Gangnam Korean BBQ restaurant for family dinners: Gukbo Garden

Taking the Hangang River Bus to Seoul Forest—and nervously watching the clock for our 5 PM reservation

Today, we took the Hangang River Bus with our four-year-old twins and went all the way to Seoul Forest! But we ended up later than expected at Seoul Forest, so I got a little rushed at the end. We had a 5 PM reservation at Gukbo Garden Samsung Main Branch, you see. I had read that reservations could be cancelled if you were more than 10 minutes late when there was a wait, so I was so nervous the whole way back. 🤣 Thankfully, we hurried over and arrived right at 5 PM! Now it was time for the dinner I had been looking forward to most today. Haha.

Right by Samseongjungang Station, with valet parking too

Gukbo Garden is right in front of Samseongjungang Station, so it looked convenient to visit by public transit too. We drove, and valet parking was available as soon as we arrived. With two children, it was so nice not to have to look around for parking—we could hand over the car and head straight inside. Valet parking is ₩5,000 for the first two hours, with an additional ₩1,000 per 10 minutes afterward.

When we walked in, my first thought was, “Oh? This feels a little different from a typical Korean BBQ place?” The overall atmosphere was calm and felt more suited to making an occasion of a meal. That huge stone at the entrance was especially memorable!

Gukbo Seolhwa marinated galbi and children’s tableware

A staff member showed us to our table. Seeing that we had children with us, they also set out children’s tableware—and even that was somehow neat and pretty. :)

The menu had everything from beef to pork, but what we ordered today was the Gukbo Seolhwa marinated galbi!

We ordered three servings of Gukbo Seolhwa marinated galbi, three bowls of rice, and one mul naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles in chilled broth).

We did take the Hangang River Bus and visit Seoul Forest today, but... the thing I was most excited about on today’s itinerary was dinner. Haha. I had been looking forward to it so much even before we came. 🤣

Every single banchan was something I wanted to reach for!

While we waited for the meat, the banchan (Korean side dishes) were laid out one after another.

There was japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), pa-muchim (seasoned scallion salad), pickled peppers, and seasoned water parsley—side dishes that go so well with meat. I loved that there were not just lots of them; every one was actually something I kept reaching for.

The yangnyeom gejang (raw crab marinated in spicy sauce) especially caught my eye right away! I took a bite and thought, “Is this really just a side dish?” It was packed with crab meat. With this yangnyeom gejang alone, I could have finished a whole bowl of rice in no time. Haha. They say this is made in-house too.

Staff-grilled meat makes dining with two kids easy

Here, the staff grill the meat for you. Marinated galbi can burn easily if you look away for even a moment, but the staff member kept an eye on it and cooked it perfectly for eating.

Honestly, I do not usually go to restaurants where someone grills the meat for you that often, but with two kids, it was truly so convenient. While the staff member grilled the meat, all we had to do was make sure the twins ate. It was comfortable, and it also felt a little like being treated to a meal. :)

Marinated galbi topped with scallion salad and wasabi

A bite of nicely grilled marinated galbi with a little scallion salad and wasabi on top!

Ah... delicious. Maybe it tastes even better because someone else grilled it for us. Haha. And marinated galbi really has to be eaten with rice, right? Another bite with a piece of perfectly cooked galbi on top of hot rice. It just went down so easily.

That day, it was not only Mom and Dad who ate well. The twins absolutely, absolutely loved the marinated galbi too. When the kids have a day where they eat meat well, it somehow makes Mom and Dad happy too, doesn’t it? :)

If you have galbi, you need mul naengmyeon!

Once you have galbi, you cannot leave out naengmyeon. Our little princess loves naengmyeon, so we added one mul naengmyeon again today!

Chewy noodles in a refreshing chilled broth. It was, as expected, a great match as a finish after the marinated galbi.

Why the kids ate so diligently, haha

The auntie grilling our meat told the twins, “If you eat your meal well, you can have ice cream twice~” and... from then on, our twins sat quietly and ate their meals so diligently. 🤣 Maybe because they have learned how fun dessert is when we eat out these days, they seem to be getting better and better at eating properly. Haha. For dessert: yogurt ice cream!

We picked up the ice cream with the kids and let them add one topping each. Eating it is great, but putting on the toppings yourself is fun too. :)

There are private rooms too—next time, lunch!

Guests were dining at the window seats that day, so I could not take photos, but those seats looked lovely too. There are also private rooms available separately on the second floor. For a slightly special meal, such as a family gathering or a parent’s birthday, it may be worth asking about using a private room in advance.

But what caught my eye even more was lunch! Gukbo Garden serves lunch on weekends too, with grilled-meat set meals and other meal dishes at lunchtime. In particular, there is no room charge when everyone orders a charcoal-grilled set meal for lunch. The second I saw that... “Ah, if only I had known, we could have come for lunch!” 🤣 A private room would be a little more comfortable with the kids, and the lunch set—with the same amount of meat plus a meal—looked great too, so next time I definitely want to come for weekend lunch in a private room. Haha.

Things to check before visiting Gukbo Garden

• Right in front of Samseongjungang Station, making public transit convenient
• Valet parking: ₩5,000 for the first 2 hours / ₩1,000 extra per 10 minutes afterward
• If there is a wait, a reservation may be cancelled 10 minutes after the reserved time
• Ask separately about using a second-floor private room
• Lunch is available on weekends: 11:30 AM–3 PM
• No room charge at lunch when charcoal-grilled set meals are ordered for every guest

A Korean BBQ restaurant I want to revisit for a special day

Honestly, the marinated galbi we had that day was a little pricier than the places we usually go for pork ribs. So rather than somewhere I would casually visit often with a “I want galbi today! Let’s go!” kind of mood, I think it would come to mind when I want to eat meat and make an occasion of it on a slightly special day.

It would suit a parent’s birthday or family gathering, and I think it would also be nice when you want a meal somewhere with atmosphere, like a wedding-invitation get-together with friends. Above all, because the staff grill the meat themselves, parents can eat a little more comfortably even with children. And me... I really want to come back here. :) Next time, I am using a family gathering as an excuse to reserve a private room for weekend lunch and try the charcoal-grilled set meal!