Mom-daughter Korean BBQ lunch, 500g of beef for two: Geumseong Hoegwan

I had an errand near my mom's office, so we ended up having lunch together for the first time in a while. There are so many restaurants in this area, and while looking around for what to eat, the ₩14,000 emperor galbi set at Geumseong Hoegwan caught my eye. Grilling your own beef at lunch for that price seemed like a good deal, so we went in.

Bukchang-dong restaurant alley, busy even at lunch

Geumseong Hoegwan is in the Bukchang-dong (북창동) restaurant alley near City Hall Station. There are a lot of restaurants around, but the sign is big and the menu and prices are posted out front, so it wasn't hard to find. Both the exterior and interior were pretty clean overall.

Since it's a BBQ place, I figured it would be busy in the evening, but plenty of tables were filled even at lunchtime, and quite a few customers were grilling meat.

The ₩14,000 emperor galbi set — how much meat do you get?

The emperor galbi set is ₩14,000 per person, with 100g of beef each. We visited as two people, but I accidentally ordered 4 servings by mistake. Luckily, orders of 4 servings or more come with a free extra portion, so on top of the 400g we ordered, we got 100g free — 500g of beef for the two of us.

When the meat first arrived I thought we'd ordered way too much for two people, but once we started grilling and eating, it turned out to be just the right amount to fill us up.

Ten-thousand-won beef — how did it taste?

The emperor galbi wasn't marinated meat — it was raw beef you grill yourself directly on the plate. The beef itself wasn't anything super special, and it didn't have the strong beefy flavor you'd get at a premium beef specialty restaurant, but it was easy to eat without any pressure. It came with side dishes and egg, plus a soft tofu stew that paired well.

How I'd order next time for two

This time we ate 500g of meat between the two of us, so we couldn't order any other meal items, but looking at the menu, there were also rice dishes like yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef mixed rice) and stews. Next time we visit as two, I'm thinking of ordering 2 servings of the emperor galbi set along with one meal item. Since you can always order more meat if you run out, that seems like a better way to enjoy both the meat and a meal item together.

Check for events before you visit

Looking at the tabletop ordering screen and the in-store signage, there were a few events running. The Naver review event offered different menu items depending on how many reviews you'd written, and there was also a separate alcohol-ordering event. If you're visiting with a group, it might be worth checking before ordering, since more reviews can get you extra meat or even yukhoe (raw beef).

There was also a separate coupon available if you book through Naver Reservations.

If you're planning to visit Geumseong Hoegwan, it's worth checking the Naver Reservations coupon before booking, and keeping an eye out for the in-store review event too. Events and coupons can change depending on when you visit, so please double-check what's currently offered before booking or ordering.

Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch — basic info

• Address: 30 Namdaemun-ro 1-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 1st floor
• Hours: Daily 11:00–23:00
• Parking: Sogong-dong Post Office or nearby paid parking lots