Soy galbi-jjim for two in Gwangjin, Seoul: Achasan Tong Galbitang

One of the restaurants that always comes up on the 'best of Achasan Station' lists. 'Achasan Tong Galbitang.'

It got even more famous after a White House chef ate here on YouTube and raved about it.

Where do you park at Achasan Tong Galbitang?

For parking at Achasan Tong Galbitang, it's most convenient to use the Guui 2-dong residential public parking lot right across the street. I wrote about this place before as a review from my own paid visit, and it's still the spot I keep coming back to whenever I crave that hot broth — ▼ the place that's always good no matter how many times you come ▼

Still a place where the foot traffic never stops during lunch hour.

A neighborhood 'Achasan Station restaurant' that keeps its flavor consistent.

Soy galbi-jjim, small size ₩48,000, plus ₩2,000 glass noodles

Today I decided to get the 'beef short rib stew (small)' for my boyfriend, who had diligently gone to the hospital in the morning. This was actually my first time trying the galbi-jjim (braised short rib stew) at Achasan Tong Galbitang... between spicy vs. soy sauce, I picked soy sauce! (₩48,000) plus glass noodle add-on (₩2,000)

Self-serve bar: side dishes and unlimited rice

While waiting after ordering, I checked out the self-serve bar. Any extra side dishes you need, you just grab from the self-serve bar. Every single side dish is delicious, and in one corner of the kitchen two ladies were continuously peeling doraji (bellflower root)... 'Wow, they're doing all this handwork themselves...' I absolutely can't leave any side dishes uneaten now.

And even the rice! You can get unlimited refills from the self-serve bar. Great news for anyone who loves their rice!

First they bring out galbitang broth like this while you wait, and then the galbi-jjim arrives

The galbi-jjim comes fully cooked already, so you just need to warm it through as you eat

How tender is the meat on the rib bones?

The rib bones are seriously... insane. Heavy like holding a bowling ball, and

The rib bones are so tender that the meat just slides right off with a swipe of the tongs — easy to pick the meat off without any effort, and they give you gloves too

You can pick up the rib bone and gnaw on it like this, feeling like a character straight out of a comic book.

I wanted to eat something with exactly this kind of visual appeal!!!

Is the soy-sauce seasoning too mild?

Achasan Tong Galbitang's rib seasoning is soy-sauce based, and just looking at the color I thought, 'hm, won't this be bland?' but absolutely not! The seasoning is perfectly balanced, and the meat is soaked through with flavor so it's delicious. Even the glass noodles soak up all the sauce, so they're even chewier and tastier — honestly this dish would've been worth a decent amount as rice-topping alone, if it weren't for the unlimited rice refills.

Is the small galbi-jjim enough for two people?

We were hungry, so with it being a 小 (small) size, we wondered if we should've ordered the medium instead, but figured we'd order small first and get something extra if it wasn't enough... but there was so much meat that it wasn't lacking at all. Plenty!

Today we let it all out... meat meat good!!! Achasan Station's Tong Galbitang, I can't help but brag that it's my neighborhood restaurant~~~~~~~~~♪

After eating quite a lot, right around when 'ah, I'm full' would normally come out, this is how much meat was still left... there was so much that we slowly, slowly ate every last bite without leaving anything. Seeing the ladies peeling doraji makes you treasure even a single carrot or onion

After demolishing all the rib bones, what time is it??? Bibim time!!! They demonstrate the nostalgic childhood technique of mixing rice into the leftover galbi-jjim broth. This is K-galbi rice, I'm telling you. Once you've eaten it all

Dessert: barley candy and the new 17-grain misugaru

There's a final course at Achasan Tong Galbitang, and the barley candy here is incredibly good. Seriously incredible. It's the kind of taste that makes you not want to leave once you start eating it one piece at a time,

It had been a while since my last visit, and besides this barley candy, there was a new dessert that stole my heart.

17-grain(?) misugaru!!!

Not misugaru mixed with milk, but this one mixed with cold water — this is the flavor I remember as nostalgic misugaru!!! Even while I'm writing this, I'm getting the urge to go back just for this drink.

I'll definitely have to go back soon to treat myself to a good meal — Achasan Tong Galbitang, my neighborhood Achasan favorite. Left well fed and satisfied!

* Next time I'll grab a misugaru to drink while I wait for my takeout order!