Korean BBQ near Cheonho Station, Seoul: 3 sauces at Gim Sukseong

I went back to a Cheonho BBQ spot I'd enjoyed before — Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch (김숙성 성내점).

Here's the entrance to Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch, with its retro vibe. There are tables set up halfway between indoors and outdoors, so you get a taste of that outdoor-dining mood too — gotta enjoy the outdoor tables while the weather's nice!

Where is Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch, and is there parking?

Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch is located at 35 Cheonhoyet14-gil, 1st floor, unit 101, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It's about a 7-minute walk from Cheonho Station Exit 6, so it's quite accessible.

The restaurant has 2 parking spots, but they ask that you call ahead before visiting! (The nearest public parking lot is the Cheonho Station public parking lot, for reference.)

Opening hours and what the dining room looks like

Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch is open daily from 11:00 to 24:00. I only came in the evening for meat, but there's also a lunch menu — jeyuk bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork) and kimchi budae jeongol (kimchi hot pot) — so it looks like a solid lunch spot too.

Inside there are more than 10 round stainless steel tables. I visited around 7pm on a weekend — the place was packed at first, true to its reputation as a Cheonho samgyeopsal (pork belly) favorite, but I managed to snap a photo when it thinned out a bit.

Menu and prices: what two people ordered at Gim Sukseong

I liked that Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch has a special menu letting you enjoy several cuts together. The meat options are Special, chadol (thin beef brisket), samgyeopsal (pork belly), premium pork neck, and gabrisal (pork skirt). They say all the meat is cross-aged using both dry-aging and wet-aging for deeper flavor.

The side dish menu was especially varied — seasoned crab rice, doenjang sul-bap (soybean paste rice), perilla oil green onion noodles, minari bibim noodles, cold noodles, doenjang jjigae, kimchi jjigae, truffle jjagechi, steamed egg, crab ramyeon — so many choices it was hard to pick.

• Gim Sukseong Special 2 – ₩54,000 (pork neck x2 servings + limited-edition aged meat collab, 250g)
• Minari bibim noodles – ₩7,000
• Rice – ₩1,000
• Beer – ₩5,000

There were two of us, so we ordered the Gim Sukseong Special 2 plus minari bibim noodles, rice, and beer as sides. (I was craving soju too, but... passed.) The Special 2 comes with 2 servings of pork neck plus aged meat, 550g total — just right for two people to eat until full.

Honest review: side dishes, grilled pork and grilled kimchi

They set the table with banchan (side dishes) first. Lettuce, seasoned crab, wild garlic chives, and green onion kimchi all came out generously. The napa cabbage kimchi gets put on the grill at the end, and grilled in the fat, it's absolutely delicious!

The samgyeopsal and pork neck we ordered came out with mushrooms and minari. Even just from the photo, you can tell the meat is thick and in great condition.

At Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch, a staff member puts the meat on the grill, cooks it, and even cuts it for you. Thanks to their expert touch, the meat cooked perfectly without burning — very convenient.

Kimchi jjigae comes free with every meal

Here's a fun fact — kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) comes free with the meal! It arrives bubbling hot, with a generous amount of kimchi and meat inside. I'd been debating whether to order a stew separately, so getting a free kimchi jjigae made me happy.

Minari bibim noodles for 7,000 won

While the meat was grilling, the minari bibim noodles arrived. They're loaded with boiled egg, minari, and seaweed flakes. Just thinking about eating the savory, sweet-and-spicy noodles together with the meat got me excited—

The crunchy minari and tangy sauce combo felt like it cleanly cut through the richness of the meat. The fragrant minari paired so well with the noodles that even though I was full, I finished the whole bowl.

The meat browning nicely on the grill — the staff kept checking on it and even arranged spots for the minari and kimchi, so I could focus on just eating.

The combination of the nicely grilled meat with minari and kimchi looks appetizing just from the colors alone.

I think I got a pretty good video haha — perfectly grilled samgyeopsal and pork neck.

The three sauces: cheese salt, shiitake wasabi and makjang

Before my first bite of meat, I checked the tips posted on the wall for how to eat it best, and following the photo-illustrated advice, I dipped the meat alternately in the three special sauces: cheese salt, shiitake wasabi, and makjang (dark fermented soybean paste).

For my first bite of the well-cooked meat, I dipped it lightly in salt and put it in my mouth. Maybe because of the cross-aging process, juices burst out with every chew, and the texture was tender.

Wrapping it in a lettuce wrap with minari and grilled kimchi was such a great pairing, too — perfect. It was a fully satisfying meal at Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch, this Cheonho-dong BBQ spot.

Verdict: is Gim Sukseong worth it for samgyeopsal in Cheonho-Seongnae?

Cheonho BBQ restaurant Gim Sukseong Seongnae Branch is satisfying in meat quality, taste, and portion size, and the side dishes are on point too. It looks like a great spot for company dinners or gatherings, and if you're looking for a samgyeopsal favorite near Cheonho-Seongnae, I'd recommend giving it a visit at least once.