Opening-time lunch at Dongam, a Gijang tteokgalbi restaurant near IKEA

It's really starting to feel like fall out there >.< Where's everyone headed this weekend?! I went to IKEA Busan with a close friend of mine. Honestly, I need to go every season and shop, eat, and play around all day just to blow off some steam!

Before IKEA shopping I wanted a solid home-style meal, so I stopped by this famous tteokgalbi (grilled beef patty) spot in Gijang — let me introduce you to Dongam Tteokgalbi!

Where is Dongam Tteokgalbi, and what are its hours and parking?

Dongam Tteokgalbi is at 160 Gijanghaean-ro, 3rd floor, Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan. Hours are Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00 (break time 15:00–16:30), and Sat–Sun 11:00–21:00 with no break. They offer group seating, reservations, Wi-Fi, separate men's/women's restrooms, a waiting area, takeout, kids' chairs, and parking.

Dongam Tteokgalbi is a hot lunch spot in Gijang! The parking lot is spacious too, so we parked with plenty of room and headed up to the 3rd floor — gogo.

The waiting area was spacious and pleasant! As soon as we walked in, the AC was blasting — so refreshing haha. Even though we basically ran there for opening, there were already quite a lot of customers! A famous restaurant really is different — bustling even at lunchtime.

The window seats have a view of Lotte Mall and feel open, so it seems like a nice spot to eat while looking outside!

What's on the menu at Dongam Tteokgalbi?

Dongam Tteokgalbi is a tteokgalbi set-meal specialist that fills the table and completes a full meal — the set includes meat, rice, side dishes, sauce, and vegetables for a balanced spread. You can choose your tteokgalbi type — hanwoo tteokgalbi, cream cheongyang tteokgalbi, cheese tteokgalbi, or Dongam tteokgalbi — and it comes filled out with 15 side dishes, wrap vegetables, seasonal namul, kimchi, seaweed soup, and seafood doenjang stew.

All the tteokgalbi is made with 100% beef, aged for at least a day in a special soy-sauce-based marinade, then grilled carefully over charcoal, they say. Each type of meat, fire-grilled and grease-trimmed, comes topped with its own sauce.

Hanwoo tteokgalbi 22,000 won vs Dongam tteokgalbi 15,000 won

We each ordered one — the hanwoo tteokgalbi and the Dongam tteokgalbi. One dish per person, order complete!

• Hanwoo tteokgalbi ₩22,000 — a premium tteokgalbi made with 100% domestic Korean beef. Soft texture and rich flavor are the highlights
• Dongam tteokgalbi ₩15,000 — a traditional tteokgalbi set that draws out deep flavor through low-temperature aging

The table was set the moment we ordered >.< wow

What's on the self-serve side bar with unlimited refills?

The table setup was seriously perfect b — hotpot rice, meat (tteokgalbi), vegetables, stew, all laid out, and everything else can be refilled endlessly from the self-bar!

Let's take a look at what's on the self-bar?! Fried rice, sausage-vegetable stir-fry, tteokbokki, tofu kimchi, seaweed soup, brown rice, various namul, kimchi, seafood stir-fry, jjajang, roasted seaweed, steamed egg

The self-bar... honestly it made me wonder if this counts as a Korean buffet... the quality was great and it made for a hearty home-cooked-style meal!

The tteokgalbi we ordered came out fist-sized! The handmade hanwoo tteokgalbi was marked with a pick haha. At a glance they look kind of similar, don't they?!

A neatly arranged tteokgalbi set. The hotpot rice gets scooped into an individual bowl, and hot water is poured in to finish it off

How did the tteokgalbi at Dongam taste?

Let's cut into the tteokgalbi! Wow......... the juicy tenderness right there.... @_@ this looks so good ㅜㅜ My friend and I said it reminded us of the hamburg steak we had in Japan a while back haha the quality is insane...... I love it so much.......

Dipped in the special sauce, it's such a good sweet-and-salty combo! It melts right in your mouth

The doenjang stew had big chunks of crab in it too, so the broth was deep and rich, and all the side dishes were delicious too haha

I lost count of how many times I went back for more side dishes... haha the tteokbokki was genuinely delicious too — this place is a tteokbokki spot too bb I think I ate about 5 plates

A spoonful of rice with tteokgalbi on top, plus some side dishes, for one big bite. Yeah, a person really needs a proper bowl of rice haha this finally feels like an actual meal

The hotpot rice with hot water poured in stays warm and is great topped with side dishes too

Since it's tteokgalbi made with 100% beef, it's a dish that anyone — any age, any gender — can enjoy without complaint ♥

Who is Dongam Tteokgalbi best for?

I'd recommend Dongam Tteokgalbi to anyone wanting a healthy meal that's not too intense, to parents, kids, anyone looking for a dining-out option that any age or gender can enjoy, and it's great for group gatherings, family meals, or dates! Haedong Yonggungsa area Korean food spot / Gijang Lotte Outlet hotpot rice set spot / Gijang lunch spot