Samgyeopsal restaurant in Hwamyeong-dong, Busan: 700g set, Go Ok-hui

We were trying to figure out where to go for meat on a weekend evening, and once again we ended up somewhere we keep going back to: Go Ok-hui Hwamyeong Main Branch. I honestly can't remember which visit this is anymore — we go so often, paying out of our own pocket every time. The meat is great, but what I really love is that it comes out already grilled, no cooking required, and there's even a separate baby rice dish ready to go, which makes it so easy to take our kid along.

Is there a wait at the weekend 5pm opening at Go Ok-hui Hwamyeong Main Branch?

Go Ok-hui Hwamyeong Main Branch opens at 5pm on weekends, and we walked in right at opening time. Ddoddo is 36 months old right now. Luckily we got seated with no wait, but quite a few tables were already marked as reserved. Not long after, the place filled up fast. If you're planning a weekend evening visit, I'd recommend booking ahead if you can.

We didn't drive that day, and inside, the tables weren't packed too close together, so it was comfortable sitting with our toddler. There were high chairs too, so 36-month-old Ddoddo sat comfortably and ate without any fuss.

What comes with the 700g set-medium tray at 58,500 won?

This time we ordered Go Ok-hui Hwamyeong Main Branch's set-medium tray 700g for ₩58,500. It included aged pork belly 200g × 2, galbi (short rib) 200g × 1, pork skin 100g, grillable cheese, and fluffy steamed egg.

On top of that we added doenjang jjigae and two bottles of soju. With three of us eating — Ddoddo included, since she had meat plus the steamed egg and baby rice — it ended up being a really hearty meal overall. Having been here so many times, the price feels reasonable once you factor in the portion and how convenient it is.

The banchan (side dishes) at Go Ok-hui Hwamyeong Main Branch

Before the meat arrives, the basic side dishes get set up first, and there's a decent spread to pick at. Lettuce for wraps, garlic, chili peppers, wasabi — all the usual pairings, neatly laid out.

At a lot of BBQ places, only the meat is good and the side dishes barely get touched, but here I end up eating through all of them every time. It's this whole package that keeps bringing me back.

Why the kitchen grilling the pork matters with a toddler

This is one of the biggest reasons I love Go Ok-hui. The kitchen grills the meat all the way and brings it out done. At most BBQ places, someone has to keep an eye on the grill the whole time, checking it's not burning. Especially with a kid along, you're juggling feeding them and grilling meat at the same time — total chaos sometimes. Here, none of that. They bring the finished meat out, and there's a hot plate on the table to keep it warm while you eat.

Because of this, neither my husband nor I has to hold the tongs the whole time — we can both actually relax and eat. When you're eating out with a kid, this kind of small difference matters way more than you'd think.

How does the aged samgyeopsal taste?

If the place were only convenient, we wouldn't come back this often — but the meat is genuinely good too. It's grilled thick, and the inside isn't dry at all, still holds that juicy feel. It comes out already at the perfect stage, so there's no second-guessing whether it's done.

Pick up a piece, dip it in the sides or some wasabi, and it just keeps going down. The grillable cheese you can order separately is great too — Ddoddo loves cheese and ate it right up, and it paired well with the meat for us adults as well.

Baby rice and steamed egg: enough for a 36-month-old's meal?

Another reason we keep coming back to Go Ok-hui as a family spot is that you can order a separate baby rice dish. When you take a kid to a BBQ place, you're always wondering what else to feed them besides the meat. Here, the baby rice comes with curry and even cheese on top, so covering a full meal for our kid was easy.

With steamed egg also on the menu, there ended up being plenty for Ddoddo to eat. We cut up small pieces of meat for her too, and combined with the baby rice and steamed egg, it was a really easy setup for us. Especially since we weren't busy grilling, we had time to take care of her meal properly too. So if I'm ever looking for a BBQ spot in Buk-gu, Busan to take a kid to, this is exactly the kind of thing that brings Go Ok-hui to mind.

Pork skin as a snack with soju

After getting through most of the meat, we moved on to the pork skin that came with the medium tray. We'd ordered two bottles of soju that day, and the pork skin was the perfect pairing. Chewy, and great to pick at bite by bite after the main meat.

It's a great spot for a family meal with kids, but the setup also works well if you just want to have a light drink while eating meat.

Finishing the meal with doenjang jjigae

After finishing the meat, we also had the doenjang jjigae we'd ordered separately. Nothing fancy about it, just a solid, reliably good soybean paste stew — perfect for wrapping up the meal with rice after all that meat. Meat, then pork skin, then doenjang jjigae — by the end it really felt like a proper dinner.

Go Ok-hui Hwamyeong Main Branch with a toddler in Hwamyeong-dong, Busan: the verdict

Go Ok-hui Hwamyeong Main Branch isn't a new discovery for us anymore — it's somewhere we've already been to many times and still keep going back to. The pork belly is good, there's no grilling required, and there are kid-friendly options like the baby rice and steamed egg. Especially now that we're eating out with a 36-month-old, something I never used to think much about — whether the parents can actually sit and eat comfortably — has become really important, and this place delivers on that. Weekends fill up fast, so I'd recommend booking ahead, and if you're looking for restaurants in Buk-gu, Busan or a BBQ spot that's also comfortable with a kid in tow, this one's worth a try.

We'll probably go again. I've honestly lost count of how many times we've been back, but on days when we want to eat meat without the hassle of grilling and still take care of Ddoddo's meal, this is the place that naturally comes to mind.