Rainy-day galbitang in Busan's Seomyeon, 30-min parking: Gang

I thought summer monsoon season was over, but the rain has come back and drizzly, and the once-cool weather is turning humid again. So sad. 🥲

But on a rainy day like this, you crave hot soup, right? So I rushed straight to Gang Galbitang, a galbitang (short rib soup) restaurant in Seomyeon, Busan. It's my #1 favorite galbitang place I've ever been to!! :)

Where is Gang Galbitang Seomyeon, and where do you park?

Gang Galbitang is a galbitang specialty restaurant located at 1F, 33 Saessak-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan. Walk 300 meters up from Exit 11 of Seomyeon Station toward Choeup and Busan Citizens Park, and you'll find it next to 'TT Hotel.' It's open from 9:20am to 9pm, with a break from 3pm to 4pm and last order at 8:20pm.

Gang Galbitang, a galbitang restaurant in Seomyeon, Busan, is located right in Seomyeon, making it a great spot when you want a hearty meal.

You can park at the Blue Parking Lot next to the building, and since they support 30 minutes of free parking for meals over ₩20,000, it's a great option even in notoriously parking-tight Seomyeon. :) We spent about an hour eating, so after getting the 30-minute support, we just paid an extra ₩1,500. Sweeeet. 🍯

Bar seats for solo diners, group tables and kiosk ordering

Inside Gang Galbitang Seomyeon, there's a bar table for solo diners, so a lot of people eating alone come here too. There are also tables for small groups or large parties, so it works whether you come alone or with a crowd.

I visited with my husband and we sat facing each other at a table. :)

You can order at the kiosk, or if you find kiosks inconvenient, you can order directly at the counter. There's a note by the kiosk saying 'If you have trouble using the kiosk, you can order at the counter,' and I thought that kind of message was really thoughtful. As I get older, I'll probably struggle with new technology too. 😸

On the table were seasonings you could add to your meal — pepper, salt, and red pepper powder — so you could add them as needed.

On the wall was a calligraphy piece reading 'pride,' and Gang Galbitang, the galbitang restaurant in Seomyeon, Busan, takes pride in 'making a fresh pot of soup every morning. All processes are done in-house. It may not be flashy, but we'll quietly sweat to make good food.' 👍🏻

Self-serve side dish refills and the photo-review hand cream

At the self-serve bar, you could grab extra side dishes, and it was kept extremely clean — totally satisfying! Hygiene and cleanliness were excellent here. I loved it so much!!!!🩷

There was even coffee available for dessert. Nice touch!

There was also a photo-review event where you get a Korean-made hand cream for leaving a review. I left a review and got the hand cream too. With hand-cream season coming up, total score. 💙

And once you try Gang Galbitang, you honestly want to take some home. Gang Galbitang also sells mealkits, so you can buy them too. If you buy a mealkit after eating in the restaurant, they give you ₩500 off each. Hehe. Still, the freshly boiled version at the restaurant tastes better, so we keep coming back often. 🩷

Gang Galbitang Seomyeon menu and prices

• Gang Galbitang ₩14,000 / Eolkeun Gang Galbitang (spicy) ₩15,000
• Gang Galbi Gukbap ₩9,500 / Eolkeun Gang Galbi Gukbap ₩10,500
• Gang Galbi Guksu ₩13,500
• Jeju Jungmyeon Noodles add-on ₩2,500 / Brisket add-on ₩3,000 / Brisket + Jeju Jungmyeon Noodles ₩5,000
• Arongsatae Suyuk (boiled beef shank) ₩28,000
• Gang Galbitang Mealkit (Regular, 1,100g) ₩13,000 / (Large, 1,350g + brisket add-on) ₩16,000

Spicy galbitang at level 1 vs the basic galbitang: how they taste

Last time I had the basic galbitang, but this time I went spicy while my husband ordered the basic one.

Everything came out neatly arranged on a tray. Galbitang, a bowl of rice, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), pickled chosuk-jam (Chinese artichoke), green chili, garlic, ssamjang (dipping sauce), a sauce, and tongs and scissors for breaking down the ribs.

The galbitang came out completely bubbling and steaming. Since it's served in a stone pot, you can eat it warm all the way to the last bite, which I loved even more.

I genuinely don't know how many rib bones were in there — the portion was huge. Happy happy!

My husband also added noodles, and you absolutely have to add the noodles. The thoroughly cooked noodles blended so well with the galbitang broth, giving that happy feeling of having ordered galbi guksu (rib noodle soup) as a bonus. The ribs in the galbitang were braised until the meat just melted in your mouth, so good. Dipping the meat in the provided sauce made it even better.

Gang Galbitang, the galbitang restaurant in Seomyeon, Busan, lets you choose spice level 1, 2, or 3 for the eolkeun galbitang. Level 2 is about as spicy as Shin Ramyun, so I went with level 1. Level 1 was pleasantly spicy and really tasty. It felt spicy yet you could still taste the deep flavor of the broth.

No matter how much meat you eat, it doesn't seem to run out. The rib bones had generous meat on them, so just looking at it made you feel full. The ribs were so well-cooked that they were easy to pick apart. The spicy galbitang had extra vegetables like bean sprouts, radish, and enoki mushrooms mixed in, which seemed to add to the spicy flavor.

The rib bones piled up. :) But even after that pile, there were still more hidden rib bones. Haha.

The kkakdugi and dried radish were so tasty that we went back for refills. The side dishes were so fresh and delicious, which I loved.

Whenever we come to Gang Galbitang, we always finish the whole pot.

Is Gang Galbitang Seomyeon worth a bowl in Seomyeon?

Gang Galbitang, the galbitang restaurant in Seomyeon, Busan, is close to both Bujeon Market and Seomyeon, so accessibility is great. It's solo-diner friendly, so it's great for a solo lunch or dinner, and there are also tables for groups, so it's good for visiting with several people too.

The hygiene and cleanliness were truly satisfying, and the taste was so good I want to say you really must try it. :) It's this delicious with such a generous portion, and yet a bowl of Gang Galbitang is only ₩14,000 — totally satisfying.

Gang Galbitang was great as a regular meal, as a hangover cure, or as a dish to go with drinks. 👍🏻