Fresh pork ribs and mala cheddar toast at Gilchon in Seomyeon

Gilchon Sutbul Galbi, a value-for-money Korean BBQ restaurant in Seomyeon with something special going on

• ⏰ Mon–Fri 16:00–23:30
• ⏰️ Sat–Sun 12:00–23:30
• Last order 23:00
• 🚗 No parking lot
• 💌 Naver Reservation available
• 💦 Restrooms separated by gender, 1 stall for women

Outside Gilchon, a Seomyeon Korean BBQ spot

Gilchon, a Seomyeon restaurant that hand-butchers its own pork ribs! I stopped by on a whim, and it turned out to have delicious food and some unusual combos too — here's my satisfied review.

Indoor seating for both dates and team dinners

There's a round-table zone and most seats are divided by partitions, so it's perfect for a date! All the way at the back there are three tables lined up as a group section too, so I'd highly recommend it as a Seomyeon spot for company dinners. There was already a group of guests there when I visited.

Menu board, table setting fee, and even non-alcoholic drinks and highballs

The value for money is already crazy, and there's no table setting fee on top of it. A lot of the value-priced galbi places that keep popping up lately charge a separate table fee, which was a little disappointing, but Gilchon keeps both the interior and the prices clean! Places that actually sell zero-alcohol drinks are rare too, but they have Terra's new zero-alcohol option and highballs!

Today's order and the side dishes

Today's pick!

• Marinated pork ribs (full order) ₩29,500
• Fresh pork ribs (half order) ₩15,900
• Half-and-half naengmyeon ₩6,900
• Toast with cheddar cheese ₩2,900

Side dishes that don't feel like ordinary side dishes! From the barley white kimchi to the potato salad with a hint of truffle, everything's a little unusual. The wasabi and pickles were also seriously tasty... 😋

Fresh pork ribs (half order), ₩15,900

The fresh ribs half order passes the visual test. Should the presentation be this good for ₩15,900? Am I the only one who wants to trim it into even pieces?

I'm not great at grilling meat, but even I managed to cut it into appetizing pieces — satisfied 🤗 Top it with different sauces, wrap it in lettuce, eat it however you like — these fresh ribs are good any way you have them.

Half-and-half naengmyeon with mul- and bibim- cold noodles

I always eat naengmyeon (cold noodles) in the middle of the meal. If you eat it at the end, you end up wanting to eat more meat, right? And if you only get one kind, there's always a bit of regret — but here they have half-and-half naengmyeon!! The taste is ordinary, but being able to get both mul-naengmyeon and bibim-naengmyeon for ₩6,900 is the real winner!

Fresh ribs and marinated ribs use different grill plates

A plate swap to welcome the marinated ribs. Left is the fresh-rib grill, right is the marinated-rib grill. If you order both at once, they'll give you the fresh-rib grill first, then swap it out when you ask for the marinated ribs~

Marinated pork ribs (full order), ₩29,500

The marinated ribs pass the visual test too 💯 Are you telling me this is under ₩30,000... The plump king oyster mushrooms are also a highlight, haha, so cute.

Ribs need the right balance of fat mixed in to taste good, and the ratio here was just right, with the marinade seasoned just right too. It's slightly less sweet than the flavor that usually comes to mind for good marinated ribs, so you don't get sick of it as you keep eating!

How was the mala sauce and cheddar toast combo?

There were so many good-value side dishes that after much deliberation, I decided to try the cheddar cheese toast. On lightly toasted bread, cheddar cheese and mala sauce come out together!

Then you top it with the potato salad from the side dishes and a piece of marinated rib and eat it in one bite — and this is it, this is the move ❤️🔥 This might get pushback, but I don't even like mala or cheddar cheese normally... haha. It's the kind of menu item you feel like you'll never get another chance to try, so I ordered it, and it was so good!!! My companion said it wasn't to their taste, but the mala flavor wasn't too strong, with just a hint of spice added — it blended really well with the sweet marinated ribs and the mild cheese toast.

And another thing that was delicious — the marinated rib bones! They come with a thick layer of meat still attached, prepped almost like little handheld ribs, so I'd recommend fighting for them even if you have to snatch them away 🙏🏼

In summary

• Interior that works for both dates and group gatherings
• A Seomyeon restaurant with both quality and value for money
• An unusual menu item paired with the ribs