Gunja Korean BBQ: Italian wine pairing and naengmyeon at Hwayangri

A free-corkage spot among Gunja's restaurants! If you're looking for a hip, good-value Korean BBQ place with a great atmosphere, Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang (화양리정육식당) is the answer ❤️

Where is Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang Main Branch, and is there parking?

Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang Main Branch is at 65 Gunja-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, on the first floor, and it's close to both Children's Grand Park and the Hwayang intersection. You can use the ground-level parking lot right next to Misik Banjeom, with 2 hours of free parking.

• Address: 65 Gunja-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 1st floor
• Weekends 12:00 - 23:00 (break time 15:00 - 17:00)
• Weekdays 17:00 - 23:00
• Ground-level parking lot right next to Misik Banjeom
• 2 hours of free parking; please tell the staff when you pay after parking

What is the interior of Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang like?

The inside is way hipper than I expected, and my husband and I were both surprised... haha. I've never seen a BBQ place like this. I booked through Naver and went, and maybe because I had a reservation, they even wrote the reservation name on our table.

It's really comfortable inside, and it's a Gunja spot with plenty of room even if you come as a group for a company dinner or a meal together.

Near the entrance, staff were trimming meat by hand, and if you look underneath, the meat sets were all laid out.

Does Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang offer free wine corkage?

Yes, it's free corkage for wine, and what I loved is that you can buy wine cheaply from the wine fridge next to the meat and drink it right away! Free corkage was already great, but being able to buy wine on the spot made it even better. The wine list is pretty varied too :)

Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang menu and prices

The signature items are the Bongseokjwe-gui (봉석쇠구이, charcoal wire-grilled meat platter) at ₩54,000 (half plate ₩28,000 / 250g) and the Bongseokjwe Hanwoo Assortment at ₩96,000 (half plate ₩49,000 / 200g). Prices for single cuts of hanwoo (Korean beef) and aged pork, meals and drinks are below.

Grilled meat platters and single cuts

• Bongseokjwe-gui ₩54,000 (half plate ₩28,000 / 250g)
• Bongseokjwe Hanwoo Assortment ₩96,000 (half plate ₩49,000 / 200g)
• Hanwoo beef tongue 130g ₩45,000
• Hanwoo striploin (salchi) 150g ₩52,500
• Hanwoo sirloin 150g ₩42,000
• Hanwoo tenderloin 200g ₩72,000
• Aged pork belly 150g ₩15,000
• Aged thick-cut pork 150g ₩15,000
• Aged pork skirt (galmaegi) 150g ₩19,000
• Mungtigi (raw beef, limited) 150g ₩45,000
• Hanwoo yukhoe (beef tartare) 100g ₩15,000 / 200g ₩28,000
• Seasoned hanwoo sirloin (limited) 200g ₩33,000

Rice dishes, stews and sides

• Doenjang sulbap (soybean paste rice) ₩10,000
• Cheese steamed egg ₩5,000
• Doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) ₩7,000
• Kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) ₩7,000
• Mul naengmyeon / bibim naengmyeon (cold noodles) ₩7,000
• Clear pork gomtang (soup) ₩11,000 (choose rice or thin noodles)
• Katarosu Ramen ₩8,000 (hangover ramen, Korean ramen made Japanese-style)
• Putska ₩18,000 (mashed potato with spices and herbs, served with snacks)

Drinks and wine

• Soju ₩5,000 / beer ₩5,000
• Yantai Gaoliang liquor ₩32,000
• Iljum Jinro ₩29,000
• Glass of wine ₩10,000
• Yantai highball ₩8,000
• Wine ade ₩9,000
• Soft drink ₩2,000
• Singha sparkling water ₩5,000
• Tonic / ginger ale ₩3,500
• Lime slice ₩3,500

Side dishes at Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang, from a five-year Gunja resident

I liked everything from the lighting to the side dishes at this Gunja BBQ place. I've lived in Gunja for almost five years and tried lots of local restaurants, and I'd wanted to come here every time but only made it this visit.

There were pickled onions, salad, minced salted shrimp with garlic and green chili, ssamjang (dipping paste), shredded radish and pickled chili peppers, and it was great being able to mix and match with the meat. I think side dishes like these matter a lot at a BBQ place. You never get tired of them and can keep eating, hehe

How did the Italian wine pair with the Korean BBQ?

I bought an Italian wine in the ₩30,000 range from the wine fridge, and the wine and meat paired so well, so satisfied!!! We love Italian wine. They gave us nice wine glasses too, which made it even better.

Is the ₩54,000 bongseokjwe-gui platter worth it?

They brought out charcoal and it looked kind of amazing?? I was curious and looked it up later: the bongseokjwe (봉석쇠) is built to cook meat with the radiant heat of charcoal, so heat reaches the meat from every side. The surface sears quickly while the juices stay inside, apparently.

Ta-da, the platter we ordered! It's ₩54,000 and pretty hefty, right?? It also came with shishito peppers and mushrooms, which I love, so having that variety is a plus.

For the first round, the staff grill everything piece by piece. Maybe because the charcoal is so good, it cooked quickly, and the meat was thick and aged, so the grilling looked a bit different. With aged meat like this, one bite tells you it's different, from the juices to the aroma.

I tried it on top of different sauces, and it was fresh and full of juice, so good.

My husband especially loves pickles (jangajji), and he said every single one was delicious. Approved as a Gunja favorite, hehe

Finishing with doenjang sulbap and mul naengmyeon

The doenjang sulbap (₩10,000) was really rich and full of green onion, so we scraped the bowl clean. I always order doenjang rice at BBQ places, and this one was really good.

And cold mul naengmyeon (noodles in chilled broth) to finish is the golden rule, isn't it? We ordered one cool, tangy, slightly sweet bowl and shared it.

So good, so good~~ We wrapped up neatly with the naengmyeon and left happy with Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang. If you're looking for a free-corkage wine BBQ place, this hip, clean, friendly spot!!! Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang is well worth a visit :)