Incheon galbijjim lunch: spicy beef rib stew at Haemokjeong, Yeonsu

Cold in the morning, hot at noon, cold again in the evening... this weird weather lately... I'm the type who gets scared of catching a cold, haha. Whenever the weather swings around like this I always end up sick. This time I decided I was going to get through the season without a cold. And my boyfriend and I both agree the most important way to survive weird weather without getting sick is eating something good and meaty! While debating what to eat to build ourselves up, we decided to head to Haemokjeong Yeonsu Main Branch, a lunch spot in Yeonsu-dong, Incheon.

Where is Haemokjeong Yeonsu Main Branch, and what are the hours?

• Hours: 11:00–21:50 (daily)
• Break time: 15:00–16:00
• Parking: building parking available; if full, there's a public parking lot across the street on Beotkkotro

Haemokjeong Yeonsu Main Branch is a seafood rib stew specialist known for being featured on SBS's Live Today food segment, racking up 2 million YouTube views, and being a go-to Yeonsu-dong spot for a hearty, restorative meal. It's right near Yeonsu Station, so it's super easy to get to. They say they put together a generous spread with domestic Wando live abalone, aged pork ribs, beef ribs, and a variety of seafood — a proper seafood restaurant in Yeonsu-dong where you can really eat a full restorative meal.

There's plenty of seating inside so you can settle in comfortably. We went with a Naver Reservation booking.

There's group seating for 30+ people too, so it works for company dinners or group gatherings. They also have baby chairs, and wheelchair access at the restroom and entrance, so anyone can visit comfortably.

There's also a waiting area if there's a line, so you can wait comfortably. And they have cold barley tea to drink while you wait, so the wait time should fly by.

Side dishes and the self-service corner at Haemokjeong

The basic side dishes at Haemokjeong Yeonsu Main Branch include seaweed soup, braised potatoes, white kimchi, pickled chili peppers, chive salad, cold jellied noodles, and salad. I love black sesame dressing, so I was really happy the salad came with black sesame sauce.

Spicy chili flakes are set out at the table, so anyone who likes it hot can add as much as they want. (This spice wimp just watched from the sidelines... T_T)

If the basic side dishes run low, you can grab more from the self-service corner. There are also perilla leaves there if you want to wrap your meat.

What's on the menu at Haemokjeong Yeonsu Main Branch?

Haemokjeong Yeonsu Main Branch's signature dishes include seafood rib stew, seafood stew, abalone seafood hot pot, the Haemokjeong Emperor Special, boneless anglerfish stew, spicy pork/beef rib stew, chive-stir-fried octopus, and stir-fried octopus. They also have plenty of lunch menus that work well for one or two people without breaking the bank, which makes it a nice date spot too. And if it's your birthday, they'll give you a free squid seaweed soup made with an excellent broth.

Excluding weekends and holidays, they apparently give out free, unlimited makgeolli on weekdays until 3pm. (I had to go work out in the evening so I sadly had to pass on the makgeolli... T_T Next time I definitely need to try a weekday day-drinking session.)

They also say they'll give you a drink if you write a Naver review event post!

Spicy beef rib stew, 45,000 won, with a spice level you choose

• Price: ₩45,000
• Adjustable to mild, medium, or spicy

We were debating what to order and ended up craving meat, so we got the spicy beef rib stew for two. They say Haemokjeong's spicy beef rib stew uses top-grade beef ribs stir-fried in the restaurant's special sauce, giving it an addictive spicy-sweet flavor. It comes already cooked, so you only need to cook it about 5 more minutes before eating.

The spicy-sweet aroma had me practically drooling.

The meat is so tender the bone slides right out, so even if you end up here on a date with someone you're just getting to know, you don't have to worry about wrestling with the bones.

You've gotta eat it with the vegetables too~~

I normally don't eat the rice cake that comes in stews like this, but it was so well soaked in the sauce that I ended up really enjoying it.

My boyfriend wrapped some cold jellied noodles into a bite!! It's delicious wrapped up too.

Adding noodles and snow cheese: the order to do it in

Based on tips for eating it the best way, we decided to add noodle sarie (noodle add-on) and snow cheese. (Good call, I think.)

We were going to eat the noodles first and then add cheese, so the noodles went in first.

Haemokjeong's special sauce meeting the noodles — I already had a feeling this was going to be delicious before even tasting it.

Can you see it?? That color..! The noodles soaked up the sauce so well that the spicy-sweet chewy taste kept me coming back for more.

And of course you have to eat it with the meat too!

After eating a good amount of the noodles, we decided it was time to add the snow cheese.

It's like snow fell on the spicy beef rib stew~~ The cheese flavor was rich and paired so well with the sauce, we ate it up happily. Next time I'll have to try the fried rice too. (And the seafood stew!!)

Who should eat at Haemokjeong in Yeonsu?

• Anyone looking for a good restaurant near Yeonsu Station!
• Anyone looking for a date spot or a place to eat solo in Yeonsu-dong!
• Anyone looking for a family dinner spot!
• Anyone looking for a place that works for both lunch and dinner!