Hwigyeong-dong galbitang with unlimited rice and broth: Hoegi Wang

I saw on Instagram recently that these days you can feel all four seasons in a single day, and honestly, I felt that. Should I wear short sleeves or long sleeves? It feels like fall has just disappeared and we might not even need fall clothes >.< So this is the season I start craving warm soup more than ever.

I'd overdone it a bit over the weekend and my body was aching, so I'd already taken cold medicine, and with the weather swinging hot and cold I had this ominous feeling I was about to get sick. So I picked Hoegi Wang Galbitang for a hearty, tasty energy-recovery meal!!

Where is Hoegi Wang Galbitang? Halfway between Kyung Hee University and HUFS

Hoegi Wang Galbitang (회기왕갈비탕) is at 54 Imun-ro, 1st floor, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. It sits right between Kyung Hee University and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS), so around lunchtime you'll see students, international students, and office workers all coming in. Since it's on the first floor right along the road, it's pretty easy to find ^^ (first floor of the building across from Dongin Church)

On the exterior wall there's a mouth-watering galbitang photo right up front. They make their own seokbakji (radish kimchi) in-store, and the galbitang really does come out looking just like the picture~ Takeout is also available, and the sign says that with takeout the rice is sold separately but they give you double the broth~

Inside Hoegi Wang Galbitang at 1pm on a weekday, and the solo dining seats

Even at 1pm on a weekday, Hoegi Wang Galbitang was packed. The moment I walked in it was full — I figured this time of day would've thinned out, but nope, still plenty of customers. Still, there are window-side single tables so eating alone doesn't feel awkward here. The interior is also pretty spacious, so it works for group gatherings too.

What's on the self-serve bar at Hoegi Wang Galbitang

On one side there's a self-serve bar with kimchi, peppers, deodeok muchim (seasoned deodeok root), seokbakji, barley gangjeong, misugaru (roasted grain powder), and even black rice~

How the unlimited rice and broth refills work

It was written right on the table-order screen too — Hoegi Wang Galbitang gives free refills on both rice and broth. The first serving of rice comes out at about half a bowl, so you can refill it yourself to match your appetite. If you run short on broth, just hit the staff-call button for a broth refill and it comes right away. So if one bowl alone feels a bit light for you, refilling rice and broth makes for a much more filling meal.

Hoegi Wang Galbitang menu: 2 ribs, 3 ribs and spicy galbitang

The signature dish is galbitang!! Since it's a galbitang specialty restaurant, the main menu is naturally built around it — the wongi-hoebok galbitang comes with 2 ribs, and the giryeok-hoebok special galbitang comes with 3 ribs, so if you're craving more meat, just upgrade to the special~

There's also a new spicy galbitang, which seems great for a hangover cure! Though honestly, the clear galbitang is plenty refreshing for a hangover too haha. As I was eating I noticed the water was hutgae berry tea ^^ Nice touch of care for the hungover crowd~

— What we ordered at Hoegi Wang Galbitang — Wongi-hoebok galbitang (2 ribs), meat-packed aronsatae galbitang

The basic side dishes are peppers, raw onion, ssamjang, and seokbakji, and if you head over to the self-serve bar there's also kimchi and deodeok muchim, so help yourself based on your taste.

How the wongi-hoebok galbitang with 2 ribs tastes

The basic wongi-hoebok galbitang comes with two nice big rib bones like this. They're not just big — there's a good amount of meat still clinging to them, so you can just tear right in, or use scissors to cut it up ^^

What makes the meat-packed aronsatae galbitang different

The meat-packed aronsatae galbitang lets you enjoy a bit more meat~ It's the 2-rib galbitang plus aronsatae (beef shank) added on top, and seeing the aronsatae piled up on the earthenware bowl, it really was meat-packed~ On top of that, unlike regular galbitang, there are bean sprouts in the broth too, adding a crunchy texture — that was a nice touch ^^

The broth is hot and clear, with all the fat skimmed off completely, so even just drinking the broth felt really clean and filling — I kept eating and ran out of broth before I even got to mixing in rice ;; Thank goodness the broth refills!! ^^

Refilled the broth, mixed in rice again, and slurped up the glass noodles too~ Add some meat on top and take a bite with rice — no need to say more~ The galbitang is already well seasoned, so it tastes even better once you mix rice into it ^^

Dessert at the self-serve bar: misugaru and barley gangjeong

Once your stomach is properly full, it's time for dessert. Grabbed some misugaru and barley gangjeong from the self-serve bar~ I don't usually drink misugaru, but the one at Hoegi Wang Galbitang was sweet and nutty and really tasty lol. The barley gangjeong was crunchy too, like a sweet-crispy jorippong version?! Ending with something sweet just put me in an even better mood >.<

Just as the menu names — wongi-hoebok, giryeok-hoebok, both meaning 'energy recovery' — suggest, after finishing the galbitang my tired body really did feel warmed up and restored from the inside, and it was tasty too, all at a reasonable price. Great for a lunch that also doubles as some energy recovery ^^

Hoegi Wang Galbitang location and opening hours

• Address: 54 Imun-ro, 1F, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul (휘경동 183-352, 1층)
• Hours: Monday–Sunday 10:30–21:00
• Last order: 20:20