Asan galbi restaurant with generous free side dishes: Ilpum Chamsut

There are a lot of good restaurants along the Asan Technovalley food street, so I went to check them out. I did get some of this meal provided, but it was so good I ended up paying out of my own pocket too, and this review reflects that.

What kind of galbi restaurant is Ilpum Chamsut Galbi in Dunpo, Asan?

Ilpum Chamsut Galbi is a charcoal pork galbi restaurant on Junganggongwon-ro 17beon-gil in Dunpo-myeon, Asan. In a neighborhood packed with offices and good restaurants, I picked out one of the busiest spots around — Ilpum Chamsut Galbi.

Locals here apparently come once a week. Seeing a waiting zone set up on the outdoor terrace, I could tell this place is a lunchtime hotspot for workers in the area.

Ilpum Chamsut Galbi hours and free parking

• Monday 16:00 - 23:00
• Tuesday-Sunday 11:00 - 23:00
• Break time 14:30 - 16:00 (no break time on weekends)
• Parking: free at the public lot right in front of the restaurant

Ilpum Chamsut Galbi menu and prices

The meat menu has pork galbi at ₩16,000, Jeju pork belly at ₩18,000, fresh pork neck at ₩16,000, and premium galbi cut at ₩21,000. Meal items include nurungji (scorched rice soup) ₩4,000, water naengmyeon ₩7,000, spicy naengmyeon ₩7,000, dessert naengmyeon ₩5,000, hot stone pot rice ₩2,000, and plain rice ₩1,000. The lunch special jeyuk jeongsik (spicy pork set) is ₩9,000, though it's not offered on weekends or holidays.

I thought the menu lineup was great for a family gathering. And a galbi place serving stone pot rice? I really can't help but praise that.

A fridge that shows off how fresh the meat is, right in view. This place is certified as a Safe Restaurant by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The dining room was spacious — looked like over 15 tables — and I could see this being a popular spot for local work dinners too. The customer age range was really varied. They had kids' tableware and high chairs. It can accommodate groups of up to 40.

Free side dishes that fill a bowl of rice, seasoned raw crab included

Now I get why this place is packed. It's a galbi restaurant, but the banchan (side dishes) come out like a full Korean spread. Two kinds of salad, mukbap (acorn jelly in cold broth), fresh kimchi — I was just having a bite of banchan with a spoonful of rice and I'd already finished a whole bowl before the meat even started.

I was genuinely shocked by the seasoned crab haha. Stone pot rice and seasoned crab together — isn't this basically a hanjeongsik (full-course Korean set meal) restaurant? Looking at other reviews, a lot of people said they went for meat but ended up eating a whole bowl of rice with the banchan first. Depending on the combo you build, you basically finish one bowl of rice before the meal even properly starts.

Three servings of pork galbi for two: how did the charcoal-grilled meat taste?

Bright red galbi arrives. We ate three servings between the two of us. The seasoning wasn't too sweet — just right. You know you have to roll the galbi around while grilling for it to taste its best, right? The meat itself had great texture. Certified meat really is different.

With pork neck and Jeju pork belly also on the menu, I did wonder what to order, but it's a galbi place, so galbi it was. And yes — this place really delivers on galbi.

Free steamed egg and corn cheese with every order

Steamed egg comes complimentary. In these high-price times, they just give you steamed egg for free? Amazing. It had been sitting there a while and was still bubbling away.

Wait, is this a raw fish restaurant? It just keeps coming. Corn cheese is also provided as a basic side — I'm someone who goes to raw fish restaurants just for the corn cheese. You can add extra corn cheese for ₩1,000.

While I was carefully grilling garlic slice by slice, a staff member passing by kindly brought me sesame oil dipping sauce without being asked. Everyone working here is so kind. The owner is super, super friendly too.

With so many banchan, I put my Korean wrapping skills to work and made ssam (lettuce wraps). Oh, and I didn't get a photo, but the steamed skate here is genuinely delicious. Out of all the galbi places I've been to, this one has the most and the best banchan haha. Just a heads up, steamed skate and seasoned crab come at an extra cost.

Doenjang stew for 2,000 won and naengmyeon to finish

You do have to order the doenjang (soybean paste) stew separately. But it's only ₩2,000 — the value is insane. The stone pot was so hot it kept bubbling away haha.

They also do a lunch special, and these days lunch specials under ₩10,000 are rare, but the jeyuk jeongsik is ₩9,000. Owner, I hope your business booms.

I really was going to eat just a moderate amount, but then thought — how can you eat galbi without naengmyeon — so even after already having two bowls of rice, I ordered a naengmyeon and ate that too. This was naengmyeon eaten as dessert, but not literally the 'dessert naengmyeon' menu item — just the regular one, haha. With this much banchan plus an added stew, I really walked out stuffed to bursting.

If you're looking for good food near Dunpo Park or the Asan Technovalley area, I recommend Ilpum Chamsut Galbi.