Charcoal BBQ with naengmyeon and jjajang ramyeon near Seoul City Hall

📍 Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch / 1st floor, 30 Namdaemun-ro 1-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul

⏰ Daily 11:00–23:00 · 🚇 About 282m from City Hall Station Exit 7

✔️ Group visits possible / reservations possible ✔️ Easy to reach when looking for a Korean BBQ restaurant near Seoul City Hall

I had a meat dinner plan near City Hall, so I visited Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch.

It's not far from City Hall Station and the shop is on the 1st floor, so it wasn't hard to find. The big gold Geumseong Hoegwan sign is visible from outside, so it catches your eye once you're nearby.

This time, instead of just eating meat, I ordered a bunch of meal menu items too — meat, naengmyeon (cold noodles), yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef rice bowl), and jjajang (black bean noodles) all together, and it worked well as one full spread.

How to walk to Geumseong Hoegwan from City Hall Station

Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch is about 282m from City Hall Station Exit 7, on the 1st floor of the building at 30 Namdaemun-ro 1-gil. There are a lot of office workers around Seoul City Hall and lots of places to meet up, but accessibility still matters when looking for a BBQ spot. Especially for groups, somewhere not too far from the station is convenient, and this location worked well in that sense.

The exterior also stands out more than a typical BBQ place, with a gold sign against a darker color scheme. Since it's open from lunch through dinner, it's good not just for scouting a work dinner spot near City Hall Station but also for a regular meat meal!!

Banchan side dishes and the earthenware-pot stew

Once seated, the basic side dishes that go well with meat get set out. There's plenty of lettuce along with sauces and side dishes, so you can mix and match to your taste. I ate the meat plain sometimes, wrapped in lettuce other times, and switching up the accompaniments was better than eating the same flavor the whole way through.

The stew bubbling away definitely had presence. It came out piping hot in a stone pot, so it was good to have a spoonful of broth between bites of meat. The tofu pieces were generously sized too, and having a hot broth on the table made the meal feel more substantial while eating meat ♡

Charcoal-grilled meat: how is it cooked at the table?

At Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch, the meat comes with charcoal, and you grill it yourself directly on the grill plate. Watching the surface turn golden brown as it cooks is the real deal!!

I grilled it first in big pieces, then cut it into bite-sized pieces and cooked it a bit more. As in the photos, once that golden-brown color comes up on the surface, it makes you want to grab a piece right away — the visual alone.

There was a small ledge on one side of the grill plate where you could set cooked pieces aside, which was convenient. Leaving meat on the fire too long can overcook it, so it was handy to move pieces off at your own eating pace.

Sometimes I ate pieces on their own, sometimes wrapped in lettuce, but meat grilled this way is really best eaten straight off the plate.

Yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef rice bowl)

I ordered yukhoe bibimbap alongside the meat. It came in a large bowl with yukhoe (raw beef), seaweed flakes, vegetables, and an egg yolk. You pop the yolk and mix it well with the yukhoe, then eat it together with the seaweed flakes and vegetables. Having this cold yukhoe every now and then between bites of grilled meat was so satisfying ♡

Naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles)

You just can't skip naengmyeon after eating meat, haha. After eating meat in front of the hot charcoal for a while, having cool naengmyeon come in totally refreshed my mouth — loved it. Saving one last piece of meat to eat alongside the naengmyeon worked really well too.

Jjajang ramyeon (black bean instant noodles)

Next up, jjajang ramyeon (black bean noodle ramyeon) ♡ The look of it was noticeably different from the usual noodle dish you get after BBQ, which caught my eye. It's a dish you mix well before eating, so it's completely different from naengmyeon — worth ordering separately and sharing if there's a group of you.

Why Geumseong Hoegwan works for a City Hall work dinner

I liked that Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch is walkable from City Hall Station and lets you have meat, stew, yukhoe, and noodle dishes like naengmyeon all in one sitting.

There are a lot of companies around City Hall, so people often look for a work dinner spot near City Hall Station. Since group visits and reservations are possible here, it's worth checking and booking ahead if you have a group.

Personally, the combo I liked most was freshly charcoal-grilled meat, followed by the hot stew, and finishing with the cool naengmyeon.

If you've got a meat dinner near Seoul City Hall coming up, or you're looking for a Korean BBQ restaurant near City Hall or Bukchang-dong, this place is worth considering for both location and menu lineup. Recommended 👍

Frequently asked questions

Where is Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch?

It's on the 1st floor of 30 Namdaemun-ro 1-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, within walking distance of City Hall Station Exit 7.

Can groups or work-dinner parties eat here?

According to the store info, group visits and reservations are possible, so if you're planning to visit with several people, it's a good idea to check on reservations ahead of time.

What can you order besides the grilled meat?

Based on this visit's order, stew, yukhoe, naengmyeon, and a noodle dish were all enjoyed alongside the meat. It was great to move from grilling meat straight into a full meal in one sitting.