Korean BBQ in Gwangalli, then a slow mailbox letter: Haean Sutbul

Where is Haean Sutbul Galbi Gwangalli Main Branch?

Haean Sutbul Galbi Gwangalli Main Branch (해안숯불갈비 광안리 본점) is a charcoal galbi restaurant on Namcheonbada-ro, a one-minute walk from Gwangalli Beach and near Geumnyeonsan Station. I'd been eating nothing but raw fish and seafood lately, and suddenly I was craving real galbi, sweet and savory with smoky charcoal flavor. I heard there was a place near Gwangalli that does galbi insanely well, so I went.

• Address: 35 Namcheonbada-ro, Suyeong-gu, Busan (1st floor)
• Hours: daily 17:00 to 01:00 the next day
• Last order: 00:00
• Parking: no dedicated lot; use nearby paid lots (Yeonyang Bulgogi Busan House lot, Gwangmyeong Building lot)

What is the atmosphere like at Haean Sutbul Galbi?

The restaurant's retro, homey vibe really stood out. You feel it the moment you walk in.

The seats are set up with the kind of cozy seat-style chairs you used to see on old buses and subways, so the retro feeling hits you the second you sit down, haha.

On top of that, the walls and menu boards have menu items casually written in stylish brush calligraphy, giving off that vintage vibe of an old-school street tent bar or a real local gem.

Every table has a kiosk for easy ordering, and each seat has a sheet kindly explaining how to eat the meat better and how to control the heat. You could feel the thoughtfulness even in the small details.

How was the raw and marinated pork galbi set?

To really get a feel for Haean Sutbul Galbi, I ordered the raw galbi and marinated galbi set! They only use domestic grade 1 chilled meat, and maybe that's why the meat quality was honestly a work of art.

Raw pork galbi: dried shrimp salt and scallion salad wraps

First, the premium raw pork galbi went onto the heated charcoal with a loud sizzle. Since raw galbi has no marinade, you get the plain, savory flavor of the meat itself. The charcoal aroma soaks in softly, and the juices burst out the more you chew. So good!

Dipping it in the special salt made from ground barley shrimp (boriset-u) was delicious, and wrapping it in fresh lettuce with scallion salad (pa-chae) made me exclaim out loud.

Marinated pork galbi: swap the grill for sweet galbi

After the raw galbi opened up our appetites, we had the grill changed and switched to grade 1 chilled marinated pork galbi.

They say the meat is aged for 72 hours at low temperature in a special marinade made with fresh vegetables like pear and bellflower root (doraji), and maybe that's why the sweet smell as it slowly cooks on the grill was already cheating. The marinade isn't too sweet or too salty, just right, so it's gentle rather than harsh and melts in your mouth.

Alternating between the plain raw galbi and the sweet marinated galbi, there was no time to get tired of it, haha.

What does the pork tail taste like at Haean Sutbul Galbi?

If you join the Naver receipt review event at Haean Sutbul Galbi, you get a free taster pork tail (120g), which is described as a premium version of pork skin!

Honestly, after the generous raw and marinated galbi, everyone was already stuffed. I was thinking, "I'm full, can I even fit more meat...?" But one bite of the golden-grilled pork tail and, whoa, what's this, haha 👀✨

The pork tail comes with the fat and bones neatly trimmed and packed with marinade. It's super chewy like the skin on jokbal (braised pig's feet), and the savory, rich flavor gets crazy the more you chew, haha. The free one was so good that we ordered more and ate to our heart's content 🤣 Dipped in the special spicy sauce or soy sauce, nothing beats it as a drinking snack! lol

To finish, we had a spicy, deep-flavored seafood doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) too, which made it a perfect course, haha.

What can you do at Gwangalli Beach after the meal?

Right across the street from Haean Sutbul Galbi is Gwangalli Beach, and in front of it stands a "slow mailbox" that delivers your letter one year later. The restaurant is toward the end of Gwangalli Beach, so before coming I worried the sea might be a bit far, but not at all.

Since there was a slow mailbox, we wrote letters to our future selves a year from now, laughing as we peeked at what each other wrote. It was short, but we laughed a ton and made meaningful memories, and I loved it so so much 🤣

Is Haean Sutbul Galbi worth going back to?

I came for good meat, and thanks to Haean Sutbul Galbi I also made small, pretty memories on the beach. It was a happy time 💕 I recommend it to anyone who wants to enjoy quality raw and marinated galbi together near Gwangalli Beach, and to anyone who wants to fall for the chewy pork tail that's hard to find elsewhere, all in a retro setting. The meat, the mood, and the beach stroll right outside all satisfied me so much that I'm 200% going back 👍✨