Jongno Korean BBQ 500g couple set at opening: Gogikkun Kim Chunbae

Today I'm sharing a review of a really tasty meat meal I had near Jongno not long ago! The meat quality was great, and it was a private BBQ place where I could eat happily. Let's look at Gogikkun Kim Chunbae (Jonggak-ap Nosang Gongyeong Juchajang) together~!

First impressions of Jongno BBQ after an open-run

The Jongno branch is on the 5th floor of a building on Samil-daero 17-gil in Jongno-gu, and the writer did an open-run, arriving right at opening time. Right in front of the shop you can see the menu and the sets.

If you see an exterior like this, you've found the right place! I arrived exactly at opening time for an open-run haha. They had a nice variety of set menus too, so if you come with several people, they look great for sharing!

Are the seats good for a group dinner?

The restaurant has the table ready for your reservation time, and the seating is private and fairly quiet. The owner grills the meat for you, so it was easy to focus on conversation.

I'd booked, and the seat was ready right at my reservation time! haha It felt really private, unlike other BBQ places, and quiet, so it looked great for year-end or New Year group dinners!! Since you can eat meat privately, it was also easy to focus on talking! Best of all, the owner grills the meat himself, which was super convenient too~!

Definitely more side dishes than other BBQ places! Everything was neatly laid out, and it looked so satisfying to eat ><

What's in the couple set, and how much food is it?

The couple set is a 500g set of today's hanwoo (Korean beef), pork belly and pork neck. The writer said it was just the right amount to fill two people.

And then the couple set arrived! At 500g it's just enough to leave you comfortably full, which I loved~! Hanwoo is rich and fatty, so you fill up fast and feel properly satisfied!

Charcoal-grilled hanwoo of the day

The meat here is grilled over charcoal, and they give you mushrooms and corn to grill on the side. The writer ate the hanwoo of the day first, and the juices burst out.

The meat looked gorgeous and delicious, and once I actually grilled it over charcoal, it couldn't have been juicier or tastier!!! They also gave me mushrooms and corn as sides to grill, and the balance was just right~!

The hanwoo was the first thing I put in my mouth.. and the juices really burst all over my mouth, it was crazy addictive..! Better quality than any other meat, with just the right juiciness, so my chopsticks kept going back to Kim Chunbae's meat..

After that I grilled up all the other meats too!! haha They were all bursting with juice and top quality, so addictive that I kept eating! Honestly, my view of a BBQ place has always been that meat quality comes first and sides are just a little extra! So being able to really taste how good and high-quality the meat was made this a personally very satisfying Jongno BBQ spot haha

Pork belly and pork neck after the beef

The couple set's pork belly came with the skin, so it was chewy and crispy outside, juicy inside. Eating pork after beef added to the chew and the fullness.

Then the meat on the grill slowly started disappearing..! The pork belly had its skin, so it was super chewy and crispy, perfectly crispy outside and juicy inside! Eating beef first and then pork made the chew more noticeable and the fullness hit even harder!

Half-and-half naengmyeon: fine even if you don't like cold broth noodles?

The half-and-half naengmyeon (cold noodles) is a side that lets you enjoy both the spicy mixed version (bibim-naengmyeon) and the cold broth version (mul-naengmyeon) at once. Even the writer, who didn't really like mul-naengmyeon, fell for the savory broth and recommends trying it here.

Finally I had two sides together! First, half-and-half naengmyeon! A bit like jjamjjamyeon (half black bean noodles, half spicy seafood noodles).. it lets people who can't decide enjoy both spicy and broth versions. After finishing the meat I always agonize over which naengmyeon to get and have to give one up, which was a pity, so for me.. this menu is a real lifesaver..! And I normally don't like mul-naengmyeon, but Kim Chunbae's has real savory depth and is so good that I kept slurping.. I really recommend starting your mul-naengmyeon journey here..!

How many people is the kkakdugi fried rice good for?

The kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) fried rice is sweet and thick-textured, and the portion is bigger than expected, so it's good for about 3 people to share.

And the very, very last thing was the kkakdugi fried rice!! lol It was a really sweet, thick-textured fried rice, so even though I was full, my spoon kept going back for more? The kkakdugi's crunch wasn't really noticeable, which I think made it easier to eat without feeling heavy~! The portion is bigger than expected, so around 3 people sharing would be just right!

Before I knew it all the food had disappeared!!! It felt like a truly hearty meal, and that was Gogikkun Kim Chunbae Jongno, a Jongno BBQ spot!