Hongdae date-night Korean BBQ after a pop-up store: Gogikkun

I stopped by Hongdae's famous Gogikkun Gimchunbae after checking out a pop-up store in Hongdae. Right next door is Gyeongui Line Forest Park, so the view was fantastic, and since the staff grill the meat for you, it was a super comfortable place to eat. Exactly the kind of spot to visit when you're just starting to date someone. Let's get into the review!

Where is Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch, and what does it offer?

The address is 31-2 Seogang-ro 13-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It's about a 6-minute walk from Exit 6 of Hongik Univ. Station, or about 7 minutes from Exit 7 of Sinchon Station. Amenities include group seating, reservations, separate men's/women's restrooms, Wi-Fi, high chairs, and easy payment.

Inside Gogikkun Gimchunbae: mood and seating

Gogikkun Gimchunbae has a bulgogi-house, charcoal-grill kind of vibe, with about 8 tables for four and 7 tables for two, spaced out generously. It looked like they could easily fit 12 by pushing tables together.

It seems to already be a well-known Hongdae favorite, since a group of customers had arrived early and were chatting away. Even though I visited well past lunchtime, there were still customers around.

Gogikkun Gimchunbae, a Hongdae BBQ spot — even before stepping inside, the delicious smell of grilling meat was already wafting out.

How good is the Gyeongui Line Forest Park view from the table?

The forest view was insane!!!! Especially since, when eating on an outdoor patio, motorcycle and car exhaust usually ruins everything — but there was none of that here, and the air was so pleasant, ㅠㅠ.

Gogikkun Gimchunbae, a great Hongdae date restaurant — if you take part in the Naver receipt review event, you can choose one of a pork skin serving, steamed egg, or brisket doenjang stew, so definitely take part.

What comes in the 109,000 won Hanwoo beef and Korean pork set for two?

Gogikkun Gimchunbae's signature menu: the Hanwoo/Hanwoo Pork 2-Person Set (600g) is 109,000 won, the Hanwoo 2-Person Set (400g) is 160,000 won, and the Hanwoo Pork 2-Person Set (600g) is 66,000 won. After much deliberation, we ordered the hanwoo (Korean beef) and hanwoo pork (Korean pork) set.

Hanwoo beef skirt steak, thick pork neck, and short rib arrived. The marbling was vivid and the flesh had a bright red color, full of freshness.

The side dishes were varied too — pickled onion, seasoned bean sprouts and chili, and more — plus salted shrimp sauce, pink Himalayan salt, ssamjang (dipping sauce), garlic sauce, and others, so we got to enjoy a wide range of flavors.

Beef chuck flap (salchisal), grilled by the staff

Gogikkun Gimchunbae, a Hongdae BBQ spot — first, they greased the grill with pork belly fat, then cooked the beef skirt steak along with enoki mushrooms, potato, and king oyster mushroom.

Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch — here, the staff grill and cut the meat for you, so we could focus entirely on conversation.

All we had to do was eat — so comfortable~

Once the meat was fully cooked, we dipped it in Himalayan pink salt, and...

The beef was tender, and the hanwoo skirt steak was already well-seasoned on its own, so it was delicious even by itself. No gamey smell at all!!

Gogikkun Gimchunbae, a Hongdae BBQ spot — the meat was chewy yet the fat was savory, pure bliss. And enjoying the view of Gyeongui Line Forest Park while eating it...

...had my melatonin gushing out ㅜㅜㅜㅜ. This is happiness, ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ.

There was zero gamey smell to the meat, so my chopsticks kept moving faster and faster.

So relaxed~ Exactly right as a date course.

Dipping the beef in salted shrimp sauce, haha.

Pork neck and pork rib meat on the grill

Next up, they quickly grilled the pork neck and short rib.

The staff handled grilling the pork neck and short rib too, so it felt so cozy~

We hurried to wrap it up with ssamjang, kimchi, and lettuce wraps, and...

The pork neck was also savory with no gamey smell. Eating it with tangy kimchi and minari (water dropwort) brought out a fragrant minari aroma.

Finishing with half-and-half naengmyeon and diced rice

Gogikkun Gimchunbae, a Hongdae favorite — I loved that the staff grilled everything for us throughout. All I did was enjoy the view of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, and I just felt happy...

For dessert, we also had half-and-half naengmyeon (cold noodles), getting to enjoy both the broth and spicy versions together, which was the best! The naengmyeon had refreshing cucumber and dongchimi (radish water kimchi) broth, and a nutty finish from the sesame seeds. We wrapped up completely stuffed with diced rice.

Is Gogikkun Gimchunbae worth it for a Hongdae date night?

Gogikkun Gimchunbae, a Hongdae favorite — chewing on meat with Gyeongui Line Forest Park as the backdrop had my melatonin overflowing. The autumn weather was cool, the sunlight was great, pure happiness all around. With the staff grilling the meat and the forest path as your backdrop, it's basically paradise, for real, ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ. I fully endorse this as a date restaurant to bring someone you're just starting to date! I genuinely, highly recommend Gogikkun Gimchunbae, a Hongdae BBQ spot.