Korean BBQ for 3 in Sharosu-gil, Seoul: 3,300-won highballs

Picking a spot for an evening get-together near Seoul National University Station always comes down to two worries: will there be seats for 3–4 people, and is the price okay? Gogigupneunsaramdeul (고기굽는사람들), where I went this time, blew both worries away at once. Several sauces come out too, so dipping a bit of this and a bit of that is half the fun. Let's take a look at what kind of BBQ place it is.

Gogigupneunsaramdeul Sharosu-gil: location and parking

Address: 106, Hyorim Building 1F, 70 Gwanak-ro 14-gil, Gwanak-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 관악구 관악로14길 70 효림빌딩 1층)

• Hours: 12:00–23:00 (opens at 16:00 on Mondays)
• Parking available

This Sharosu-gil favorite is not far from Seoul National University Station on Subway Line 2. If you come by car, there is room for 2 cars out front, but they're often taken, so the nearby public parking lot is the better bet.

Interior and atmosphere: will your clothes smell?

Inside, the seats are black backless drum stools, so this is more a place for a quick two-to-three-hour turnover than for settling in for a long sit. Each table has a silver hood running straight up to the ceiling, and its suction is pretty good, so even though it's a charcoal place, your outerwear doesn't get heavily smoky. Side dishes and water are self-serve from a corner. On days when you're heading to a second round after the group dinner, that matters more than you'd think.

Menu and price range

Gogigupneunsaramdeul specializes in charcoal-grilled aged pork, so even among Sharosu-gil restaurants, the texture of the meat really stands out. The menu splits into five sections: new items, set menus, pork, beef and all-you-can-eat. Pork starts at ₩9,266 per 100g and Korean beef (hanwoo) starts at ₩15,900 per 100g, so it's easiest to choose a category first based on your budget. There are so many à la carte items that first-timers can get lost; picking a set for your group size from the set menu tab is the simplest way.

Family set ₩61,500 (recommended for 3)

The family set is ₩61,500, and for three people this one order covers the meat, a stew and steamed egg in one go. That works out to about ₩20,500 per person. One plate comes with three thick strips of whole pork belly plus cubed pork neck. Each belly strip is about two finger-joints thick, so you grill it whole and cut it with scissors later. Six accompaniments are laid out, and the staff recommended starting with Maldon salt so you taste the meat itself first.

Rather than three of us ordering a muddle of things and losing track of the bill, it was much easier to budget by settling on one set and adding a plate if we ran short.

Hanbun aged kimchi stew and Gwanaksan steamed egg

The Korean pork aged-kimchi stew (kimchi jjigae) and the Gwanaksan steamed egg (gyeran-jjim) are a great match for grilling. The stew comes simmered long enough that the aged kimchi falls apart along its fibers, and the earthenware pot keeps bubbling, so it stays hot to the last spoonful. The steamed egg is the puffed-up kind you often see, topped with seaweed flakes, sesame, chili powder and chopped scallion, so it looks amazing. It tasted great too, and we scraped the bottom clean.

Jameson highball and ginger lemon highball, two for ₩6,600

The highballs here are in the ₩3,000 range, so ordering them instead of soju is no burden. We got a Jameson highball and a ginger lemon highball for ₩6,600 total, which is clearly cheap considering how many places charge ₩7,000–8,000 a glass these days. The glass was filled with ice to the brim, so it never went watery, and it was nice to sip between bites of fatty pork belly. It's an easy order even if some people in your group don't drink much.

How was it as a group dinner spot near Seoul National University Station?

If you're always wondering where to go whenever you meet up near Seoul National University Station, Gogigupneunsaramdeul is a good choice among Sharosu-gil restaurants. The meat is tasty, the value is good, and there are plenty of side dishes to go with it, so I think you'll be satisfied.