Yakiniku near Jagalchi Station, Busan: tongue and rice, Yakiniku Gaek

Yakiniku Gaek, where you can really enjoy Japanese wagyu

Pork soup or raw fish are great meals for a Busan trip, but I kept thinking about the yakiniku (Japanese-style grilled meat) I didn't get to eat on my Tsushima trip T_T So I headed to Yakiniku Gaek in Nampo-dong for wagyu.

Tender wagyu and even a personal grill made this a really satisfying, special meal for a trip! It was 99.9% like the yakiniku you'd eat in Japan. I basically made up for what I missed in Tsushima right here, hahahahahaha

Where is Yakiniku Gaek Nampo-dong Main Branch, and when is it open?

Yakiniku Gaek Nampo-dong Main Branch is at 17 Gwangbok-ro, Jung-gu, Busan, on the 1st floor, near Nampo-dong and Kkangtong Market, so it's easy to fit into a sightseeing route. It's a perfect spot for dinner after Gukje Market, BIFF Square and Jagalchi Market, haha. For parking, use a nearby public lot, and it's close to Jagalchi Station too, so public transport access is good.

• Address: 17 Gwangbok-ro, Jung-gu, Busan (1st floor)
• Hours: Mon–Sat 14:00–01:00, Sun 13:00–12:00 (as written in the original)
• Naver reservations available

What is the atmosphere like inside Yakiniku Gaek?

The moment you walk into Yakiniku Gaek, it feels like a Japanese yakiniku restaurant. Every table has a personal grill, so you can cook the meat at your own pace, and it looked fine for dates, family meals and company dinners too.

One thing I remember: when I visited, there were Japanese guests at a group table. It felt like a seal of approval for a good restaurant, which got me even more excited, hahaha

I reserved before visiting, and they set us up at a table seat toward the back. All the side dishes were already laid out, which was convenient, haha.

What did two people order at Yakiniku Gaek, and how much was it?

My husband and I visited as a pair and ordered the Gaek set for two (₩65,000), one serving of Korean beef tongue (₩19,000), a bowl of rice, and Ebisu Premium draft beer (plus Chamisul soju).

The Gaek set for two was a generous lineup letting you try five cuts at once: galbi-sal (rib meat), buchae-sal (top blade), samgak-sal (tri-tip), anchang-sal (inside skirt) and kkot-sal (flower-pattern marbled beef).

There are also highballs, sake and other drinks, so take a look (there are even more than shown here). There's an aging fridge on one side of the kitchen too, packed full of meat. It looks delicious just looking at it,,

What kind of wagyu does Yakiniku Gaek serve?

They say Yakiniku Gaek only handles top-grade purebred wagyu. Wagyu refers to Japanese-breed cattle, graded by bloodline ratio, and this place reportedly uses only F4-grade purebred wagyu. They also use only marbling of MB7–9+, which they say is roughly the level of Korean beef 1++.

So when I grilled the meat, the smell was amazing...... If you want to really enjoy yakiniku in Busan, you'll definitely be happy with Yakiniku Gaek.

The Ebisu Premium draft beer is ₩10,000 a glass, so it's a bit pricey, but it's sooo smooth and tasty that I recommend it.

How did the wagyu and beef tongue at Yakiniku Gaek taste?

The wagyu at Yakiniku Gaek was much more tender than I expected. The plating was pretty too, which caught my eye even more, you know?

Once the whole spread was laid out, I thought, this is Japan.

Korean beef tongue with no gamey smell

When I eat yakiniku I always, always get beef tongue, and the Korean beef tongue at Yakiniku Gaek is delicious too. I was surprised that it had no fishy or gamey smell at all. With a light squeeze of lemon the flavor got much richer, and the chewy-yet-tender texture is so appealing!

My husband, who was trying beef tongue for the first time, enjoyed it too, and my expectations shot up from the very first bite!!! It also went really well with their house-made special sauce, so we started the meal in a great mood.

Gaek set for two: a different texture in every wagyu cut

We tried the Gaek set for two as well, and since every cut has a different texture, eating it was fun. When a place calls itself a yakiniku restaurant but isn't good, it just leaves your stomach feeling greasy, but maybe because Yakiniku Gaek uses good wagyu, I could taste a refined richness.

Does a bowl of rice really go with wagyu yakiniku?

I'm normally someone who barely eats rice with meat, but on Japanese variety shows and dramas, everybody eats yakiniku with rice, right?

So I ordered a bowl of rice too, and wow T_T the best pairing.... The combination really is that good.

Samgak-sal (tri-tip), anchang-sal (skirt) and kkot-sal (marbled cut)

The samgak-sal (tri-tip) was so tender that it became my husband's number one pick. It isn't an expensive cut per serving, yet it tasted even better than I expected.

I don't really like anchang-sal (inside skirt) because of its strong meaty smell, but at Yakiniku Gaek even the anchang-sal was delicious.

Finally, the kkot-sal (flower-pattern marbled beef) would be a foul if it weren't tasty! With such great marbling, it melted in my mouth.

Final verdict on Yakiniku Gaek Nampo-dong Main Branch

If you want to feel the Japanese yakiniku vibe in Busan, I totally recommend Yakiniku Gaek Nampo-dong Main Branch.

• Top-grade purebred wagyu
• MB7–9+ marbling
• Personal grills for a comfortable meal
• Beef tongue that's clean with no gamey smell
• An atmosphere that suits dates, family gatherings and company dinners

The meat was really tender and the atmosphere was great, so it was perfect for a date. I'd come back from a Japan trip that very day and chose it for dinner, and it still felt like a Japan trip, so it was a fitting way to wrap things up.