Beef BBQ date in Sinsa: prime raw galbi & icy noodles, Sinsa Hwaro

Sinsa Hwaro main branch near Sinsa Station: a beef restaurant for dates and group dinners

Sinsa Hwaro Sinsa Main Branch (신사화로 신사본점) is a beef BBQ restaurant near Sinsa Station, and the atmosphere works for both dates and company dinners, which I loved. Meat really is the best ♬

I heard it has both a Blue Ribbon and a Red Ribbon, so this is a Sinsa Station beef hotspot..♥ I was fully hyped from the moment I walked in!

Sinsa Hwaro Sinsa Main Branch: hours, parking and reservations

Sinsa Hwaro Sinsa Main Branch is open from 13:00 to 23:00, and it's a 1–3 minute walk from Sinsa Station Exit 8. It's near Garosu-gil, so it's great for a date!

• Hours: 13:00 - 23:00
• Location: 1–3 minute walk from Sinsa Station Exit 8, near Garosu-gil
• Parking: Underground parking lot for the restaurant, first 120 minutes free (then ₩1,000 per 10 minutes)
• Reservations: Naver Reservation / CatchTable, group reservations available
• Corkage: Charged

What's the atmosphere at Sinsa Hwaro like?

Every table has an open charcoal grill, and the black-toned interior feels modern and clean, which I liked haha The tables are a bit close together, but as long as the meat is good, who cares, right? hehe

There's group seating too, so it's good for company dinners (the table next to us was actually having one, lol), and the underground parking lot makes it easy to come by car!!

Side dishes and sauces at Sinsa Hwaro

The basic table setting at Sinsa Hwaro had three kimchi-style sides alone: napa cabbage geotjeori (fresh kimchi), seasoned radish strips, and perilla leaves with seaweed..

Galbi sauce, wasabi, ssamjang (seasoned dipping paste), salt, garlic, a salad with black sesame dressing, and seasoned lettuce too! For a BBQ place the side dishes are generous and the sauces so varied that they'd suit any taste! And all the tableware is white bowls, which gives off a classy vibe.. you know? haha

Prime snowflake galbi, 450g: what kind of meat is it?

I heard Sinsa Hwaro's prime snowflake galbi (450g) uses only the number 6, 7 and 8 rib cuts among prime-grade beef..!? Maybe because it's such high-grade meat, the marbling is packed in tight like snowflakes, so it looked delicious before I even ate it...★ (straight into my mouth, please~)

Look how beautifully the beef was plated! haha

How does the charcoal-grilled raw galbi taste?

At Sinsa Hwaro we grilled prime-grade raw galbi (saenggalbi, unmarinated short rib) over charcoal instead of the marinated kind. No need for long speeches, we just started sizzling it right away.. and as expected..!!! A Sinsa Station hotspot that's perfect for company dinners too..

The fat started streaming out the moment it hit the fire.. I ate prime raw galbi instead of marinated, and the beef juices filling my mouth,, haha

Crazy! It's so good that I turn into a total glutton.. I really do prefer fabulous raw galbi to marinated.

The beef juices came pouring up, and the sweetness of the protein was seriously good.. haha Dipping it in salt.. dipping it in galbi sauce.. is this what paradise is?

Beef is all about eating it right off the grill, so I grilled two pieces at a time and popped them straight into my mouth..

What pairs well with snowflake galbi

The prime snowflake galbi goes great with wasabi, and also with the seaweed perilla leaves that came as a side dish haha I think I ate all the seaweed perilla leaves, lol

It isn't thin, so each bite has a proper chew!! And since the meat is water-aged too, I felt it tasted better than what I get at other beef restaurants..♥

How to tell if it's real raw galbi

A restaurant that uses real galbi has a wide area of rib meat attached to the bone..!! I've heard some BBQ places just stick meat onto rib bones and sell it, but Sinsa Hwaro's is real raw galbi!! I'm telling you..

Finishing with icy naengmyeon after the meat

Meat first, noodles after

After finishing the meat at Sinsa Hwaro, I wrapped up with naengmyeon (cold noodles) with ice floating in it. Does everyone know? If you're Korean you have to do it.. eat naengmyeon after meat lol lol Beef is so juicy and rich, so cold noodles that cut the greasiness are my love..♥

The weather's hot these days too, so before leaving a BBQ place I have to recharge my cool with cold noodles.. Ending with naengmyeon feels way more satisfying than just eating meat and leaving haha

It was a super happy date, eating beef for the first time in a while and recharging my body and mind worn out by the summer heat..💖 I'm coming back again~~!!