Located less than 200m away from Hongdae Station Exit 7 is 798 Hwa Ro Grill Hongdae (798화로 홍대본점), a small restaurant that specialized in grilled meat. The restaurant has 24 seats available, mostly table of fours except 2 tables that sits only 2 person. Each table has its own smoke exhaust pipe which help get rid of that smoky smell that you usually find inside a meat grilling restaurant.

I found this place when I was browsing Naver looking for a meat restaurant around Hongdae just because I was craving meat. Didn’t have anybody to go with that day so I tried searching for a more low-key place that’s not too crowded or loud. After looking at the pictures previous patrons of this place have uploaded online, the vibe of this restaurant seemed pretty chill so I decided to go and give the place a try.

Greysuitcase Seoul Restaurant Series: 798 Hwa Ro Grill Hongdae (798화로 홍대본점), Hongdae (홍대), Seogyo-dong (서교동), Seoul, South Korea.

Their main menu consists of different cuts of Hanwoo (Korean Beef) with set menus available if you want to try a couple of different cuts. They also have a pretty solid of side menu that you can order to pair with your meat selections.

Set C C세트 (400g) ₩59,000

Wet Aged Hanwoo Sirloin, Short Ribs, Chuck Flap Tail, Top Blade
한우숙성등심, 꽃갈비살, 살치살, 부채살

I ended up ordering Set C which consisted of 4 different cuts of meat: Wet Aged Hanwoo Sirloin, Ribs, Chuck Flap Tail, and Top Blade which were served from left to right in that order. If you were to order this set, I would suggest to eat the meat from right to left because that way, you’ll start with the more leaner cuts to the juicier ones. But if you like leaner cuts more, then you should start from left to right.

Wet Aged Hanwoo Sirloin 한우숙성등심 | 8.5/10

I personally prefer juicier meat so my most favorite cut out of the four was the Wet Aged Hanwoo Sirloin (한우숙성등심), which is the very left one on the plate. The meat was the most tender and juiciest out of all the cuts and I really enjoyed this one.

Short Ribs 꽃갈비살 | 8/10

My second favorite was the Short Ribs (꽃갈비살). This was also tender and juicy, but not as juicy as the Wet Aged Hanwoo Sirloin. But it still tasted good though.

The Chuck Flap Tail (살치살) was on the leaner side so it was just okay for me. The Top Blade (부채살) in particular, the texture was a little bit tough for my personal preference so I didn’t finished all of it. This cut was the one I enjoyed the least.

Spicy Beef Ramyeon 소고기얼큰라면 ₩6,000 | 9/10

I also ordered the Spicy Beef Ramyeon because I was craving ramyeon that day and this ramyeon was actually better than what I expected. The broth was really flavorful with deep flavors and smokiness from the beef. And the toppings and portion were pretty generous. I did request a less spicy version (which just meant less red pepper powder) since I can’t really eat very spicy dish and the chef accommodated my request which I really appreciate. Definitely recommend this Beef Ramyeon if you ever come to this restaurant.

The place wasn’t too busy when I was there on a Wednesday night. There were maybe 3 or 4 other tables that were occupied other than mine so it wasn’t noisy inside the restaurant. There are photos of celebrities visiting the restaurant stuck up on the wall which led me to think that this place might be busier on the weekends. During my visit, there was only 1 staff working who assumed the server and chef role at the same time. But still, the service was pretty quick so it’s pretty impressive for a one man show. And oh, you have to grill the meat yourself at this restaurant. But all and all, for a random find, the food at this place was pretty good.