Daejeon samgyeopsal dinner with aged kimchi stew: Gildon in Galma-dong

Today I want to tell you about a legendary restaurant I found in Galma-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon — honestly the number one plate of meat I've had recently, and I'm not exaggerating.

This is Gildon (길돈), a place where you can really feel the owner's sincerity after 5 years of learning every part of running a BBQ restaurant from the ground up — cleanliness, service, taste. 🥩

Where is Gildon, and where do you park? Across from the Galma-dong Daiso

Gildon is on the first floor of the Gallery Hureum commercial building in Galma-dong (right across from the large Daiso building in Galma-dong). It's easy to find since it's directly across the main road, and parking is available at the building's lot, which makes driving there really convenient.

🚔 Parking available at the Gallery Hureum commercial building lot (you can visit without worrying about parking)

Inside Gildon: hanok eaves and what the seating is like

The first thing that catches your eye when you walk in is the interior styled like a traditional tiled roof eave! It feels like you're grilling meat under the eaves of a hanok — quiet yet full of atmosphere.

The tables are arranged cozily but efficiently, so it never feels cramped or tight.

There's even a thoughtful storage box under the chairs for keeping your belongings and coats.

It's already a well-known Korean BBQ restaurant in Galma-dong, Daejeon, so it was packed with people waiting and groups having company dinners or gatherings!

What's on the menu at Gildon?

For grilled meats, they have boneless flower pork belly, Iberico flower pork neck, Iberico galbisal, and bone-in pork belly, and the meal menu is just as solid, with blue crab doenjang stew, aged kimchi stew, flying fish roe rice ball, chilnaengmyeon for dessert, and hangover ramyeon.

Gildon's side dishes: how the table starts

After ordering the meat, the basic side dishes came out first, and even those were a cut above!

Instead of the usual cheap dressing you get at BBQ places, it was a fresh, tangy salad dressing that felt like something from a fancy pasta restaurant — I was surprised from the very first bite!

The broth with slivers of ice floating in it, packed full of plump acorn jelly, is perfect to eat before the meat arrives.

From bracken fern and mountain garlic to fresh kimchi, Himalayan salt, salted hairtail intestines, and shiitake wasabi sauce — the combination that boosts the meat's flavor was so good.

Boneless flower pork belly and Iberico flower pork neck, 15,000 won each

Boneless flower pork belly (₩15,000) / Iberico flower pork neck (₩15,000) / Aged kimchi stew (₩7,000) (rice included)

We ordered the boneless flower pork belly (₩15,000) and the Iberico flower pork neck (₩15,000).

At Gildon, the staff carefully grill the meat for you from start to finish, so it was really easy to just sit back and eat!

I'm firmly a pork neck person, but even I was moved by this place's boneless flower pork belly...♥️

Not only is the bone neatly removed for easy eating, but the meat is really tender and melts as you eat it...!

The flower pork neck had zero dryness and was packed with juice, so every bite burst with savory flavor in my mouth.

How to eat it: Himalayan salt, myeongi (pickled mountain garlic leaves) and shiitake wasabi

Of course, the first bite goes with a light dip in Himalayan salt to taste the meat as it is~~~

Eating it together with the grilled shishito peppers and green onion served alongside

Wrapping it up with mountain garlic and shiitake wasabi is honestly the best pork belly I've had recently!

Gildon's aged kimchi stew, 7,000 won with rice included

Just as I was marveling at the meat, the aged kimchi stew came out — and it was even more legendary!

Kimchi stew at BBQ restaurants is usually salty and overly seasoned, but Gildon's kimchi stew doesn't taste like MSG — it tastes like it was really simmered carefully with deeply flavored kimchi, the way it's made at home...🍲

One bowl of rice comes included, and the stew was so full of well-fermented kimchi and thick pieces of meat that I ended up finishing half a bowl of rice with it before even touching the grilled meat.

This is a must-order dish you absolutely have to try! 😃

Gildon, a pork belly BBQ restaurant in Daejeon where the owner's sincerity and effort from 5 years of dedication to meat shows in every single dish! I'm planning to go back soon with all my loved ones. If you want to eat truly delicious meat, definitely visit Gildon in Galma-dong!