Cool summer Korean BBQ in Gueui, Seoul: two big ACs at Sanggu's

Last weekend my boyfriend said he wanted meat, so I went looking for a Gueui Korean BBQ restaurant where we could eat in cool comfort. If you love meat on a sweltering summer day but dread sweating in front of a hot grill, keep reading. Sanggu's Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal Gueui Branch (상구네 솥뚜껑삼겹살 구의점) runs two huge air conditioners at full blast, and a wide shop and cool air greeted us first. It was a comfortable place where the staff grill for you.

Location and hours of Sanggu's Gueui Branch

Sanggu's Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal Gueui Branch is at 444 Achasan-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul (1st floor), 468m from Gueui Station Exit 3. It's open daily 11:00 to 02:00 the next day, with last order at 01:00.

The way from Gueui Station isn't complicated, so it was easy to find on foot. The exterior looked neat and clean, so we stepped inside with high hopes.

A cool Korean BBQ in summer: two air conditioners and fans

The most memorable thing at Sanggu's was, hands down, the temperature inside. Even though it's a BBQ place, two large heating-and-cooling units were running at full power, and fans were busily spinning here and there to circulate the air. I felt none of that stuffy grill heat. It was seriously cool. Enjoying cauldron-lid pork belly in midsummer without a single drop of sweat was a huge plus.

Self-bar with 12 random wrap veggies and side dishes

After settling in and looking around, the wrap veggie self-bar on one side caught my eye. Many restaurants only give you lettuce and perilla leaves, but here there were a whopping 12 kinds of wrap vegetables, randomly selected and piled high. The manager apparently goes to Garak Market himself every dawn to buy good-quality greens. It felt like a place that's generous with vegetables, and best of all, you can help yourself to unlimited amounts at no extra charge.

Extra side dishes were also neatly arranged at the self-bar, so you can grab more without feeling awkward. My boyfriend, who especially loves seasoned bean sprouts with meat, was happy that he could take as much as he wanted.

Half-plate set for two: 500g for ₩43,000

The main menu is split into a full-plate set and a half-plate set, which makes ordering good value. There were two of us, so we ordered the half-plate set (500g), the right amount. It costs ₩43,000 and the lineup is pretty great.

• Side: choose one of minari (water dropwort), siraegi (dried radish greens), or aged green onion kimchi
• Cut of meat: choose fresh pork belly, flash-frozen pork belly, or pork neck
• Extra: choose one of 2 draft beers, 2 soft drinks, or 1 fried rice

You can customize it to your taste. We picked fragrant minari, fresh pork belly, pork neck, and 2 soft drinks.

The basic table setting included crisp pickled onions to bring out the savory flavor and a variety of sauces for dipping the meat, all laid out neatly.

I brought wrap veggies back in a basket, choosing what I liked. The self-bar also has things to grill along with the meat, like mushrooms and garlic stems, which is another big plus.

Soon the fresh pork belly and pork neck, with a vivid meat color, arrived alongside big king oyster mushrooms and onion. Seeing the thick cuts and the ideal ratio of lean meat to fat, I could tell right away how good the quality was.

Metal splash shield and staff-grilled cauldron-lid pork belly

At Sanggu's, the staff grill all the meat for you, so you can chat comfortably and focus on eating. What really impressed me was the thoughtful touch: to stop oil from splattering in every direction when grilling on a cauldron lid, they put a custom-made silver metal shield all around it. No worries about oil hitting your clothes or skin, which was a really considerate detail.

Thanks to the staff's skilled hands, the thick pork belly and neck were cut into bite-size pieces and cooked golden brown. The cauldron lid's strong heat conduction left the outside crispy and the inside juicy, a perfect grill.

A plate of minari cauldron-lid pork belly

When the meat was almost done, the minari we chose generously covered one side of the lid.

And here it is, the finished plate of cauldron-lid pork belly! With seasoned bean sprouts, kimchi, bracken and fresh minari added along the edge where pork fat sizzled and bubbled, the colorful look was visually satisfying too.

For the first golden piece, I followed the golden rule and dipped it in salt to taste the pure flavor of the meat, and after that we ate freely.

I tried the fresh pork belly with pickled onion. Rich juices burst with every bite and the deep nuttiness of pork filled my mouth. With the fresh, crunchy pickled onion alongside the fatty pork belly, the greasiness vanished and only a clean aftertaste remained. This pickled onion is so addictive that it made me eat two plates of onions.

Wrapping the softened, wilted minari around the meat, its fragrance lifted the flavor of the pork even more, and I couldn't put my chopsticks down. It was also fun to pile meat and grilled veggies on top of the wrap greens from the self-bar and eat them as ssam (lettuce wraps).

Cheese egg custard, a great side

The cheese egg custard (gyeran-jjim) that arrived at a perfect moment mid-meal was overwhelming just to look at. A "bomb" egg custard puffed up above the earthenware pot, with yellow cheddar cheese melting softly over it.

I scooped a big spoonful, and the fluffy, soft texture and the salty flavor of the cheese went together perfectly, making it ideal alongside the meat.

Wrap-up

At Sanggu's Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal Gueui Branch, in the cool, comfortable air from two air conditioners and fans, I could enjoy unlimited fresh vegetables sourced from Garak Market, which left me feeling content. If you're looking for a cauldron-lid BBQ place where the staff grill for you with no worry about oil splatter, visit Sanggu's Gueui Branch for its varied sides and quality pork belly.