was slightly different in character, but both were so delicious. With the tangy aged kimchi added, the trio was absolutely heavenly. I liked this trio even more than the classic fermented-skate, pork, and aged-kimchi samhap.

Brisket has a good balance of meat and fat, making it very nutty and tender. Dipped in the special soy sauce, the soy flavor and gentle spice complemented the brisket's richness nicely.

I was curious about the scallops, so I grilled and ate some on their own. They were tender and very nutty. I think they would have been delicious dipped in chojang, a tangy red chili-vinegar sauce, too.

We decided to have soju instead of somaek. Soju paired really well with the beef trio.

After finishing the delicious brisket, we grilled the rest of the Hanwoo. Just like the brisket, the Hanwoo had such great texture.

Personally, I found it even more delicious than the brisket because it was full of juices. But for enjoying as a trio with tangy aged kimchi, the richer brisket was a better match.

Finishing with brisket soybean-paste ramen

As we drank soju, we started craving broth and carbs, so we ordered brisket soybean-paste ramen. It was a dish of delicious brisket soybean-paste stew with ramen noodles in it.

It also had Hanwoo brisket in it, making the soybean-paste stew taste even richer.

The ramen was cooked nicely al dente, and the noodles had absorbed the soybean-paste-stew broth, so it was delicious. When you have been drinking soju, you start craving carbs—rice and ramen really are the best.

We had aged kimchi left, so we ate it with the ramen, and ramen with aged kimchi was incredibly good. We had planned to finish with fried rice, but we were too full from eating and drinking, so we could not manage it. The next table was having fried rice, and it looked so delicious. If you love rice, definitely order the fried rice.

When we paid, a staff member gave us Mentos for dessert. They told us to take several, but we only took one and shared it. From the delicious food to the staff's kindness, we had a thoroughly enjoyable dinner and drinks.

Chowon Salt Grill: final thoughts

We had Hanwoo samhap at Chowon Salt Grill in Bangi-dong Food Alley. The Hanwoo, pen-shell scallop, and aged-kimchi trio was the perfect drinking snack. The old-school atmosphere and friendly staff made us feel good too.

All the friends I went with were satisfied, and we said we should come back here for the next bigger gathering. I recommend it for anyone who loves beef or wants a special flavor combination with their meat. There may be a wait, though, so make a reservation in advance.