Dry-aged pork neck at Gogi Salon, a Hongdae Korean BBQ restaurant

Today I'm bringing you a review of Gogi Salon (고기살롱), a Korean BBQ restaurant near Hongik University Station in Hongdae.

How to get to Gogi Salon: location, hours and parking

Gogi Salon is about a 4-minute walk from Exit 2 of Hongik University Station. It's open Monday to Saturday from 11:30 to 23:00, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00, and last order at 22:00.

⏰ Mon-Sat: 11:30-23:00 / Break 15:00-17:00 / Last order 22:00 · 🚘 No parking

There's no dedicated parking, so you'll need to look up a nearby public parking lot!

What side dishes come with the meat?

The banchan (side dishes) at Gogi Salon included seasoned lettuce salad, lettuce salad, pickled peppers, and seasoned crab. We had reserved ahead, so the table was already set when we arrived.

The side dishes were all things that pair well with meat and are easy to keep picking at. Seasoned lettuce salad, lettuce salad, pickled peppers, seasoned crab — haha, even from the banchan alone, I could tell this was a place that knows how to do meat right.

What's on the menu at Gogi Salon?

Gogi Salon's meat menu is split into beef and pork. Beef options are marinated short rib, rib finger, and flower rib; pork options are fresh pork neck, fresh pork belly, and gabrisal.

• King Rib Set (marinated beef king rib x1, rib finger 100g, flower rib 100g)
• Meat Set (flower/fresh pork neck x2, pork belly x1, spicy noodles/noodle soup)
• Salon Set (flower pork neck x2, Korean pork neck rib x1, spicy noodles/noodle soup)
• Yukhoe Set (Korean beef tartare, Korean pork neck rib x2, spicy noodles/noodle soup)

If you want to enjoy a full meal or try several cuts of either beef or pork, I'd recommend the set menus.

There were also lunch menus, and plenty of meal options too — noodle dishes, sul-bap (rice with drinking food), even pork neck kimchi stew. We were craving meat so badly, haha, that we just ordered two servings of fresh pork neck and one of rib finger to start!

Three dips on the table: wasabi, salt and whole grain mustard

Before the meat came out, three sauces were portioned into small dishes beside us. On the table were fresh wasabi, salt, and whole grain mustard. Not many places have whole grain mustard, haha — the owner really seems to know good food.

Do the staff grill the meat for you?

At Gogi Salon, staff grill the meat from start to finish. When our order came out, the meat looked almost aggressively good. Anyone could tell it was high-quality...

The staff member's grilling skills were no joke. This is the kind of grilling only skilled, seasoned staff can pull off, not part-timers! The timing on the flips was pure art.

Baby potatoes and king oyster mushrooms came out too, and were grilled alongside the meat. The beef was cooked to a mouthwatering finish first.

What does beef rib finger taste like?

Rib finger is a cut packed with fat and meaty flavor, similar to galbisal. Just as the pink faded, they set it up on the rack for us. That's really the peak moment to eat it...

I really love eating this with whole grain mustard, haha. Unlike wasabi, it has a bright, tangy quality. You could tell from the color alone how fresh the meat was — the moisture was locked in just right, and the beef's nutty flavor really came through. A cut I'm so glad we ordered, haha.

How was the dry-aged fresh pork neck?

The sliced pork neck at Gogi Salon looked almost like a beef steak, LOL. What's going on with this meat quality?? The aging seemed really well done too.

They cut it into diced, bite-sized pieces for us. The pork neck had the best chewy-yet-tender texture, haha. Wrapped in seasoned lettuce with grilled garlic, it's pure bliss.

Ordering an extra serving of fresh pork belly

We couldn't hold back and ordered an extra serving of fresh pork belly! We only ordered one serving but the portion was quite generous. Staff grilled this extra order just as carefully.

While grilling, they kept wiping down the grill with water to stop oil from splattering — that kind of small touch is exactly what makes you want to come back. Service here was the best among the barbecue restaurants in this area. The dining room wasn't too big either, so staff responded quickly and communication with the kitchen seemed smooth. Everything we ordered came out fast.

The extra pork belly was grilled beautifully too. The seasoned lettuce and pickled peppers went so well with the pork that we refilled them over and over, LOL.

Personally, I liked the pork belly even more than the pork neck! The fat had a firm, chewy texture that was so good. We ended up eating four servings of meat total, leaving no room for a noodle dish — so we just filled up on meat and called it a meal.

Verdict on Gogi Salon in one line

If you're craving delicious beef and pork grilled by skilled staff at a Hongdae Korean BBQ restaurant, I highly recommend Gogi Salon!!