Gwangju Korean BBQ restaurant lunch with extra pork ribs: Jeongwon Galbi

I suddenly wanted something delicious and was looking around for somewhere to go when I found myself craving sweet-savory pork ribs for the first time in a while. So I went to Jeongwon Galbi Gyeonggi Gwangju Branch in Songjeong-dong. A quick search showed that they have quite a variety of meat besides pork ribs, including Idong-style ribs and boneless beef ribs.

We had the domestic pork ribs. To give away the ending a little, the two of us started with two portions and eventually added one more. Haha. That's how much we enjoyed them.

Jeongwon Galbi was easy to park at

We drove there. In Gwangju, Gyeonggi, you often get around by car, right? So when I choose a restaurant, easy parking is important to me too. Jeongwon Galbi has parking, so it was convenient to visit by car.

The dining room was very spacious overall. But it was not just a big open layout—there were good partitions between tables. It felt as though each table had its own separate space. Even with other diners there, it felt less chaotic or noisy, and we could eat comfortably on our own. I liked that too. The staff were kind as well, so I had a good feeling from the first impression.

A generous table, starting with the side dishes

Once we sat down and ordered, warm charcoal arrived and the side dishes began filling the table one by one. It was quite a generous spread from the start, right? Along with scallion salad and several kinds of kimchi, there were lots of sides that went well with the meat.

There was also a self-service corner where we could bring back extra side dishes. When you are eating meat, you start craving something tangy or spicy here and there, so I loved having such a variety.

And best of all, there were ssam vegetables for wrapping bites of meat. Usually it is just lettuce and perilla leaves, but these fresh wrap vegetables were seriously the best!

Ordering two portions of domestic pork ribs

Jeongwon Galbi has many kinds of ribs, and the menu we chose that day was domestic pork ribs.

The domestic pork ribs were listed as 250 g per portion. Since there were two of us, we started off lightly with two portions.

As soon as we put the pork ribs over the charcoal, the smell of the marinade cooking was just incredible. Haha. Marinated ribs can get tiresome after just a few pieces if they are too sweet, you know.

But Jeongwon Galbi's pork ribs did not have an overly pronounced sweetness. I also saw other visitor reviews pointing to the not-too-sweet flavor as a strength. I totally agreed with that.

The marinade had soaked in nicely without being excessively intense. Grilled golden over charcoal, the ribs had an extra smoky flavor and were delicious. The meat was tender and easy to eat, without feeling tough at all.

We ended up adding one more portion

At first, I thought two portions would be enough for the two of us. But as we ate, we wanted more. Haha.

Should we have just one more portion?

So naturally, we added one more portion of domestic pork ribs! You know how delicious meat somehow still fits even when you are full, right? Haha.

We topped a piece of perfectly cooked rib with scallion salad, then wrapped it up properly in ssam too. It was delicious right to the last bite.

If you have had meat, you need naengmyeon too

We had worked our way through those pork ribs so thoroughly, but of course we were not stopping there. Haha.

For dessert, we ordered one mul naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles in chilled broth), doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), and a bowl of rice. Then the two of us shared them nicely.

After meat, one bite of cool mul naengmyeon feels like it clears out your whole mouth, right? It went especially well after the sweet-savory marinated ribs.

It was delicious to put a remaining piece of rib on the naengmyeon and eat them together too. The doenjang jjigae arrived bubbling hot, which made it great with rice. You really feel like you have finished properly only after having doenjang jjigae and rice following the meat. Three portions of ribs, mul naengmyeon, doenjang jjigae, and rice between the two of us—we left very, very full.

A great spot for lunch in Gwangju, Gyeonggi

Jeongwon Galbi is at 110 Gyeongancheon-ro in Songjeong-dong, and I confirmed that it is open from 11 AM to 10 PM. In particular, they also have a variety of lunch-special set menus before 3 PM on weekdays!

So I think it could be a good option for anyone looking for a generous, good-value lunch in Gwangju, Gyeonggi. Above all, I liked that parking was easy and the restaurant was spacious. With the partitions dividing the space, we could have a more comfortable meal.

Next time, I am going to bring the kids and try the assorted beef platter too^^ If you are craving pork ribs with your family in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, keep Jeongwon Galbi in mind^^