Busan Korean BBQ alley with free wild ginseng: Choryang Hyeongje Galbi

A Choryang pork rib restaurant that even serves wild ginseng: Choryang Hyeongje Galbi.

When you think of Choryang, you think of pork ribs! We had everything from raw ribs to seasoned ribs, properly 🥩 I was back in Choryang, Busan after a while and while trying to figure out what to eat for dinner, I found the Choryang pork rib alley.

Of all the spots there, I went to Choryang Hyeongje Galbi, famous for serving wild ginseng alongside the meal. Spoiler: the two of us walked out really, really full 😂

Is there a wait at Choryang galbi alley on a weekend evening?

We arrived at Choryang Hyeongje Galbi just after 7:30pm on a weekend, and a table happened to open up right away, so we sat down immediately. But customers kept coming in even past 9pm. I guess the Choryang rib alley really is a spot to hit in the evening.

Choryang Hyeongje Galbi menu and prices

• 🐷 Domestic seasoned pork ribs ₩12,000
• 🥩 Domestic raw pork ribs ₩12,000
• 🥓 Domestic pork belly ₩12,000
• 🍖 Domestic pork neck ₩12,000
• 🍲 Doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) ₩3,000
• 🍜 Cold kimchi noodle soup ₩5,000
• 🌶️ Kimchi kalguksu (noodle soup) ₩5,000
• 🍜 Seafood ramyeon ₩5,000

The prices weren't too heavy compared to how expensive meat restaurants have gotten these days, which was nice.

The free spread: wild ginseng, three kimchis and a kimchi pancake

As soon as we sat down, the free side dishes turned out to be more generous than I expected. Green onion kimchi, aged kimchi, and white kimchi all came out, and then wild ginseng showed up as a free service item too! 🌱

Apparently everything is made in-house at the restaurant! I came for pork ribs and suddenly became someone taking care of their health haha.

On top of that, kimchi pancake and steamed egg came out too, so we were already picking at all sorts of things before the meat even arrived.

Three servings of domestic raw pork ribs, grilled by the staff

We first ordered 3 servings of domestic raw pork ribs. Staff grilled the meat for us directly, so we could just relax and eat without worrying about timing.

Taking a bite of the nicely browned raw ribs, the meat itself had really good flavor. It was fine dipped lightly in salt, and when I asked for sesame oil to dip it in instead, the nutty flavor added something special too.

Personally, pairing it with the green onion kimchi was also great 👍

The 3,000 won doenjang jjigae

And then, mid-meal, we ordered the doenjang jjigae!

For just ₩3,000, it had tofu, mushrooms, and small octopus, plus cheonggukjang (fermented soybean paste) mixed in, making it savory yet refreshing 🍲 Eating a spoonful of rice with it after the meat felt like a proper finish.

Two servings of seasoned pork ribs that aren't too sweet

After finishing the raw ribs, we added 2 servings of seasoned pork ribs too.

Seasoned ribs can burn quickly if you're not careful, but the owner grilled them for us directly, so it was easy. Best of all, the seasoning wasn't too sweet, which I really liked.

The subtle garlic aroma blended well with the seasoning, making it perfect to eat with rice too.

The verdict on Choryang Hyeongje Galbi

From raw ribs to seasoned ribs, a Choryang restaurant that impressed with its generous free sides!

Between the two of us, we thoroughly finished 3 servings of raw ribs, 2 servings of seasoned ribs, doenjang jjigae, and a bowl of rice. Having staff grill the meat tableside made things easy, and the generous free sides — wild ginseng, kimchi pancake, steamed egg and all — made this a memorable spot 😊 A solid place to stop by when you're craving pork ribs in Choryang.