Clean Korean BBQ in Galma-dong, Daejeon: Iberico neck at Gildon

I've been feeling the autumn blues a lot lately. And the ultimate cheat code for lifting that melancholy is, of course, meat sizzling on a grill. But holding tongs and grilling means no time to talk, plus oil splatters and smell clinging to your clothes. Tiring just to think about, right? So today I visited Gildon (길돈), a BBQ restaurant in Galma-dong, Daejeon, where a grilling pro cooks the meat perfectly and the atmosphere is comfortable and hygienic!

Gildon location, hours and parking

Gildon is on the 1st floor of the Galleria Hurium commercial building in Galma-dong, Daejeon, and it's open from 17:00 to 24:00. Parking in the building's car park is free for 2 hours.

• Location: 1st floor, Galleria Hurium commercial building, Galma-dong
• Hours: 17:00–24:00
• Parking: 2 hours free in the building's car park

What do Gildon's exterior and interior look like?

Gildon's storefront is narrow, but the stylish traditional tiled-roof eaves, a cute pig character and the brush-calligraphy 'Gildon' sign grab your eye. The entrance terrace has comfy wooden chairs and soft lighting for waiting guests. It was fairly chilly, so to avoid a wait I went for the 5 p.m. opening.

A clean BBQ restaurant in Galma-dong, Daejeon: 200 points for hygiene

Inside, Gildon is bigger than it looks from outside, and the cleanliness was incredible. From the floor to the chairs, the ventilation duct and the tabletops, everything was wiped dry without a speck of dust. I'd give it 200 points for hygiene, haha.

Warm-toned wall lights along the walls make it feel cozy. Even on a weekday, half the restaurant was reserved, so you can tell Gildon is popular. In one corner, the aging Iberico pork sits there calmly waiting its turn, haha.

Under the chairs there's storage for your belongings, which takes the worry out of smells. The drawer beside the table also keeps whole black pepper and Himalayan pink salt on hand.

Gildon menu and prices

Gildon's grilled menu has flower pork belly (kkotsamgyeop), flower pork neck (kkotmoksal) and rib finger (galbisal) at ₩15,000 each, and the price includes having the meat grilled for you. There are tempting cuts from the signature boneless flower pork belly to Iberico rib finger and pork jowl (hangjeongsal), but today I ordered the most popular item, 'Iberico pork neck', said to be as tender as beef with fantastic marbling.

• Flower pork belly ₩15,000
• Flower pork neck ₩15,000
• Rib finger ₩15,000

Since grilling is included, that's not an expensive price.

Ordering 3 servings of Iberico pork neck, roe rice ball and crab stew

After ordering, neat side dishes were set on the table: a crunchy salad sprinkled with cheese powder, savory scallion salad (pajeori), mínari-style wild garlic-leaf pickles (myeongi-namul) that go perfectly with meat, kimchi, seasoned bracken, fresh lettuce wraps with garlic, and ssamjang. All clean and uncluttered. On one side of the grill there was even salty salted-fish-gut sauce (galchi sokjeot) to simmer. All set!

And here comes the star of the day, the Iberico pork neck! Served heavily on a wooden board, it looked less like pork and more like premium Korean beef chuck flap, with snowflake marbling packed between the bright red lean meat. The staff asked whether I wanted it seasoned with salt or pepper, then did it for me.

Does Gildon grill the meat for you?

Yes, Gildon offers a grilling service where staff cook the meat from start to finish. The pork neck is so thick that if a clumsy cook like me had grilled it, it would have been a disaster, burnt outside and raw inside. But the skilled staff checked the grill temperature exactly and grilled both sides golden, bringing out the Maillard reaction beautifully.

Every cut of the scissors sliced through softly, and the shine of the juices spilling from the cross-section was a work of art.

They even grilled the green onions, shishito-style peppers and garlic with a smoky char, so all we had to do was drool, admire and pick up our chopsticks!

When it's done, they put it in a bowl so it doesn't burn but also doesn't go cold. The tasty meat was grilled in no time!

How did the Iberico pork neck taste?

Gildon's Iberico pork neck had no dryness at all, despite being neck meat, and was full of juice. Before digging in, I poured a glass of cola to wet my mouth. Then I picked up a well-cooked piece, dipped it lightly in just the pink salt first, and sent it straight in!

Wow... the moment it touches your teeth it bursts with a soft 'poof-pop', and the hot, rich juices pour over your whole tongue like a waterfall. For neck meat there's not one bit of dryness, and the deep meaty aroma and nuttiness typical of clean Spanish Iberico throw a party in your mouth!

Next I dunked it in the bubbling salted-fish-gut sauce (meljeot) on the grill. No fishy taste, just a salty umami that doubles the flavor of the meat, and rolling it in tangy-sweet wild garlic leaves instantly resets any greasiness! It really proves the unmatched class of a Galma-dong, Daejeon, favorite.

I laid a fresh perilla leaf on my palm, topped it with two juicy pieces of pork neck, grilled green onion, raw garlic, spicy scallion salad and kimchi, and stuffed it all in until my cheeks bulged. The fresh leaf juices, heavy meat juices and the sharp bite of garlic together make your eyes close on their own!

Finishing with a flying fish roe rice ball and ₩7,000 crab stew

For Gildon's meal menu, I added a flying fish roe rice ball and blue crab doenjang stew (soybean paste stew). Once the meat has oiled up your stomach, it's only natural to finish with a hearty side meal lineup! The roe rice ball comes in a big bowl generously filled with rice, nutty seaweed flakes, popping orange flying fish roe and pickled radish. Put on the sanitary glove, knead it all together, and take a big spoonful for an explosion of sweet, salty, nutty umami!

The blue crab doenjang stew is so generous that you won't believe it's ₩7,000, with whole big crabs packing the earthenware pot!

The moment I took a sip of broth, the cool, deep seafood umami from the crab blended with the earthy doenjang and cleared my greasy throat. It's a magical rice thief (a dish so good you keep eating rice)!

Gildon verdict: who is it for?

Gildon is a Galma-dong BBQ spot that's great for a relaxed after-work meal where the meat is grilled for you with a drink, and it suits anyone looking for a comfortable, smell-free BBQ place for a date or gathering. For meat lovers who want the ultimate in tender juiciness, I strongly recommend 'Galma-dong Gildon' as the number one pork BBQ restaurant in Daejeon! 🥩 Maybe because the owner has long experience working in BBQ restaurants, they clearly know what customers want! haha