# Gwangju pork belly restaurant with aged ogyeopsal: Gogup Yeonguso - By Yeju (https://superchart.com/en/@weekday-cup-table/) - Written Sep 15, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Gwangju, Gyeonggi - Sponsored: This post was written after a sponsored restaurant visit. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@weekday-cup-table/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@weekday-cup-table/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/index.md) ## In short Gogup Yeonguso is a twice-aged pork belly restaurant on Gyeongan-ro 41beon-gil in Gwangju, Gyeonggi. The 250g aged ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly) costs 19,500 won and goes through water-aging first and semi-dry-aging second, then arrives pre-seared over direct flame and smoked with oak, while the hidden-menu tom yum sul-guk (spicy hangover soup) is packed with big, plump shrimp and pork. Gogup Yeonguso convinced the writer that Jeju is not the only place for great ogyeopsal. ## Good to know - **Aged ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly)**: 250g for 19,500 won (7,800 won per 100g) - **Aging method**: First water-aging, then semi-dry-aging - **Cooking**: Direct-flame pre-sear plus oak smoking - **Hours**: Mon–Fri 11:40–22:30 / Sat–Sun 10:40–22:30, last order 21:25 - **Parking**: Free parking in front of the restaurant - **Other**: Self-serve bar; grilling vegetables (onion, mushroom, eggplant, kimchi) included *as written by the visitor on Sep 15, 2026* Found a great spot in Gwangju, Gyeonggi. I've been on a bit of a kick lately hunting down places that really know how to cook meat, and this time I visited Gogup Yeonguso — and wow, these guys really know what they're doing! ![First photo from a visit to Gogup Yeonguso, a Korean BBQ restaurant in Gwangju, Gyeonggi](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-01-eruc5-900.webp) This isn't just a place that grills you meat — it's a place where you can taste meat that's been through a second round of aging. Once I tried it, I understood why they put so much effort into the aging process. ## Gogup Yeonguso hours and parking in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Gogup Yeonguso is located on the 1st floor at 7-7 Gyeongan-ro 41beon-gil, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. It's open Monday to Friday from 11:40 to 22:30 and Saturday to Sunday from 10:40 to 22:30. Last order is at 21:25, and there's free parking right in front of the restaurant. - Mon – Fri 11:40 – 22:30 (last order 21:25) - Sat – Sun 10:40 – 22:30 (last order 21:25) - Parking tip: free parking available in front of the restaurant ## What does the inside of Gogup Yeonguso look like? ![Spacious, clean interior of Gogup Yeonguso](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-02-2b174-900.webp) ![Softly lit seating area at Gogup Yeonguso](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-03-jasa3-900.webp) ![Wide-open entrance giving the interior an outdoor-tent-restaurant feel](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-04-1lanc-900.webp) The interior is spacious, clean, and softly lit. I also loved that the entrance opens up wide, giving it a bit of an outdoor-tent-restaurant feel. ## Gogup Yeonguso menu and self-serve bar ![Gogup Yeonguso's menu board](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-05-vbsx5-900.webp) ![Menu board showing prices for the aged meat](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-06-1r6xv-900.webp) ![Additional page of the Gogup Yeonguso menu](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-07-1tw25-900.webp) Not only is this a great spot in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, but the prices are really reasonable too. You can try aged meat here for a genuinely great price. ![Self-serve bar for grabbing extra side dishes](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-08-1xv46-900.webp) There's also a self-serve bar, which was great because you could easily grab more side dishes whenever you ran low. ## How the pork is twice-aged at Gogup Yeonguso ![Sign explaining the water-aging and semi-dry-aging double-aging process](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-09-rjo5x-900.webp) Gogup Yeonguso says it brings out the flavor of the meat through a process of water-aging first, then semi-dry-aging second. I mean, meat that's aged even once is already delicious, but this has been aged twice through two different methods — of course it's going to be good! ## Side dishes and the three dipping sauces ![Gogup Yeonguso's house-made basic side dish spread](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-10-axqwx-900.webp) Every single side dish is made in-house, and I liked that the standard spread happened to include all my favorites! ![Three sauces for dipping the meat](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-11-6550z-900.webp) They also prepare three separate dipping sauces, and depending on which one you use, the meat tastes completely different. ![Meat pre-seared over direct flame and oak-smoked](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-12-xkcbc-900.webp) On top of