Gunja Station Korean BBQ for groups: pick-your-own pork at Hwayangri

I visited Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang (화양리정육식당), a great spot for a group dinner near Gunja Station. The meat was in really good shape and the side dishes came out neat and tidy, which I loved.

Where is Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang, and where do you park?

The Main Branch is at 65 Gunja-ro, 1st floor, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, a 7-minute walk from Exit 5 of Children's Grand Park Station on Line 7. For parking, search for 'Misik Banjeom' and use the surface lot right next to it.

Children's Grand Park and Sejong University are nearby, so it's a convenient location for students and visitors~

** Parking is free for 2 hours, but be sure to tell the staff when you pay after parking!

Exterior

The sign says 'Hwayangri' in big letters, so it's easy to find.

What's the inside like? Is it OK for families and groups?

The tables and chairs feel upscale and there are high chairs too, so a family meal with kids works here. The hall is also spacious, so it looked fine for a group dinner near Gunja Station.

The tables and chairs were so classy, haha! And apparently Costi has been here too, so it's a Costi-approved BBQ place!

What's on the menu?

The menu is mainly bongseokswe-gui and the bongseokswe hanwoo assorted grill, but you don't have to order those; single items are available too. Besides grilled meat, there's also mungtigi (Korean-style raw beef), hanwoo yukhoe (beef tartare) and gomtang (beef bone soup).

Picking your meat from the self-service fridge

On one side of the restaurant there's a meat-only fridge. You choose your meat yourself, tell the staff, and they set it up for you. We picked the pork bongseokswe-gui assortment!

Is Hwayangri Jeongyuk Sikdang corkage free?

Yes, it's corkage free in Gunja! You can bring your own bottle from home, or buy the wine, whiskey, sake and so on that the restaurant sells.

They were also running a review event.

Charcoal and the basic bongseokswe setup

The staff add the charcoal and place the bongseokswe (wire grill) on top, and they gave us a piece of pork fat to oil the grill. The charcoal looked good to me~

How was the pork bongseokswe-gui assortment?

For the pork bongseokswe-gui assortment, you heat the grill, oil it, then lay the meat on to cook. Doesn't the meat look to be in great condition?? Gorgeous color~

The pork belly had an unusual shape, but the texture was great! The flavor was clean too. Maybe because it's cooked on the bongseokswe, it got proper grill marks, which made it look even more appetizing 👏

There were lots of sauces to go with the meat, so you can try it a bunch of different ways. Loved that!

King oyster mushrooms and kkwari-gochu (shishito-style peppers) came out too and we grilled them together. The heat is strong, so everything cooked quickly.

Doenjang suulbap

Hwayangri is a doenjang suulbap (soybean-paste rice) hotspot! It was rich and delicious 👏 The portion is big too, so ordering one to share is just right.

The extra cut we ordered

I don't know the name of this cut, but the extra one we ordered was the highlight~! So chewy and so good, you know? If I hadn't been full, I'd have wanted one more serving 🤤 I highly recommend a cut that looks like that~!

Final thoughts: a good Gunja Station spot for a group dinner?

Lots of tables were drinking wine with their meal~ Since it's corkage free, next time I'll bring my own wine and drink it with the meat, haha.

The place is spacious, so if you're looking for a group restaurant near Gunja Station or in Gunja-dong, Hwayangri is it! And if you just want good-quality meat, head to Hwayangri too 🏃‍♀️