Pork barbecue in Suyeong, Busan: Geobugi Dongne Namcheon

How close is it to Namcheon Station, and is parking available?

Geobugi Dongne (거북이동네) Busan Namcheon Branch is a pork barbecue restaurant my husband and I have visited several times. I liked its large tables, cleanly maintained self-serve bar, and friendly staff, so we came back again.

It is directly in front of Namcheon Station Exit 1, at 414 Suyeong-ro, Suyeong-gu, Busan, South Korea, on the first floor. There is no parking lot. The original post lists hours as 11:30–22:30, with last orders at 21:30.

Are the seats comfortable, and is it good for dining with children?

Even though we went slightly outside the weekend dinner rush, there were many guests. I mainly photographed the areas without people.

The tables were large and all the seating was sofa seating, which was comfortable. On the way to the restroom, I also saw a private room. It was fairly spacious, so I thought it could work for a family meal or a company gathering.

The kids' room had floor-level sofa seating, and videos for children were playing on the TV.

A video feed showing the inside of the kids' room was playing in the middle of the restaurant. High chairs were also available, which seemed helpful for dining with children.

What side dishes and tableware are at the self-serve bar?

One reason I like this branch is how well the self-serve bar is maintained. It was so tidy that I did not see any food spilled when I visited. There were lettuce, perilla leaves, garlic scapes, fish cakes, sausages, and thinly sliced potatoes; the potatoes were especially good grilled.

There were also shredded onion, shredded green onion, white kimchi, pickled radish wraps, dried shredded radish, and gat kimchi (mustard leaf kimchi). We could also choose corn salad, which my husband likes, along with bracken fern and seasoned bean sprouts, which I like. The sauces were neatly kept in containers, and the gat kimchi paired well with the meat when it started to feel rich.

Small plates and sauce dishes were available in different sizes. Children's tableware, tongs, and scissors were also available to use.

They do not set out basic side dishes separately, but I actually preferred being able to bring only what I wanted from the self-serve bar.

What did we order, and what was the table setting fee?

These are the dishes we ate on this visit and the prices recorded in the original post. There was a separate ₩5,000 table setting fee per table, with unlimited use of the self-serve bar. Considering the meat prices and the self-serve bar selection, I found it reasonable.

• Pork jowl jjolmyeon set: ₩40,000
• Aged samgyeopsal (pork belly), two portions: ₩10,980
• Table setting fee: ₩5,000 per table
• Tams Zero: ₩2,000
• Two draft beers: ₩7,000

The pork jowl jjolmyeon set came with 500 g of pork jowl. I thought one set would be enough for two people with smaller appetites.

Draft beer was ₩3,500 per glass. The soft drink also came in a generous 600 mL serving.

How much was in the pork jowl jjolmyeon set, and how did it taste?

When I first saw the jjolmyeon (spicy chewy noodles), I thought there was enough for three people to share.

Even though I said it was that generous, the two of us finished it all.

The jjolmyeon was good mixed well and eaten on its own, and it also paired nicely with the grilled meat later on.

We grilled the meat ourselves.

My husband, who often grills meat, grilled it again this time. We grilled plenty at once and piled up the cooked meat before eating.

Which side dishes and sauces went well with the meat?

For the first bite, I had it with just salt. The restaurant called it its secret golden salt. My favorite combination was salt topped with wasabi, though it was also good wrapped in fresh lettuce or with teriyaki sauce.

We also grilled bean sprouts and bracken fern. The pork jowl was chewy, and eating it with jjolmyeon when it began to feel a little rich made me reach for more.

After the pork jowl, we added two portions of aged samgyeopsal and a glass of draft beer.

Among the sauces, I especially remember one with a savory, salted-seafood-like flavor. It tasted somewhat like seasoned salted shrimp and also like galchi sokjeot (fermented hairtail fish innards), but I did not know its exact name.

They said the meat is aged for 14 days, and it looked fresh to me as well. We also had soft-serve ice cream at the end of the meal.

Why would I like to return?

I was satisfied again because we could eat plenty of meat in spacious, comfortable seating and the self-serve bar was kept clean. There is a separate table setting fee, but I liked the meat prices and side-dish selection. The lack of parking is something to consider, but the kids' room and children's items also make it worth considering for a family meal.