100g-portion Korean BBQ in Taejeon-dong, Gwangju: Sangnok Hoegwan

A place in Taejeon-dong with easy parking where you can grill pork, beef and even seafood over charcoal — and since the meat is dry-aged and sold by 100g, it's great for trying a few different cuts! There's also an aquarium like you'd find at a raw fish restaurant keeping the seafood fresh, plus a cold slushie for dessert. This is my satisfied review of Sangnok Hoegwan, a Taejeon-dong favorite!

Sangnok Hoegwan Yeontan-gui Taejeon Branch · 350-6 Hoeandae-ro, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do · Open daily 13:30–24:00 (Sundays open 12:30)

Where is Sangnok Hoegwan Taejeon Branch, and is there parking?

Sangnok Hoegwan is a charcoal grill restaurant located in the row of shops right in front of Gwangnam High School in Gwangju, Gyeonggi. There's parking right in front of the building! Since the building houses several businesses, spots can get tight at certain times, but this was my second visit and I've found a spot both times!

The restaurant is quite large with parking available, so it's perfect for work dinners or group gatherings! There's storage under the chairs for bags and coats too, which makes it convenient when visiting as a group.

You can also grill seafood over charcoal, and there's a tank in the restaurant so you can be sure of freshness!!

Ordering by the 100g: oddol galbi, pork jowl and pork intestine prices

Unlike most restaurants that sell in 180g portions, Sangnok Hoegwan sells by 100g!! The minimum first order is 300g!! And you don't have to pick just one dish — you can order three different ones! ✔️ The prices are also very reasonable.

• Oddol galbi (pork cartilage rib) ₩5,900
• Pork jowl ₩7,500
• Pork intestine ₩6,900

So we started with these three orders!

And since it's autumn prawn season, note that you can also try salt-grilled prawns swimming fresh in the tank!!

Side dishes, the self-serve bar and going with kids

The basic side dishes include eolgali-muchim (seasoned young cabbage), perilla leaf pickles, and mumallaengi-muchim (dried radish salad) — all pair perfectly with the meat!

You can grab extra side dishes from the self-serve bar, and there's a high chair plus kids' spoons and forks, so it's a great spot to bring children! Among the sauces there's also buldak sauce, so I grabbed a little to dip the meat in!

Wasabi for the oddol galbi, buldak sauce for the pork intestine

While I was prepping the wasabi and garlic for grilling from the self-serve bar, our order arrived! The oddol galbi that was surprisingly tender and delicious last time, and mom's and my favorite — pork jowl and intestine — plus mushrooms on the side to go with the meat!

The oddol galbi comes in a sweet marinade with a bit of garlic on top, and they added the pork intestine, which takes longer to cook, on the grill at the same time!

The oddol galbi has lots of scoring on the cartilage, so it cooks fast on high heat — I tried it right away! The crunchy texture is so good, and the marinade is sweet enough that I'd recommend just garlic or wasabi over ssamjang or salt!!

I couldn't drink since I was driving, but I was jealous of mom's daytime drink, so I just held up my glass for a photo 📷

Does the pork intestine at Sangnok Hoegwan smell?

And the pork intestine, which can smell off if ordered wrong! It really had zero off smell, so I ordered more! The intestine has just a light seasoning, and even dipped in ssamjang or salt, the flavor isn't too strong. I dipped mine in buldak sauce, and it went surprisingly well, so I kept dipping!

The pork jowl, with its springy fat and lean meat, also grilled quickly!!

You can also grill bean sprouts and kimchi on the plate, and the bean sprouts grilled well in the oil were so delicious to pair with!

The extra order of intestine!! Personally I wanted to have pork belly too, but the intestine had no off smell and such good texture that I ordered more! The pork jowl was also nice and springy, so between wrapping it in lettuce, dipping in buldak sauce, and topping with wasabi, I got really full!

4,500 won mul-naengmyeon and grilled pineapple to finish

And on top of the meat being cheap, the sides are cheap too — Sangnok Hoegwan is such good value! The mul-naengmyeon (cold noodle soup) is ₩4,500! It's priced like a dessert menu item, but the portion is a bit more generous than a typical dessert dish.

It's not the style with dadegi (spicy chili paste), but the broth is refreshing and clean, so the noodles and broth cut through the grease and let you go back for more meat! If you want a spicier broth, a little buldak sauce might work well too!

Why is naengmyeon with intestine such a good combo. The wasabi here is genuinely delicious..! TMI, but I didn't know they sold it in bulk for businesses, so now I'm thinking of buying the same brand for home.

The pineapple from the self-serve bar was already grilled and ready! It's tasty even eaten plain as dessert, but grilling it brings out even more sweetness — so good><

The obligatory 'finished plate' photo when a meal is this satisfying! And there's also slushies at the restaurant, great for dessert — I meant to pay and take one on the way out but totally forgot... After eating meat you really need something cold to wash it down, and I walked out like an idiot without it. But since I definitely want to come back, I'll try the slushie next time><