Gangneung hanwoo grill restaurant, 500g four-cut plate: Chodang Uga

While traveling in Gangneung, we were debating what to eat with my parents and decided it had been a while since we'd had hanwoo (Korean beef). It's honestly hard to pick a menu the whole family agrees on when traveling, right? This time we went to Chodang Uga (초당우가). It's near St. John's Hotel, so it worked well with our route around Gangneung. We tried the hanwoo half-portion 500g with my parents.

Chodang Uga hours and how to walk there from St. John's Hotel

Chodang Uga is open from 11:00 AM to 9:30 PM, with last order at 9:00 PM. There's a break time from 3 to 5 PM. When we visited, there was no line, so we got seated right away. If you're staying near St. John's Hotel and looking for a place to eat meat, this one is worth keeping in mind for your route.

Is Chodang Uga comfortable to sit in with parents?

Once inside, the place was bigger than I expected. The ceilings were high and there was decent space between tables, so overall it didn't feel cramped. It was comfortable for a slow meal with my parents.

I expected a somewhat bustling atmosphere for a barbecue restaurant, but everything was tidy and orderly, so the first impression was good.

Chodang Uga is a dog-friendly place. We visited without our dog, just with my parents, but I could occasionally hear a dog from another table during the meal.

There was also a small corner selling pet supplies and treats. That's something to keep in mind if you're traveling in Gangneung with your dog and looking for dog-friendly restaurants.

They also sold Gangneung coffee gunbbang (커피건빵, coffee hardtack biscuits), a good travel snack to pick up.

Side dishes and the self-serve corner at Chodang Uga

Once we sat down, the basic side dishes to go with the meat started coming out one by one.

Pickled onions, salad, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), kimchi, pickled radish — all good side dishes to have between bites of meat.

Since a little bit of several things came out, it was nicer to alternate between them than to just keep eating meat. The pickled onions especially — you can't have grilled meat without them.

If we wanted anything more while eating the basic side dishes, we could use the self-serve corner.

Being able to grab whatever vegetables or side dishes we needed, as much as we wanted, without having to call staff, was convenient. It's probably better to take only what you'll eat rather than piling on too much at once.

What comes with the 500g hanwoo platter for 133,000 won

What we ordered was the hanwoo half-portion 500g, ₩133,000. Meant for about 3 people, it came as one plate combining sesal (rib finger), deossal (chuck rib cap), buchaesal (flat iron), and chadolbagi (beef brisket), all Korean beef grade 1+ or higher. What I liked was that instead of eating just one cut, we could compare several cuts in small portions. All the meat comes out together on a long plate, and since each cut has a different shape and marbling, I ended up taking photos the moment it arrived. My dad especially loves chadolbagi, so he was extra happy to see it included. Being able to each pick our favorite cut as a family made me glad we chose the half-portion menu.

While waiting for the food, a serving robot brought over the meat and side dishes. Serving robots are common at a lot of restaurants these days, but traveling with my parents, it was still a fun little thing to watch. Once everything arrived, we got started grilling.

Grilling the four hanwoo cuts over charcoal

We finally put the hanwoo on the charcoal grill. Since the cuts ranged from quick-cooking chadolbagi to thicker-cut pieces, we didn't grill everything at once but grilled a little at a time as we ate.

Watching the juices rise as the meat cooked on the grill made me want to eat right away. With several cuts together, it was fun to try each one and compare the differences in texture. Eating it, everything was on the tender side overall, so both my parents and I enjoyed it. Each cut had a slightly different texture, so it was fun hearing everyone say 'this one's the best' about their own favorite.

Partway through grilling just meat, we added king oyster mushrooms and onion to the grill too. Eating grilled vegetables alongside the meat was a nice change of pace from eating meat continuously. We also alternated with the pickled onions and other side dishes.

Is 500g enough for three people?

My parents and I, three of us total, ate the hanwoo half-portion 500g. The menu itself is meant for about 3 servings, and eating it as three people, the portion was just right. And you can't have grilled meat without doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), right? We had that too, but the problem is... we were too busy eating to take a photo of it, haha. We definitely enjoyed it, but no matter how much I searched my photo album, there was just no picture of the doenjang jjigae. Still, having warm doenjang jjigae alongside the hanwoo made the meal feel even more complete.

Final thoughts on dinner at Chodang Uga

This time, we tried the hanwoo half-portion with my parents at Chodang Uga during our Gangneung trip. Having several cuts on one plate made for a fun meal where each of us could find our favorite part, and we also got to use the basic side dishes and self-serve corner. It's also dog-friendly, with pet supplies and other items sold inside, which sets it apart a bit from a typical barbecue restaurant. If you're looking for a place to eat meat with family near Gangmun Beach or St. John's Hotel, the hanwoo half-portion at Chodang Uga is worth considering. I hope this helps anyone traveling in Gangneung with their parents who wants to try several cuts of hanwoo at once.