Korean BBQ lunch while pregnant in Bukchang-dong: Geumseong Hoegwan

Today I'm introducing a place near my office that does a really tasty lunch. It's a BBQ restaurant that wins over office workers and foreign tourists alike, so I don't think you'll regret it. Let me show you right away.

Location and hours of Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch (금성회관 서울시청직영점)

Seoul City Hall-area Korean BBQ, great for an office lunch: Geumseong Hoegwan Address: 30 Namdaemun-ro 1-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul Hours: daily 11:00–23:00 Reservations, groups and Wi-Fi available

It's a 5-minute walk from City Hall Station Exit 8, and since it's on the main street of Bukchang-dong's food alley, it's easy to find.

I visited around 1 pm on a weekday, and it was full because of a group. Luckily I had booked on Naver in advance, so I got in right away with no wait. If you reserve through Naver you can get service coupons like plum tea or steamed egg, which is a nice perk.

Atmosphere: two halls split for groups

The inside of Geumseong Hoegwan is pretty spacious. There are halls on both sides of the entrance, one small and one big, so it looks easy to adjust seating to the size of your group.

You might assume a BBQ place would be quiet at weekday lunch, but it's right at City Hall Station, so there are lots of office workers nearby and lots of foreign tourists too. That's why it's always packed even at lunch.

Menu and ordering: a lunch special instead of beef tartare

When I come with colleagues I usually order the yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef bibimbap). But I'm pregnant and can't eat raw beef, and I felt like grilling meat today, so I ordered the lunch special Emperor Galbi Set (황제갈비정식) for two.

There's a Naver review event that gives you pork skin and 2 heart skewers as a free extra, so just write a photo review and you can claim it.

Side dishes

The basic side dishes are cabbage salad, napa cabbage kimchi, stir-fried sausage and vegetables, and seasoned bean sprouts.

Salt and wasabi plus fried eggs are prepared to match the number of people.

Lunch special Emperor Galbi Set for two, 200g

Emperor Galbi Set (₩14,000 per person): we ordered for two and got 200g. At first glance it looked like too little and I panicked, but once I actually ate it, it was just right.

On top of that, ordering for two or more gets you a free sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew), so you can have a stew too. What a deal.

They bring a portable gas burner, put a grill plate on it, and you grill the meat to your liking.

It's beef, so you don't have to cook it all the way through, which means you can eat quickly. An office worker's lunch hour is precious...

King oyster mushrooms come along too, so grill them beside the meat in its fat. The plate has a solid bottom, so another plus is that you can put kimchi on it and grill it together.

It gets nicely golden, and the smell is seriously amazing. Though I think it would taste even better grilled in butter. Haha.

My pick is dipping it in just salt and wasabi so you can really taste the beefy flavor. Just like a proper Seoul City Hall BBQ place, the table is set with exactly this combo, so it suited my taste and I enjoyed it a lot.

A bowl of rice comes out for each person, so it's perfect for a filling meal.

How does the free sundubu jjigae taste?

Geumseong Hoegwan's sundubu jjigae comes ready to boil at the table, so my companion and I had plenty.

It has a little broth, so the seasoning is just right, and it's nicely salty and goes well with rice.

There's an egg in it too, so you can split it half and half with your companion.