Geoboki Sikdang: Seoul pork BBQ where the skin is the point
Why go: A casual pork lunch with friends near Kyung Hee University
Order: Pig skin (kkeopdegi) / pork skin
At Geoboki Sikdang in Seoul, order the big pork platter on charcoal, put kimchi on the grill, and leave room for the pig skin. That texture is why you came.
Ask Seoul friends for Korean BBQ. They take you to pork.
In California, Korean BBQ mostly means thin beef. K Town in LA and the Bay Area trained me that way. In Seoul I asked friends to impress me and they went straight to pork. Locals are serious about it.
This was the Hoegi branch near Kyung Hee University, one of several Geoboki rooms. Dinner packs with students. We went for lunch. Quiet tables, real charcoal, staff that actually help you cook. A local friend walked us through the cuts and the table. We ordered the menu with as much pork as we could, a few rounds, different cuts. Tender. The marinade does not lean on sugar the way American places do. Fat and water on the grill keep the grate clean the whole meal.
The pig skin was the surprise. Chewy, scored, fat that gives. Put kimchi on the grill next to it. Heat changes the flavor. Soju and beer. At lunch the soju is cheaper than water.
Good price, good friends spot. Come early.
For the best Korean BBQ we have in San Francisco, try San Ho Won.
Map and directions
What to order
Big pork set (moksal + samgyeopsal)
Moksal and samgyeopsal over real charcoal. Order the set with as much pork as possible and try the different cuts.
Pork skin / kkeopdegi
Chewy, scored pork skin with fat that gives. The texture is the point.
Kimchi on the grill
Put the kimchi on the grill next to the pork skin. The heat changes the flavor.
Soju and beer
Soju and beer with the pork. At lunch the soju is cheaper than water.
If you're visiting Geoboki Sikdang
- Why pork instead of beef?
- California Korean BBQ is beef-heavy. In Seoul, friends who wanted to impress me went straight to pork. Locals are serious about it.
- Which Geoboki Sikdang branch is this review about?
- This review is from the Hoegi branch near Kyung Hee University. Geoboki has other rooms, including Daehangno, but this meal was Hoegi only.
- What should I order at Geoboki Sikdang?
- Order the big pork platter, pig skin, kimchi for the grill, and soju.
- Should I visit for lunch or dinner?
- Lunch is quiet. Dinner fills with university students, so come for lunch or arrive before the student dinner rush.
Branches I keep going back to
Hoegi / Kyung Hee (회기 본점)
FavoriteThe university-area room. This is the meal in this review. Come for lunch before the student dinner rush.
Daehangno / 대학로
Another Geoboki room in the family. Same pork energy, different neighborhood.
Restaurant details
Tue, Sep 1, 2026
Hoegi (Kyung Hee), Seoul
Come for lunch before the student dinner rush.
By Cvander