that, the meat is pre-seared over direct flame for that smoky char, then oak-smoked to fill in any missing depth of flavor — this is a real meat lover's restaurant that maximizes the natural taste of the pork! Honestly, just looking at the pre-seared meat before it even hits the grill made my mouth water — I knew it was going to be good. ![Table setup with pre-seared aged pork belly](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-13-1sa2k-900.webp) ## Aged ogyeopsal, 250g for 19,500 won Gogup Yeonguso's aged samgyeopsal (pork belly) is 250g for 19,500 won, or 7,800 won per 100g. It's pork belly that's been through both water-aging and dry-aging. ![A plate of 250g aged pork belly](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-14-6crpf-900.webp) When you grill kimchi on the pan until it's golden brown, the pork fat naturally soaks into it, boosting the tangy kimchi flavor with that savory pork fat richness! It tastes so much deeper and more umami than kimchi eaten plain — make sure to grab a piece of grilled kimchi with every bite of meat. ![Pork belly and kimchi grilling together on the pan](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-15-1uwqb-1200.webp) The pork belly slowly turning golden and delicious on the grill... Honestly, I used to think pork belly was only good when I ate it in Jeju, and that nothing on the mainland could match it — but Gogup Yeonguso completely changed my mind. ![Pork belly turning golden brown on the grill](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-16-1mhuu-900.webp) I also loved that they don't just hand you the meat and leave you to order vegetables separately — onion, mushroom, eggplant, kimchi, and more all come included as standard. This price, this presentation, this quality — it just doesn't make sense. I kept shouting "so good!" the whole time I was eating. Every single sauce was delicious too, and that was the moment Gogup Yeonguso became my number one pick for best restaurant in Gwangju, Gyeonggi... ![Standard grilled vegetables including onion, mushroom, and eggplant](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-17-gtu0y-900.webp) ### How smoky and juicy is the ogyeopsal? The first bite of meat brought this gentle smoky aroma that was absolutely insane! The outside is seared over direct flame, so the savory char is right there, while the inside stays moist and juicy — the more you chew, the more the deep flavor of the meat itself comes through. ![A piece of pork belly with smoky char](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-18-1hlr6-900.webp) The meat here is just delicious on its own, which makes it the perfect spot for a meat lover like me. If you're someone who travels to Jeju just for black pork, honestly, you could just come here instead. ![A wrap of pork belly with side dishes](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-19-sf3vr-900.webp) The best combination! Lucky people of Gwangju, having a Korean BBQ place this good... Since they open from midday, this would be perfect for anyone who loves a daytime Korean BBQ session. ![Full table spread with the meat and side dishes](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-20-1e7yi-900.webp) ## Hidden menu: tom yum sul-guk (spicy shrimp soup) The menu item that felt like Gogup Yeonguso's true hidden gem was the tom yum sul-guk (Korean-style tom yum soup)! At first, tom yum soup at a Korean BBQ place felt a bit unusual to me, but trying it completely changed my mind. It has that distinctive tangy, exotic tom yum character, but adapted just enough into a Korean style that it wasn't intimidating at all. ![Gogup Yeonguso's tom yum sul-guk soup](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-21-1aw9v-900.webp) Most of all, the shrimp inside were really big and plump! This isn't a dish where you're just drinking broth — the shrimp are properly there too, which made it far more satisfying than I expected. ![Large, plump shrimp inside the tom yum sul-guk](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-22-1mim7-900.webp) The broth was tangy with great umami depth — good enough that you could come just for this alone. There was plenty of meat in it too, making it feel really substantial. Meat isn't normally in traditional tom yum, but since this is a Korean version, I actually liked it even more. ![Tom yum sul-guk broth loaded with meat](https://img.superchart.com/images/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal-23-ay2ie-900.webp) If you're looking for a great aged-meat restaurant, this is the place!!!! I recommend Gogup Yeonguso, a favorite in Gwangju, Gyeonggi! A great place to visit when you want to really taste the natural flavor of the meat -! ## Where it is - Gogup Yeonguso (고굽연구소) - 7-7 Gyeongan-ro 41beon-gil, 1st floor, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea - 경기도 광주시 경안로41번길 7-7 1층 - 37.4092866, 127.2567853 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EA%B3%A0%EA%B5%BD%EC%97%B0%EA%B5%AC%EC%86%8C/@37.4092866,127.2567853,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@weekday-cup-table/gogup-lab-gwangju-aged-ogyeopsal/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt