Anyang Korean BBQ for charcoal pork ribs: Sannae Sutbul Galbi

The day I was craving marinated galbi in Bakdal-dong

What do you need when your energy is running low? A protein recharge with meat, of course! My friend and I had both been feeling a little drained lately and were deciding what to eat when a serious craving for marinated galbi hit, so we visited Sannae Sutbul Galbi Bakdal Branch, a meat restaurant in Bakdal-dong. Let me tell you about their properly marinated, wonderfully juicy galbi!

Sannae Sutbul Galbi Bakdal Branch location and parking

Sannae Sutbul Galbi was tucked into an alley in Bakdal-dong. There is space for about one or two cars in front of the restaurant, and if there is no room, they say you can use the Anyang 7 Riverside Parking Lot. The Anyang 7 Riverside Parking Lot is free!

The exterior already looked neatly kept, and when I went inside, I was surprised by how spotlessly the interior was managed for a meat restaurant. I couldn't sense any grease at all! The owner seems to care a great deal about cleanliness. Even though it was still early evening, tables were already filling up, which surprised me. It really seemed like a local favorite that people in Bakdal-dong, Anyang visit often!

Ordering marinated Korean pork ribs and sides

Sannae Sutbul Galbi's signature menu was marinated Korean pork ribs. In this era of high prices, ₩15,000 for one serving is such a good price for marinated pork ribs. We immediately ordered two servings!

They also had a very wide range of good-value side dishes to enjoy with the meat. Even naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) was ₩6,000!!! These days, restaurant prices can feel burdensome, but Sannae Sutbul Galbi seemed very reasonably priced. So my friend and I also ordered doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew), steamed egg, and two bowls of rice as sides.

At Sannae Sutbul Galbi, you grill the ribs yourself, but every table has instructions on how to cook them deliciously. We followed them and were able to enjoy the meat without burning it—really deliciously.

Sweet-and-savory marinated galbi grilled over charcoal

The side dishes and marinated pork ribs arrived. I had eaten lunch late and didn't think I was hungry, but the moment I saw the beautiful color of Sannae Sutbul Galbi Bakdal Branch's marinated ribs, my mouth started watering...

It had been a while since I had gone out for galbi, so I had almost forgotten the taste, but these marinated ribs, thoroughly infused with sweet-and-savory seasoning, seriously got my appetite going.

The charcoal arrived, and it was finally time to grill the meat in earnest!

Seeing the grill packed with marinated ribs made me want to eat even sooner..! The charcoal was doing its job, so the meat cooked really well.

As I turned the meat while grilling it, it began to take on a brown color. The sweet, lightly salty scent of galbi drifted up as it cooked.

Once all the meat was cooked, I first had it with onion. The ribs were properly seasoned—not overwhelmingly salty and not overly sweet. They had a full charcoal aroma on the outside while staying juicy inside, both in texture and flavor. My friend and I enjoyed them so much that we said we could each eat two servings just of the meat.

The ssam vegetables were fresh too, making them perfect for wraps. There were seasoned shredded scallions, ssamjang (savory soybean dipping paste), and wasabi, so it was nice to enjoy the ribs in different ways.

This combination of a piece of meat on white rice with a little ssamjang was so delicious too! Above all, as befits a restaurant I came to know as a great Bakdal-dong meat spot, the ribs themselves were so good that they would have been delicious with anything, really.

₩3,000 doenjang-jjigae and steamed egg

The doenjang-jjigae we ordered as a side tasted unbelievable for ₩3,000. It was packed with vegetables including tofu, zucchini, and onion, and even had meat in it..! I love doenjang-jjigae with big pieces of tofu, and Sannae Sutbul Galbi Bakdal Branch had nice large chunks, making it exactly my kind of stew.

The rich smell of the steamed egg really tickled my nose from the moment it was served. It had a bouncy, fluffy texture. My friend and I scraped every bit from the earthenware bowl and finished it all.

Finally, we picked every last bit of meat off the bones. From the signature marinated pork ribs to the sides, Sannae Sutbul Galbi was a Bakdal-dong meat restaurant where we enjoyed every single thing!