Bukchang-dong BBQ with 300g marinated beef galbi: Geumseong Hoegwan

Marinated beef king galbi at Geumseong Hoegwan, near Seoul City Hall in Bukchang-dong

Why Seoul City Hall's Korean BBQ restaurants cluster in Bukchang-dong

It feels like all the good BBQ restaurants near Seoul City Hall are clustered in Bukchang-dong. There are lots of charcoal grill places near City Hall Station given how many office workers are around, and among them, Geumseong Hoegwan is run as a direct branch, so it's always packed — a real Seoul City Hall favorite. On a weekend with a pretty fall sky, after walking around Deoksugung Palace and its stone wall path, we ran straight to Geumseong Hoegwan 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️

You can also go to Bukchon, Anguk, and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art from here, plus Gyeongbokgung, Gwanghwamun, City Hall, and Cheonggyecheon — honestly one of the classic date courses in northern Seoul. On a nice fall day like this, you could eat well in Bukchang-dong, grab coffee and dessert at a café near City Hall Station, then head to Anguk Station to check out the craft museum and modern art museum and wander the alleyways 😃

Inside Geumseong Hoegwan: the room and how to reserve a table

A crown logo and a lavish chandelier interior. It has this retro banquet-hall feel, so eating at this Bukchang-dong BBQ spot for a work dinner feels like being treated to something special.

The inside has quite a lot of tables set up, and it was still packed — no wonder it's a Bukchang-dong lunch favorite too. You can reserve through Naver, so for group dinners or celebrations like wedding invitation gatherings, I'd recommend booking ahead through Naver!!

Marinated beef king galbi for two, 300g per serving

Clean side dishes that go well with meat got set out on the table, and the charcoal came out 🔥 haha. With the weather cooling down and nice for walking, there really did seem to be more people out on the streets. Marinated beef king galbi for two.

Beef short rib at 300g per serving. Prime-grade beef marinated with Naju pear — this is the new menu item at Geumseong Hoegwan that's earned a reputation for being tender and delicious, and it's become their best-selling dish haha.

Let's grill this up nicely 🥩🥩

The free pork kimchi jjigae with a weekend main order

Serving soup in a stone pot means it stays hot the whole way through and tastes great till the end. Here at Geumseong Hoegwan, the kimchi jjigae comes in a stone pot. It looked so appetizing and didn't feel like an afterthought at all — great to have a warm bowl alongside the meal!

This pork kimchi jjigae comes free when you order a main on weekends. So good/// It was loaded with tofu, meat, and kimchi — I actually wondered if this was really the free version haha.

How the marinated beef galbi tasted off the charcoal

Marinated beef galbi with plain white rice: the verdict

The marinade wasn't overpowering, so you could really taste the beef. It had a texture kind of like tteokgalbi (patty-style short rib), with that distinct beef charm that's different from pork.

Beef and plain white rice are a match made in heaven, and adding a marinade that isn't too heavy on top of that makes for the best combo of a meal. If you're looking for a good restaurant near City Hall Station or a BBQ spot in Bukchang-dong, Geumseong Hoegwan seems like a solid choice — pork, beef, yukhoe, and more, all at reasonable prices.

Next time at Geumseong Hoegwan: dwaeji bonsamgyeop

Their signature menu item, dwaeji bonsamgyeop, is bone-in pork belly — the cut attached to the bone, which is apparently even tastier than regular pork belly /// Next visit, I'll have to try the pork too.

The beef is great, that marinated meat 👌😊 There's also pork galbi made from pork neck — that looks good too ㅠㅠ

Lunch near City Hall Station and the Naver review perk

For weekday lunch, it looks like office workers near City Hall Station often go for the kimchi jjigae and single-dish menu items. There are gas burners set up at each table, which probably adds to why it's such a popular lunch spot in Bukchang-dong.

Write a Naver review and get crispy, chewy special pork skin as a complimentary treat. Just show the review to a staff member after posting it, and the pork skin comes out right away — write a review and eat pork skin haha. The lunch menu includes yukhoe bibimbap, jeyuk bokkeum, kimchi jjigae, and more.

Geumseong Hoegwan, a Seoul City Hall BBQ spot, even has waiting seats set up ❤️ There are a lot of old, well-established restaurants nearby, but a new place opening up has its own charm too, since it brings in a new kind of space and a different crowd of people. Geumseong Hoegwan is good value and tasty — I think I'd happily come back again.