Balsan Korean BBQ couple dinner: scallion-salad pork galbi, Ihwajeong

Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga Magok-Balsan Branch is a Balsan Station barbecue spot famous for marinated pork galbi sweetened with organic pear. The classy interior alone gets 100 out of 100!

Is parking easy at Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga Magok-Balsan Branch?

The restaurant has a parking tower that holds 77 cars and connects directly to the 1st floor. That scale is rare in Magok and Balsan, so it is handy for family meals or company dinners when people come by car.

I fell for this place after one visit, and on days when I crave pork galbi my feet just walk here by themselves! The entrance is decorated with traditional hanok roof tiles and looks lovely, though the photo came out dark because we went in the evening.

It is rare in Magok and Balsan to have a parking tower for 77 cars, so it is easy to visit by car for family meals or group dinners. It connects to the 1st floor of the restaurant, which is convenient.

What is the atmosphere like in this Balsan Station private-room restaurant?

Inside, Ihwajeong feels like a hotel Korean set-course restaurant (hanjeongsik). It covers about 200 pyeong, is divided into several halls, and has a private room for 8.

The inside feels like a hotel hanjeongsik restaurant. 👏🏻👏🏻 Among Balsan Station barbecue places, I haven't seen many with such a neat, upscale interior.

The big stone tables are lovely, and the space between neighboring tables is huge, so even at 200 pyeong it never feels noisy. Several halls branch off the corridor, and the private room for 8 is very clean too.

All in all, Ihwajeong is great for formal meals: family dinners, company gatherings, meeting the in-laws, a parent's birthday or business entertaining. If you want a classy private-room restaurant near Balsan Station, this is the one!

Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga menu and prices

The menu includes premium Hanwoo (Korean beef) raw galbi and king galbi, signature marinated beef grill, bestselling marinated pork grill, and set menus. The marinated pork neck galbi the writer ate is ₩23,000 per serving.

The lineup is good: premium Hanwoo raw galbi and king galbi for enjoying the natural marbling, the signature marinated beef grill, and the bestselling marinated pork grill. There are set menus too, so take a look.

If you join the Naver review event, you get a Mungyeong omija (five-flavor berry) ade.

According to the restaurant's notice, a patented 144-hour cross-aging technique keeps the meat clean-tasting and well textured, with a texture that is said to be tender like melting snow.

Three servings of marinated pork neck galbi for two: how was it?

That day the writer and her husband had 3 servings of marinated pork neck galbi (₩23,000) with steamed rice. Before grilling, a staff member sprays pear juice over the meat as a little performance.

Last time we also had mul naengmyeon and bibim naengmyeon (cold noodles) and loved them, but this day I wanted meat to give me energy, so my husband and I happily polished off 🥩 3 servings of pork galbi with rice. Haha

The performance of pouring pear juice before the meat gets grilled! 😚

Reason one: sweetness from organic pear

The first reason I enjoyed this Balsan Station barbecue spot: it's not just "tasty", the sweetness comes from organic pear. Ordinary pork galbi tends to have a strong artificial sugar sweetness, but here it is a healthy, clean sweetness from fruit juice. I think you'll notice the difference when you try it.

Reason two: 300g boneless per serving

Second, the marinated pork neck galbi comes as a full 300g without bone, so one serving is quite generous. With this interior and quality, ₩23,000 feels like a kind price.

Reason three: the table staff grills for you

Third! The owner and staff take charge of each table and grill the meat themselves, so you can chat comfortably with your companion.

Reason four: hanjeongsik-style side dishes and acorn jelly salad

The fourth reason I loved this Balsan Station barbecue spot: the side dishes feel like a hanjeongsik restaurant. They are neatly plated, and each one is clean and tasty.

There is a fresh vegetable salad and a potato salad with art-level plating. The potato salad is fluffy and delicious.

I especially loved the cheongpomuk muchim (seasoned mung bean jelly salad), so I always get a refill. That nutty sesame oil aroma~

The crunchy burdock, garlic scape and onion pickles go well with the meat, and I like that their flavor doesn't stand out too much.

First bite with scallion salad: how is the meat quality?

At Ihwajeong, when the meat is fully grilled the owner places it on your small plate, and the rest comes half-grilled so each person can grill it a little more. The writer gave the first bite, wrapped with tangy seasoned scallion salad, 100 out of 100.

When the meat is done, the owner puts it on our plates like a mother bird feeding her chicks, haha. My heart flutters at that moment. Haha

When I take the first bite with the tangy seasoned scallion salad, I think, yes, this is the taste! 😭😭😭😭😭

Fifth reason! It's tasty, and most importantly the meat quality is excellent. For my taste, Ihwajeong is unbeatable for marinated pork galbi, really. Haha The kind of flavor I'd give 100 out of 100!

The rest comes half-grilled, so each person just grills it a little more at their own pace.

Sixth reason! Can you see how thick the meat is? Biting into it is sooo good. It isn't tough at all, and you can feel the tender yet firm texture.

Side dish refills and grilling the second round at dinner

At Ihwajeong you can request side dish refills, grill plate changes and more on the tablet at your table. When the dinner crowd arrived, the writer and her husband grilled the second round themselves.

My husband enjoyed the eolgari geotjeori (fresh winter-cabbage kimchi salad) so much that we asked for a refill, and they filled the plate to the brim. The tablet has detailed request options like side dishes and grill changes, so refilling is easy, which I liked.

🥩 The special marinade soaked in between the knife cuts, a lovely sight... When dinner time came the place filled up, so we grilled the second round ourselves.

The natural sweetness of pear, the savory soy sauce marinade and the smoky char come together, and my stomach was simply spoiled. Of course there's not even 0.0001 of gamey smell. It's hard to find a flaw in the pork galbi here.

Eating it with steamed rice is better than any health tonic.

We ended with the natural pear sherbet, Ihwajeong's signature! 👏🏻 It may not look like much, but it's a precious dessert that freshens a mouth that can feel dry after a meal.

Overall verdict on Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga Magok-Balsan Branch

• Classy interior across 200 pyeong
• Tender meat from a patented aging method
• Healthy marinade made with organic pear juice
• Convenient service where staff grill the meat
• Large parking tower connected to the restaurant
• Recommended for special, formal occasions

Classy interior, easy parking, the pleasant sweetness of organic pear, and tender, thick meat all earn full marks at Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga Magok-Balsan Branch. From meeting the in-laws to family dinners and important gatherings, it should satisfy across the board. It is number one in this couple's heart for pork galbi. 👏🏻 The diet starts tomorrow... T_T

• Address: 42 Gangseo-ro 54-gil, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, 1st floor (Deungchon-dong)
• Transport: 3-minute walk from Balsan Station, Exit 4
• Hours: 11:00 – 22:00
• Parking: parking tower connected to the restaurant