Busan galbitang restaurant with clear broth: Gang Galbitang Seomyeon

Having Gang Galbitang at the restaurant after ordering it for delivery

When I used to work in Jeonpo, I ordered Gang Galbitang about once a week! Back then, I only had it delivered, but this time I came in and ate at the restaurant for the first time. So today, I’m introducing Gang Galbitang Seomyeon after visiting in person.

The address is 1st floor, 33 Saessak-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan. You can use Blue Parking, with 30 minutes of parking support when you spend ₩20,000 or more.

Hours are 09:20–21:00 daily, with a break time from 15:00–16:00 and last orders at 20:20. Takeout and delivery are available, and there are high chairs too.

Full at lunch, with counter seats for solo diners

When we visited at lunchtime, there were indeed so many customers. It was full when we walked in. Luckily, a table opened up quickly, so we did not wait as long as expected. Seeing customers continue to come in behind us, though, made it clear that lots of people visit at lunch. There are counter seats as well, so it looked like a good place to eat alone.

Basic Gang Galbitang and the self-service bar

Our order was Gang Galbitang, ₩14,000. I always ordered the spicy galbitang for delivery, but today I tried the basic galbitang.

A few neat banchan (Korean side dishes) come as standard, and you can help yourself to more side dishes at the self-service bar. But the mu-mallaengi, dried radish strips, were really delicious here, haha. They paired surprisingly well with the galbitang, so I kept reaching for them.

In the end, I refilled them twice, haha.

Next to the self-service bar, there was a bean-to-cup coffee machine and ice. You can make yourself an espresso or Americano, and there was Maxim coffee too, so it seemed nice for a cup after the meal.

A high chair that does not take up much space

I visited with Gundam, and I had not asked for a high chair separately. But a staff member prepared one first. That thoughtfulness truly touched me. On top of that, it fits right over a regular chair, so it barely takes up any room. When you go to a restaurant with a baby, a high chair can sometimes make the area around the table cramped, but this one was really convenient because it did not take up much space.

Galbitang with added Jeju medium noodles

After a short wait, the galbitang was neatly set out with the side dishes. I love noodles, so I added Jeju jungmyeon, medium-thick noodles, too.

Perhaps because they were medium noodles, they were definitely thicker than regular somyeon, thin wheat noodles. Eating them with the broth, I liked their pleasantly chewy texture.

There was also quite a lot of dangmyeon, glass noodles, included as standard. Scooping up the glass noodles in the galbitang broth made the portion more filling than I expected.

There were three ribs in total, and the meat came off the bones so easily. Even pulling at them with tongs, the meat slipped right off, and it was incredibly tender too. Tough meat in galbitang would be a little disappointing, but these ribs were cooked tenderly, so I was satisfied.

Broth to enjoy clear first, then with a gentle kick

The broth was clear and clean-tasting. Rather than rich and intense, it was easy to eat, so even mixing rice into it did not feel heavy.

At first, I had the broth as it was without adding anything. After eating some, I added a little red pepper powder and black pepper. It gave the broth a lightly spicy kick and another flavor. Starting with it clean and finishing it with some heat meant I did not get tired of the bowl.

Mixing the rice thoroughly into the broth, then topping it with a piece of tender rib meat and dried radish strips from the self-service bar, was seriously delicious.

A satisfying meal to have in the restaurant

Before I knew it, I had nearly finished the whole bowl. I could see why customers keep coming in at lunchtime. It is a good place to visit when you want a hot, filling meal in Seomyeon, and if you are looking for a good gukbap (rice soup) restaurant in Busan’s Seomyeon and like galbitang, it would be worth a visit. Especially if you are bringing a baby, the high chair does not take up much space, so you should be able to eat comfortably; being able to take as many side dishes and as much coffee as you need from the self-service bar was convenient in many ways.

This was my first time eating at the restaurant, and it was delicious as expected. I had ordered from here often in the past, so I went in expecting it to be good, and it was as good as I hoped. I had a filling meal of clear broth, tender ribs, glass noodles, and the added medium noodles, then finished with a cup of coffee. Gang Galbitang Seomyeon is a great place to visit when you are craving a hot soup dish such as gukbap or galbitang in Seomyeon. If you have only tried it through delivery, I think it would be nice to visit and try galbitang served straight from the ttukbaegi, an earthenware pot, haha.