Hongdae weekend lunch Korean BBQ with wild garlic sauce: Gogikkun

Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant you can enjoy in a cool, open-air early-autumn mood right by the Gyeongui Line Forest Park. Here's my honest take and visit review.

Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch: hours, location and how to get there

Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch is open daily 12:00–23:00, last order at 22:00. Reservations can be made via Naver, Catch Table, or phone, and it's 472m from Hongik Univ. Station Exit 6, an 8-minute walk.

I first found this place because I love the vibe of the Gyeongui Line Forest Park. I sometimes walk from Mapo's Gongdeok-dong all the way to Yeonnam-dong, and I'd spotted this place on one of those walks and had it saved for a while. Since it's open every day with no regular holiday, I could go on a weekend or weekday without worry, so I visited for a sunny early-autumn weekend lunch.

Gongdeok branch or Hongdae Supgil branch: which feels more like open-air grilling?

Gogikkun Gimchunbae has two locations along the Gyeongui Line Forest Park — the Gongdeok direct branch and the Hongdae Supgil branch. The Hongdae Supgil branch sits closer to the trees and feels more like true outdoor grilling than the Gongdeok branch. With weather this amazing lately, you can't miss a mood like this — because in Korea, days like this never last long!

Outdoor tables vs window seats at a weekend lunch in Hongdae

Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch has outdoor tables right in front of the shop, and if sitting outside feels like too much, the indoor window seats let you enjoy the same outdoor-grilling mood just as well.

The interior isn't huge, but the tables are spaced generously, so you and your group can eat at a relaxed pace.

Sitting outside felt a bit much, so I took a window table instead — and since the glass doors open all the way, it still has that outdoor-grilling feel. In some ways it's an even better spot than the outdoor seats.

Once we sat down, the basic table setting arrived, along with fresh-looking shredded scallions.

What comes in the beef and pork set for two: 600g for 109,000 won

Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch has hanwoo (Korean beef) and handon (Korean pork) sets sized for two or three people, so it's easy to choose.

Beef/pork set for two: ₩109,000

For extra dishes, we ordered half-and-half naengmyeon (₩7,000) and diced radish kimchi fried rice (₩8,000).

The beef/pork set for two, 600g for ₩109,000. Today's beef cut was salchisal (beef skirt). So exciting! The marbling was clearly a work of art at first glance.

The server grilled the salchisal first.

Grilling meat with that outdoor-terrace feeling right by the Gyeongui Line Forest Park in Hongdae — this would honestly be a perfect date spot, with such a great atmosphere. What I loved most was the lush green view. The meat came grilled to just the right doneness and cut into perfect bite sizes, so all I had to do was eat.

The best pairing for beef skirt (salchisal): wild garlic leaf and garlic soy sauce

The salchisal melted in my mouth. The meat quality is good enough to eat plain, but dipping it in the minced garlic sauce was a perfect match.

It also went well with the pungent shredded scallions, but the wild garlic leaf plus garlic sauce combo was the best pairing of all. Today's best bite. Another new flavor combo learned.

Pork neck, pork galbi-sal and half-and-half naengmyeon at 7,000 won

Next, the handon pork neck and galbi-sal (rib meat) went on the grill. The staff handles everything, so you just eat.

While waiting for the pork to cook, I took in the lush green park view and enjoyed the sunny weather.

Right on cue, the half-and-half naengmyeon arrived. At a Korean BBQ place, the only real dilemma besides doenjang stew is choosing between spicy or plain naengmyeon — but half-and-half, like jjajjamyeon, lets you skip the dilemma and have both.

Once the meat was cooked through, it was cut into bite-sized pieces and served with minari (water celery) and kimchi on top. The server placed the meat on the grill and we started on the pork neck and galbi.

I thought the thick-cut meat might be dry, but the texture was really tender. Even though it's a lean cut, it wasn't dry at all and kept that distinct savory pork flavor.

Dipping it in melgeot (fermented anchovy sauce) was heavenly. Pork's real charm is dipping it in melgeot, and this place is a melgeot master haha. It's also a great match eaten with the naengmyeon. At 600 grams, the portion was generous too. Honestly, when two people go to a BBQ place, two servings never cut it — you usually need about three servings to feel full — but the set for two was plenty.

Finishing with diced radish kimchi fried rice, 8,000 won

Diced radish kimchi fried rice, ₩8,000. This is also portioned for two, so it's a generous amount. We ate ourselves completely full.

Surrounded by green, with a relaxed outdoor-grilling mood, Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch is a Hongdae favorite. It was a Gyeongui Line Forest Park BBQ spot where I got to spend a good time with great meat in a wide-open outdoor atmosphere.