Korean BBQ in Seomyeon, Busan: LA galbi, oxtail, jjol bibim at Sojay

Lately Sojay Busan Seomyeon (소제이 부산서면점), famous for its looks, kept catching my eye among Seomyeon beef places. It shows up all the time when you search for the best beef in Seomyeon, so I really wanted to go once. I finally went to try the overwhelmingly thick LA flower galbi (LA-cut beef short ribs) and the chive oxtail stew that's been on TV :)

What is the atmosphere like at Sojay Busan Seomyeon?

Sojay Busan Seomyeon is a retro-style BBQ spot with outdoor-market-style tables, in a small alley near Lotte Department Store in Seomyeon. There are street-style tables and waiting chairs out front, and on weekdays and Sundays you can book through Naver.

A place this retro in a small alley near Lotte Department Store in Seomyeon! The outdoor tables and waiting chairs had so much charm (even the waiting looks fun, lol), and the first impression was such a pass that I wanted to get inside fast haha. We came without a reservation, but luckily there was no wait. (Naver reservations are possible on weekdays and Sundays.)

Inside was already full, with a proper old-school pub vibe that makes you crave a drink, lol. (That's why there are no interior photos, sorry haha.)

Sojay Busan Seomyeon menu

The menu has drinking-snack dishes like LA flower galbi, spicy braised oxtail and odeuregi, plus meals like yukhoe bibimbap (beef tartare rice bowl), beef brisket doenjang stew, brisket kimchi stew, jjoldong, jjol bibim, oxtail-meat gomtang (beef soup) and fried rice.

From the visually stunning LA flower galbi to spicy braised oxtail and odeuregi, there were plenty of dishes that make you want a drink, and the meal menu is solid too (yukhoe bibimbap, brisket doenjang stew, brisket kimchi stew, jjoldong, jjol bibim, oxtail-meat gomtang, fried rice). So it's a Seomyeon BBQ place where you can get a full meal in one go.

The napa cabbage geotjeori served as the basic side wasn't harsh at all, just clean and good with the meat. The yukhoe comes free, yet it was fresh and the sweet-salty seasoning was great, which impressed me.

How do you order LA galbi and braised oxtail together?

To try both LA flower galbi and oxtail stew at Sojay Busan Seomyeon, add the taster oxtail stew (₩30,000) to the 500g galbi (₩50,000). But if you order the stew first, it's hard to order the grill afterwards, so be sure to order the LA flower galbi first.

For dinner at Sojay Busan Seomyeon, a place I really wanted to visit and was so curious about,

I couldn't give up either one, so I ordered the taster oxtail stew to try the LA flower galbi and the oxtail together.

What we ordered at Sojay and what it cost

• Galbi 500g ₩50,000
• Taster oxtail stew ₩30,000
• Extra galbi 300g ₩30,000
• Jjol bibim ₩7,000
• Zero Coke ₩2,000

Could you really skip the grill after seeing this? 🤭 (If you order the stew first, ordering the grill gets difficult. Please order it first! 🤤)

In the end we added another serving of LA flower galbi and ordered jjol bibim too 🤣

How does Sojay's LA flower galbi taste?

The LA flower galbi at Sojay Busan Seomyeon has great meat quality, with rich savoriness and juices that build the more you chew. The staff grill it at the perfect timing, which made me very happy.

Sojay's LA flower galbi is overwhelming just to look at, but one bite and you instantly get why it's famous. The meat quality is so good that the savoriness and juices build richly as you chew, a mouth full of juice, lol, and it was a very satisfying dish. I also loved that the staff grill it so well that you can eat it at the best possible moment. Honestly the meat is so good it'd probably be delicious however you ate it (we grilled the extra serving ourselves and it was good 😆), but the perfect grilling made it even better.

The three sauces served with LA flower galbi

Sojay's LA flower galbi comes with three sauce combos: egg soy sauce with seasoned radish, mayonnaise with herring roe, and scallion pesto. The sauce combos were unusual.

✔️ Egg soy sauce + seasoned radish

✔️ Mayonnaise + herring roe

✔️ Scallion pesto (scallion and wasabi) goes so well with beef that I never got tired of it 😋

Is the taster braised oxtail worth ordering?

The taster oxtail stew (₩30,000) at Sojay Busan Seomyeon had a soy-based seasoning that wasn't overdone, and the tender, chewy texture was impressive.

Sojay Busan Seomyeon: final verdict

Sojay Busan Seomyeon, which I visited while looking for a BBQ place in Seomyeon, had a charm different from ordinary beef restaurants. Being able to enjoy the overwhelming LA flower galbi together with soft oxtail stew was very satisfying, and the retro outdoor-market atmosphere makes it a great place for a drink. It's satisfying enough as a dinner too, so I'd recommend it as a dinner spot on Seomyeon 1-beon-ga :)

Sojay Busan Seomyeon hours, address and reservations

• Address: 25-4 Jungang-daero 691beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan, South Korea (1st floor)
• Hours: Mon–Thu and Sun 17:00 to 01:00 next day / Fri–Sat 17:00 to 02:00 next day
• Reservations: Naver reservations available on weekdays and Sundays