Gasan-ro Korean restaurant in Seoul: ₩33,000 spicy ribs, Gim Myeongtae

I went to Gim Myeongtae Spicy Braised Short Ribs Gasan Branch for dinner near Gasan Digital Complex.

With a name like spicy braised short ribs, I was curious how spicy it would actually be, but you could choose your spice level.

We ordered the small spicy braised short ribs at medium spice, along with hotpot rice.

Where is Gim Myeongtae Gasan Branch, and what are its hours?

• 132-1 Gasan-ro, 1st floor, Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Daily 10:00–22:30, last order 21:50
• Parking spot available beside the restaurant
• If full, use the public lot across the crosswalk right in front
• ₩1,000 parking fee covered when using the public lot

Menu and prices at Gim Myeongtae Spicy Braised Short Ribs

At Gim Myeongtae Spicy Braised Short Ribs Gasan Branch, the spicy braised short ribs come in small (₩33,000), medium (₩47,000), and large (₩58,000). Besides the basic version, there were several varieties like kimchi braised ribs, bean sprout braised ribs, and dried radish green braised ribs.

Looking at the menu, besides the basic spicy braised short ribs, there were several varieties like kimchi braised ribs, bean sprout braised ribs, and dried radish green braised ribs. We ordered the small spicy braised short ribs for ₩33,000. Medium was ₩47,000 and large was ₩58,000.

You can also choose your spice level. Since it was our first visit, we picked medium spice.

How spicy is the medium level? About like Shin Ramyun

The medium spice at Gim Myeongtae was, by my standard, about as spicy as Shin Ramyun (a popular instant ramen brand). It arrived with big chunks of ribs piled high with bean sprouts, meant to be simmered at the table.

When the spicy braised short ribs arrive, the big ribs come topped with a heap of bean sprouts. You simmer it bubbling at the table and mix the bean sprouts into the sauce as you eat.

Medium spice was, by my standard, about as spicy as Shin Ramyun. With a name like spicy braised short ribs I expected it to be quite hot, but for me it wasn't too much to handle.

I'm more of a tender-meat person than a bean-sprout person. The ribs were big with thick meat on them. Tasting it, the meat was tender and the sauce had soaked in well.

The sauce was sweet, spicy-tangy, and rich. It soaked all the way into the ribs, which made it even better.

Writing this post is making me crave it again. I think I'll be back soon!

Spicy braised short ribs with hotpot rice

We ordered hotpot rice on the side. Spooning the hot rice out to eat with the well-seasoned ribs was, as expected, a great match.

Spooning the hot rice out to eat with the well-seasoned ribs was, as expected, a great match.

The braised ribs alone weren't a small portion, and with the hotpot rice too it was quite filling. I usually love the crispy rice crust at the bottom of hotpot rice once you pour water over it, and I always make sure to eat it. This time I was too full to finish the crust.

Even at the small size, as you can see in the photo above, the ribs and bean sprouts come out generously.

Side dishes and the self-serve corn salad bar

The basic side dishes at Gim Myeongtae Spicy Braised Short Ribs Gasan Branch were corn salad, kimchi, and pickled radish, along with a clear bean sprout soup. There's a self-serve bar on one side of the restaurant where you can help yourself to more of any side dish.

The basic side dishes were corn salad, kimchi, and pickled radish, along with a clear bean sprout soup.

There's a separate self-serve bar on one side of the restaurant, so you could grab as much of any side dish as you needed.

During our visit there was also a Naver receipt review event running. Writing a review let you choose one of noodles for the sauce, glass noodles, or a drink.

Event details can change, so check when you visit.

Parking at Gim Myeongtae Gasan Branch near Gasan Digital Complex

There's parking space beside the restaurant, and if it's open you can just park there. When we visited, we parked at the public lot right across the crosswalk in front. It was close enough that getting to the restaurant was really easy, and using the public lot got us ₩1,000 off parking, covered by the restaurant.

Gasan-dong is a neighborhood where parking can be a hassle if you're driving, so it's worth knowing that even if the spot beside the restaurant is full, you can use the public lot across the street.

Is Gim Myeongtae worth a visit? Final verdict

This time we tried the most basic spicy braised short ribs at medium spice. By my standard it was about as spicy as Shin Ramyun, the meat was tender, and the sweet, spicy-tangy, rich sauce had soaked in nicely. The menu had several other types of braised ribs, so next time I'd like to try something else.