Goseong charcoal galbi with window-wall rooms: Yongchon Gogi-jip

Driving along the East Sea coast through Sokcho and Goseong with the sea breeze in your hair, hunger tends to hit earlier than expected! And if you're by the coast, you might default to raw fish or seafood every time — but sooner or later you'll start craving proper pork galbi (marinated pork ribs) sizzling over charcoal. So I headed to a well-known Goseong meat restaurant that locals rave about and travelers keep coming back to.

Parking at Yongchon Gogi-jip: a front yard that is easy even for new drivers

Yongchon Gogi-jip is a standalone two-story restaurant at 20-3 Yongwon-ro, Toseong-myeon, Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, with a full parking lot right in front of the building. Following the navigation, I was greeted by the building's quaint tiled roof as soon as I arrived.

What I appreciated most was this very parking lot! The space is so wide that even inexperienced drivers can park comfortably without any stress or worry — genuinely the best.

Window-wall hall and private rooms for family and group meals

The dining hall at Yongchon Gogi-jip is split between table seating by a large picture window and separate private rooms toward the back. Walking in, the wide-open windows let in Goseong's blue sky and the view outside, which felt genuinely refreshing. The tables were spaced generously, and each seat had a clear partition installed, making for a really pleasant meal.

Further inside the hall, there are also separate private rooms! These are great for family meals, group gatherings, or diners with kids who want to enjoy their meat without worrying about the people around them — I'd strongly recommend it as a group meeting spot.

Yongchon Gogi-jip menu and prices

The big menu board on the wall showed the owner's steady pride in the food — both the pork galbi and pork belly are said to be made only from top-grade domestic meat! There's also a perk where you get a free soju, beer, or soft drink for writing a Naver receipt review, so don't miss that.

So you don't have to dig through search results, here's a quick rundown of the signature meat menu!

[ YONGCHON SIGNATURE MENU ] Hand-butchered pork galbi (250g) — ₩18,000 · Butchered in-house and aged in a special sauce, the signature dish Hand-butchered raw pork galbi (250g) — ₩18,000 · Keeps the meat's natural grain for pure, clean flavor Domestic 1+ grade raw pork belly (200g) — ₩18,000

Beyond the grilled meats, there's a solid lineup of meal and dessert items too, including raw pork kimchi jjigae, mushroom doenjang jjigae, and pollock hoe naengmyeon. We went with the most popular item, the hand-butchered pork galbi.

The basic side spread: green onion kimchi and pickled wild garlic leaves

The moment we ordered, a generous basic spread arrived alongside a hot charcoal fire. The table filled up with neatly arranged side dishes, and my chopsticks were already busy before the meat even hit the grill.

The tangy, sweet-and-sour pickled mountain garlic leaves did a fantastic job cutting through the richness of the meat.

But it was this spicy, well-fermented green onion kimchi that was truly a work of art! The seasoning was deep and rich enough to rival Jeolla-do home cooking, and it had me reaching for rice before the meat was even on the grill.

Hand-cut pork galbi in house marinade, grilled over oak charcoal

At last, today's main event arrived — Yongchon Gogi-jip's hand-butchered, house-marinated pork galbi! Unlike the reassembled ribs you find elsewhere, this was true bone-in raw galbi with fine, precise scoring cuts, letting the special soy sauce marinade soak deep into the meat.

They laid the ribs on the heated grill with a satisfying sizzle! The smoky charcoal aroma seeped into the meat as it browned, and the smell alone was fantastic. The moment I took a bite, the juices burst out and the meat practically melted — not artificially sweet or salty, just a subtle savoriness that lingered in my mouth, pulling exclamations out of me. This is truly a standout Sokcho-Goseong restaurant, no question about it.

To finish: myeongtae-hoe naengmyeon

Just as we were finishing up the ribs, the pollock hoe naengmyeon we'd ordered for dessert arrived. The cold broth came with slushy ice, topped generously with crisp cucumber, julienned radish, boiled egg, and red-seasoned pollock hoe (raw pollock mixed with spicy seasoning).

Picking up a piece of pollock hoe with my chopsticks, the thick, chewy texture paired with the spicy-sweet marinade was absolutely incredible!

Mix the seasoning sauce evenly through the springy noodles, then wrap a piece of nicely charred, sweet galbi into a bite and pop it in your mouth — any heaviness disappears completely, replaced by a burst of refreshing, savory flavor that closes out the meal perfectly.

Verdict: is Yongchon Gogi-jip worth a stop on a Sokcho or Goseong trip?

Thanks to the spacious parking lot, there was zero stress from the moment we arrived, and the combination of tender, hand-butchered galbi and addictive pollock hoe naengmyeon was perfect! If you're heading toward Sokcho or Goseong, I'd strongly recommend stopping by this Goseong meat restaurant, Yongchon Gogi-jip, for a meal that'll leave you thoroughly satisfied.

When you're eating charcoal-grilled meat, which dessert can you absolutely not give up — bibim naengmyeon or a nice cool doenjang jjigae? Let me know your honest preference in the comments! 😊