Jonggak Korean BBQ date after Cheonggyecheon: Gogikkun Kim Chunbae

After a Cheonggyecheon date with my husband, I went looking for a good place to eat nearby and found this Jongno spot, Jonggak-ap Nosang Gongyeong Juchajang (고기꾼김춘배 종로직영점). The food and the service were both great, and we were really happy!

Where is Jonggak-ap Nosang Gongyeong Juchajang, and what are the hours?

Jonggak-ap Nosang Gongyeong Juchajang is close to Jonggak Station on Line 1, on the 5th floor of a building on Jonggak Youth Street, right by Cheonggyecheon. It is open daily 12:00-23:00, with last order at 22:00. Super easy to get to 👍

Since it's on the 5th floor, we took the elevator up, and the moment we stepped out you could feel the great atmosphere *_*

What's the atmosphere like for a Jonggak BBQ date?

The lighting is low and lovely, so the mood is really nice, and every table has a high divider, which makes it feel private. The butcher fridge at the entrance was full of fresh meat 🥩 They only serve 1++ hanwoo (top-grade Korean beef) and domestic chilled sow pork, so my expectations were high.

We came right at opening time, so I quickly took photos of the place before the crowd arrived. Staff also grill the meat for you, which makes it perfect for a Jongno/Jonggak BBQ date ʚ♡⃛ɞ

Further inside there are tables for groups, and you can reserve through Naver, so it's also a great pick for a company dinner in Jonggak.

Menu and what we ordered for two

There's an English menu too. I guess that's because lots of foreign guests come through the area for business or sightseeing.

• Recommended set ₩99,000: today's hanwoo (150g) + pork neck (200g) + five-layer pork belly (150g)
• Half-and-half naengmyeon (cold noodles) ₩7,000
• Kkakdugi bap (diced radish kimchi fried rice) ₩8,000

We wanted to try both the 1++ hanwoo and the domestic chilled sow pork, so we went with the recommended set!

Side dishes and the charcoal

Once we sat down, the side dishes came out first. They were neat and varied, and I was extra happy because I'm a huge fan of gungchae (stem lettuce pickle).

Then they put real charcoal into the grill! My husband 🙋‍♂️ said: "Wow, even the charcoal looks delicious;; hahaha" Well, it is proper charcoal, so it makes sense.

They also brought lettuce and other leaves for wraps, plus pa-jeori (seasoned green onion salad). Side dish setup complete~~

Today's hanwoo grilled by staff: how's the smoke?

Once the charcoal is hot enough, the staff grill the meat for you. Because of the table layout, the grill sits toward the aisle, so my face didn't get hot and I barely noticed any smoke. We could chat comfortably while eating, which was awesome!

And now, the stars of the show. The meat looks insane... The king oyster mushroom with letters stamped on it was cute, and they gave us corn too, which I loved.

They grilled today's hanwoo first, and the color of that 1++ beef was so fresh you can feel it right through the photo.

They grill it up nice and sizzling.

When it's cooked just right, they cut it into bite-size pieces, and then all you have to do is eat!

Why is the hanwoo so good..? It was thick but moist and juicy ㅠㅠ Even my husband, who loves beef, admitted it was great.

Pork neck with galchi-jeot, and kkakdugi fried rice

While we were busy picking at the hanwoo, they grilled the pork neck right away so the flow never broke. And pork can't go without galchi-jeot (salted cutlassfish), right~ The staff took the galchi-jeot that had been on the grill and set it on our table, and we ate it with the pork. Delicious.

Riding the momentum, we ordered the kkakdugi bap (₩8,000). It's kkakdugi fried rice, and it comes out separately in a pan, with a pretty generous portion! Pork plus carbs, no way to resist. I wrapped it in lettuce and enjoyed every bite.

Honestly, I'm a pork belly person rather than a pork neck person, so I didn't expect much from the neck, but it was so moist and tender that it was every bit as good as the hanwoo!

How were the half-and-half naengmyeon and the five-layer pork belly?

The menu had a "banban naengmyeon" (half-and-half cold noodles, ₩7,000), so I ordered it right away. I'm always torn between mul-naengmyeon (in broth) and bibim-naengmyeon (spicy mixed), so what a genius idea... The noodles were really refreshing, and the seasoning was so spot-on that you don't need to add anything. So good with the meat.

Riding the momentum again, we grilled the last item, the five-layer pork belly.

The five-layer pork belly definitely had more depth of flavor and more character than regular pork belly! You get the chewy skin too, so so good.

Hanwoo, pork, kkakdugi fried rice, half-and-half naengmyeon: a super luxurious full course, and we were stuffed. Great mood and great taste, so I was really satisfied with this BBQ spot~~

The restroom is inside, so it's comfortable and convenient, and they have disposable aprons. They were also running a review event for the brisket doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew).

Quick verdict: who is Jonggak-ap Nosang Gongyeong Juchajang for?

If you want both pork and beef, the recommended set means you can choose with no stress, and since the staff at each table grill all the meat, it's just so easy. (Once it's cooked, they move it to the side of the grill, so you only have to pick and eat.)

At BBQ places you often can't talk properly because you're busy grilling, but here we could chat nonstop in a relaxed atmosphere ㅎㅅㅎ With its private, nicely decorated interior and tasty, good-quality meat, I recommend Jonggak-ap Nosang Gongyeong Juchajang as a date course on Jonggak Youth Street and as a company dinner spot in Jonggak!