Grilled pineapple and pork skin at Gwangju Korean BBQ Sangnok Hoegwan

Today I'm bringing you my review of Sangnok Hoegwan Yeontan-gui Taejeon Branch, a charcoal-grilled pork restaurant I visited recently in Gwangju, Gyeonggi!

Lately, when I'm craving good meat, I find myself drawn to places where you grill over real charcoal and get that proper smoky flavor, rather than a regular BBQ spot. I was in the Taejeon-dong area and looking for good meat, so I searched around and ended up at Sangnok Hoegwan Yeontan-gui Taejeon Branch.

They have all kinds of menu items here, not just pork — there's seafood too, so it seemed like a good spot for a group where everyone can pick according to their taste.

Where is Sangnok Hoegwan Taejeon Branch, and what are the hours and parking?

Sangnok Hoegwan Yeontan-gui Taejeon Branch is located at 350-6 Hoean-daero, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do. Hours are Monday to Saturday 13:30–24:00, and Sunday 12:30–24:00. There's a dedicated parking lot right in front, so it was convenient to drive there.

The restaurant was spacious and clean. It looked like a great spot for family meals or a work dinner too.

Every table has a tablet for ordering, which made it really easy and convenient.

Side dishes and the self-serve corner, pineapple included

Sangnok Hoegwan Yeontan-gui Taejeon Branch sets out a basic array of side dishes first, and you can grab extras from the self-serve corner. I liked being able to just take as much as I needed.

There was a self-serve corner where you could grab whatever side dishes you needed. While browsing it, I discovered pineapple, which surprised me — that's something different from other BBQ places. Besides that, there were other side dishes and vegetables that looked great to eat alongside the meat.

Ordering dwaeji-hanguen, doenjang jjigae and bibimbap, grilled over charcoal

We ordered dwaeji-hanguen (an assorted pork platter), doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), and bibimbap (mixed rice with vegetables) that day. Once we ordered, they set up the charcoal fire on the table — and honestly, charcoal grilling really has that special fun of cooking the meat yourself right over the fire.

As soon as the meat hit the grill, the sizzling sound and delicious smell filled the air, and it kind of felt like we were camping and grilling meat outdoors haha. Dwaeji-hanguen is literally a platter with several different cuts of pork together, so it was nice being able to try a variety of parts. Above all, the quality of every piece of meat was really good. Grilled golden brown over charcoal, it looked like it would taste amazing.

How were the bibimbap and doenjang jjigae at Sangnok Hoegwan?

The bibimbap we ordered alongside was really delicious too! It came packed with various seasoned vegetables, so we got to enjoy a lot of different ingredients together, and paired with the meat it felt light yet satisfying. The doenjang jjigae had that solid, dependable flavor, which went well with the meat too. Having a spoonful of rice dipped in hot doenjang jjigae along with a piece of meat — you really can't skip doenjang jjigae at a BBQ place, haha.

Each cut had a slightly different texture, so it was fun trying a piece of each one, and I liked being able to enjoy a variety of parts instead of just eating one cut the whole time. Grilling over charcoal especially gave the meat a subtle smoky flavor, making it taste even richer. The meat itself was delicious, but the whole atmosphere of grilling over charcoal made it feel even better.

Maybe because the meat quality was so good, the texture and meaty aroma were great the whole time we ate. Really, good-quality meat tastes amazing no matter what you eat it with, haha. Sangnok Hoegwan has such a varied menu that I wanted to try other dishes next time — especially since they have seafood too, not just pork, so I'm planning to work through the items we didn't get to try this time on my next visit.

Grilling the pineapple over the charcoal fire

The pineapple from the self-serve corner at Sangnok Hoegwan Yeontan-gui Taejeon Branch is tasty even plain, but when I grilled it lightly over the charcoal, the sweet-tart flavor came out even more, and it paired surprisingly well with everything, haha. Eating meat continuously can get a bit greasy, but grabbing a piece of grilled pineapple here and there really refreshed my palate.

Finishing with thin seasoned pork skin and a dessert slushie

We finished with pork skin. I personally prefer thin pork skin, and Sangnok Hoegwan Yeontan-gui uses the thin variety, so the texture was wonderfully chewy. Best of all, since it was already seasoned, dipping it in soybean powder made it savory and really delicious!

Once we finished eating, they had a self-serve slushie ready for dessert. Little touches like that from the owner make you want to come back again.

If you're looking for good meat to eat in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, drop by Sangnok Hoegwan Yeontan-gui Taejeon Branch, where you can enjoy a variety of pork with that signature charcoal smoky flavor! We finished our meal happily that day, from the dwaeji-hanguen to the bibimbap and doenjang jjigae. Between the fun of grilling over charcoal and the wide variety of menu items, this was a Gwangju spot I'd love to visit again 🐥