I’m a huge fan of beef gopchang.
But taking a kid to a gopchang place on the weekend was something I’d basically given up on.
Most gopchang restaurants don’t really have meat options kids will enjoy,
and my child only ever asks for samgyeopsal.
So whenever we went out for a family meal,
gopchang was almost never on the table.
Then I found a Balsan Station meat restaurant near home
where you can eat samgyeopsal and beef gopchang in one place.
It’s Choban Sikdang Balsan.
Since they serve a half-and-half combo of samgyeopsal and gopchang, I finally thought,
this is somewhere we could actually go together as a family with our kid.
Balsan Station meat restaurant
Choban Sikdang Balsan
Location: 1F, 109 Gangseo-ro 54-gil, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Hours: Mon–Fri 11:30 a.m.–10:00 p.m. (break time 3:00–5:00 p.m., last order 9:10 p.m.)
Sat: 12:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.
Sun: Closed
Parking: Outside, in front of the restaurant
Phone: 0507-1392-2208
Best for: Families with kids, company dinners and group gatherings,
and anyone who refuses to choose between gopchang and samgyeopsal
I looked up quite a few Balsan Station meat restaurant options,
but there were fewer places than I expected
that had both samgyeopsal and beef gopchang on the same menu.
Choban Sikdang location
It’s at 1F, 109 Gangseo-ro 54-gil, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
It’s very close to Exit 4 of Balsan Station, so the location is super convenient
and easy to reach on foot from the station.
You can park outside right in front of the restaurant,
but on weekend evenings I can see the place filling up fast,
so I’d recommend going a little early.
They also offer a lunch set and weekday lunch specials.
If you’re looking for a Balsan Station meat restaurant for a team lunch
or a casual work gathering,
it’s worth calling ahead to ask for details.
Interior atmosphere
There’s an automatic awning outside, so you get a bit of that open-air Korean dining vibe, and the dining room itself is spacious.
There are also group tables, so if you need a Balsan Station meat restaurant
for a company dinner, Choban Sikdang Balsan would be a solid pick.
We went around 6 p.m. on a Saturday,
and only a few tables were occupied, so we were seated right away without a wait.
When I’m dining out with my kid,
this time slot definitely feels the easiest.
What we ordered
Choban Set about $39
We started with the Choban Set, which was about $39.
It includes your choice of samgyeopsal or pork neck, 270g,
plus your choice of gopchang, daechang, or makchang, 270g,
and doenjang jjigae, a rich Korean soybean paste stew, for 2 to 3 people.
We went with samgyeopsal and gopchang.
There’s also a separate self-serve station,
so we kept refilling vegetables and side dishes.
I loved being able to help myself
without feeling awkward about asking for more.
The staff grilled every piece of meat and gopchang for us,
which made the whole meal incredibly easy.
It was so nice to just sit back and relax
while everything cooked perfectly at the table.
The samgyeopsal was thick-cut, springy, and seriously good.
They also grilled all the vegetables for us too—
kimchi, bean sprouts, onions, potatoes, and more.
Choban Sikdang Balsan says they use only carefully selected Korean meat
and age it for 720 hours.
You could really taste it—the samgyeopsal wasn’t dry at all and had a great bite,
while the gopchang was rich and buttery with no off smell.
Out of the Balsan Station meat restaurant spots I’ve tried, this one was one of the most satisfying.
We ended up ordering one more assorted grill platter.
It came with gopchang, daechang, and makchang together,
and my husband and I absolutely devoured it.
Our kid happily stuck with samgyeopsal, and we got our gopchang fix—honestly, the perfect setup.
The doenjang jjigae included in the Choban Set
came loaded with vegetables and meat, and the soybean paste broth
was deep, savory, and so comforting.
What I liked
Samgyeopsal and gopchang on one table
Staff grills everything for you
Self-serve refill station
Spacious dining room and group seating
Easy parking with less hassle
Who I recommend it for
Families with kids — highly recommend since there’s samgyeopsal on the menu
Company dinners and gatherings — big dining room and group seating available
Final thoughts
If you’ve been craving gopchang but kept putting it off because of your kids,
or if you want a place where you can enjoy both gopchang and samgyeopsal in one meal,
give Choban Sikdang Balsan a try.
It’s a Balsan Station meat restaurant where half-and-half samgyeopsal and gopchang actually makes sense,
so you don’t have to stress over the menu like we usually do.
We had such a satisfying meal here.
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