Seohyeon Station braised beef short ribs, mild for three: Gimcheongja

Taking a mom who can't eat spicy food to Gimcheongja near Seohyeon Station

With the weather turning cool, I was craving something spicy, so I went with my mom and sister to Gimcheongja Maeun Galbijjim near Seohyeon Station! My mom can't eat spicy food and thinks Shin Ramyun is already the spiciest thing out there, so I wasn't sure spicy galbijjim (braised ribs) would work — but it turned out they let you choose mild, medium, or spicy, so we went for it.

• Hours: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
• Break time: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
• Closed: Every Sunday
• Parking: In-building mechanical parking

Finding Gimcheongja on the 2nd floor of Cheonji Officetel: parking and the dining room

Gimcheongja Maeun Galbijjim is on the 2nd floor of Cheonji Officetel near Seohyeon Station. You can park in the officetel's mechanical parking, and they'll stamp your ticket for parking support after your meal.

There were rows of waiting chairs lined up outside, which usually means there's a wait — just seeing that made it feel like a proper Seohyeon local favorite.

I went right as the lunch rush was wrapping up, so most customers had cleared out, but there were still plenty of signs of a busy table turnover.

Gimcheongja menu and the three spice levels

The menu at Gimcheongja Maeun Galbijjim has just three items — beef galbijjim, pork galbijjim, and a pork galbijjim set — and you can choose mild, medium, or spicy heat.

Since it's a spicy galbijjim place, there are side dishes to go with it too, like steamed egg custard and various fried items.

Our family ordered beef galbijjim for three, mild spice! First came a spread of banchan (side dishes), set-meal style.

What comes with beef galbijjim: steamed egg custard and fried sides

Apparently steamed egg custard and a bowl of rice come free with the beef galbijjim order. The egg custard was so soft it practically melted in my mouth.

I was planning to save the egg custard to eat alongside the spicy galbijjim in case it got too hot, but I'd already eaten more than half of it before the ribs even arrived, haha.

We also got fried gimmari (seaweed rolls) and fried mandu (dumplings). They were genuinely crispy — even after dipping them in the galbijjim sauce, they stayed crunchy. Eating them with the ribs really cuts the spice, so fried food is a must when you're having galbijjim!!

How spicy is mild beef galbijjim at Gimcheongja?

Finally, the beef galbijjim arrived!! I was curious how the mild option would feel for people like me and my mom, who like spicy food but can't handle anything too intense.

The first thing that caught my eye was that classic mouthwatering galbijjim look!!! The ribs were coated evenly in sauce, and it was the kind of dish that makes you crave a bowl of rice just by looking at it.

Trying the mild spice for myself at this Seohyeon favorite, it felt a little spicier than Shin Ramyun. Still, paired with bean sprouts, rice, egg custard and fried food, it turned into the kind of spicy you keep reaching for — I ended up finishing a whole bowl of rice. My mom, who finds Shin Ramyun spicy, still found even the mild option hot.

Ask for extra broth when the galbijjim sauce cooks down

Simmering it on low heat lets the sauce soak in more and taste better, but the broth disappears fast, so we asked for extra broth. Adding broth apparently makes it slightly less spicy too, so keep that in mind!

No matter how good the sauce is, if the meat is tough, the whole experience suffers — but this time, eating it with rice, we really got to enjoy the flavor of the ribs properly. I think galbijjim tastes best when you pick the meat off one piece at a time with the sauce, rather than shoveling in a big bite, haha.

The mild spice in particular has relatively less intense heat, so it was easy to actually taste the meat itself. I ended up eating every last bite without leaving a scrap. I thought my stomach would hurt from the spice, but it didn't at all — just the right amount of spicy at this Seohyeon favorite, Gimcheongja Maeun Galbijjim!!

Who Gimcheongja near Seohyeon Station suits

Gimcheongja Maeun Galbijjim is a place worth remembering when you're craving a hearty meat dish. The staff were pleasant overall, and honestly, that combo of rich galbijjim sauce and meat with rice is hard to get wrong. If you like spicy food in general but find overly intense flavors a bit much, the mild option is still spicy enough — I'd recommend trying it with the fried sides based on your own taste.