Jongno Korean BBQ: a 2-person set for 3 friends, Gogikkun Kim Chunbae

I finally met up with friends in Jongno after a long time, so we went to Gogikkun Kim Chunbae (고기꾼 김춘배), a well-known Korean BBQ spot. I'd eaten at another branch and loved the meat and the fact that staff grill everything from start to finish, so I made a reservation at the Jongno branch too.

The Jongno branch is near Jonggak Station, so it's easy to reach, and the menu runs from set menus where you can enjoy hanwoo (Korean beef) and pork together to proper meal dishes. Because the staff grill the meat for you, you can focus on eating and talking. It's in an area full of office workers, so I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a Jongno restaurant, a BBQ place or a company dinner spot. This time we ordered the 2-person set, plus kkakdugi fried rice and half-and-half naengmyeon!

Gogikkun Kim Chunbae Jongno: location, hours and parking

The restaurant is on the 5th floor of a building at 17 Samil-daero 17-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and it's open daily 12:00–23:00 (last order 22:00). There's no parking, so use the nearby Bosingak parking lot.

• Address: 17 Samil-daero 17-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 5th floor
• Hours: daily 12:00–23:00, last order 22:00
• Getting there: about 4–5 minutes on foot from Jonggak Station Exit 4
• Parking: not available, use the nearby Bosingak parking lot

Come out of Jonggak Station Exit 4 and head toward Youth Street (Jeolmeum-ui Georri) and you'll find it. It's on the 5th floor, so just take the elevator up. The Jongno and Jonggak area is convenient for office workers' meals and company dinners, and easy to reach by public transport. There's a lot of traffic around Jongno and Jonggak, so a bus or the subway is better than driving.

What is the atmosphere like at Gogikkun Kim Chunbae Jongno?

Every seat has a partition, so it's a comfortable place to chat while you enjoy the meat and your meal.

It suits a dinner with friends, a company dinner with coworkers, or a big group. The partitions at each table make it perfect for gatherings, and the best part was that they grill all the meat for you!!

At a BBQ place, someone always has to keep grilling and can't really focus on eating, right? Especially at company dinners... the poor junior always has to do the grilling. If you're looking for a company dinner spot in Jongno, or a place to enjoy meat and a full meal together, this one is worth a look.

Is the 2-person Korean BBQ set enough for 3 people?

The 2-person set here came with today's hanwoo, pork neck and pork belly, and the three of us women ate until we were completely full. This is the set we ordered!

When you want a variety of meats, I think a set menu beats picking single items one by one, since you taste several kinds at once. Gogikkun Kim Chunbae has a lineup with both hanwoo and pork, so it's also fine for groups with different tastes. Grilling over charcoal adds a nutty aroma and lets you enjoy the meat itself, and eating it with the various side dishes makes the meal even richer.

Above all, I liked that the staff grill the meat, so you don't have to keep flipping it and watching how done it is. If you're hunting for a Jongno restaurant and a BBQ spot for a company dinner at the same time, ordering around the set menu is a good approach.

With today's hanwoo, pork neck and pork belly, it was labeled a 2-person set, but three women still ate until full. They also run a Naver receipt event, so we could get steamed egg, brisket doenjang (soybean paste) stew or pork kimchi stew too. For the price, the portions were generous and the food was tasty.

Kkakdugi fried rice to finish the Korean BBQ

After the meat we ordered kkakdugi bokkeumbap (fried rice with diced radish kimchi). The slightly spicy finish didn't leave me feeling heavy. There's always that one dish you crave after BBQ, and it's kkakdugi fried rice!

Ending a meat meal with carbs is hard to give up. I ordered it expecting the crunch and savory depth of kkakdugi, which is different from ordinary fried rice. Adding fried rice made the meal feel much more filling than meat alone. You can share it midway through the meat too, and the slightly spicy finish kept me from feeling bloated, so it worked well as the last dish.

At a BBQ place I care about side dishes like fried rice as much as the meat, so if you visit Gogikkun Kim Chunbae, order the kkakdugi fried rice too.

Half-and-half naengmyeon: cold broth and spicy noodles in one bowl

The half-and-half naengmyeon (banban naengmyeon, cold noodles) here lets you enjoy mul naengmyeon (in icy broth) and bibim naengmyeon (spicy mixed) in one bowl. Three meal dishes for three people was too much, so we chose this, and even half-and-half, the portion was substantial. We'd already had meat and fried rice, but cold noodles are a must.

This time I ordered the half-and-half naengmyeon to get both kinds at once. With three of us, three separate meal dishes would have been too much, so we picked this, and the portion was quite big even though it's half and half, which was just right. Cold noodles alongside meat leave my mouth feeling clean, so I end up ordering them often.

The charm of half-and-half is getting both the cool, tangy flavor of mul naengmyeon and the spicy-sweet flavor of bibim naengmyeon. It's great when you don't want to commit to one kind, and sharing two flavors was satisfying. Eating meat with the noodles is a good combo, and it also works as a palate cleanser between bites of fried rice.

Why Gogikkun Kim Chunbae suits a Jongno company dinner

The Jongno branch is an easy walk from Jonggak Station, and since staff grill all the meat, I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a BBQ gathering in Jongno.

• Convenient location on foot from Jonggak Station
• Set menus with a variety of hanwoo and pork
• Staff grilling service
• Meal dishes like kkakdugi fried rice and half-and-half naengmyeon
• A space that suits company dinners and friend gatherings

Not having to grill yourself means the conversation doesn't break and everyone can eat comfortably, which I think is its big plus as a company dinner venue. If you want meat after work in Jongno, or a gathering spot near Jonggak Station, it's worth a visit.

Final verdict on Gogikkun Kim Chunbae Jongno

That was Gogikkun Kim Chunbae's Jongno branch! We enjoyed several kinds of meat with the 2-person set and had a hearty meal with kkakdugi fried rice and half-and-half naengmyeon.

I liked that staff grill the meat so you can eat comfortably, and I was happy that there are meal dishes to enjoy as well as meat. If you want BBQ near Jonggak Station, need a spot for dinner with friends, or are searching for a Jongno BBQ restaurant for a company dinner, put the Jongno branch of Gogikkun Kim Chunbae on your list!