Spicy galbitang and barley gangjeong in Seoul: Achasan Tong Galbitang

Why Achasan Tong Galbitang after a day with no meals?

Ah, today was seriously one of those days — I was so busy from morning to night that I didn't get to eat a proper meal at all ㅠㅠ

I'd been running around all day without a moment to think, but once evening hit, my body just felt hollow, and I desperately thought, 'okay, today I absolutely need to eat something proper and filling!'

So I did a frantic search nearby for galbitang (short rib soup) that would really fill me up and fix my stomach, and that's how I found Achasan Tong Galbitang haha.

It had that real Achasan Station local-favorite energy, so I headed over without a second thought! Even on a weeknight, once I walked in, tons of customers were already eating!

Just as lively as you'd expect from a well-known Gwangjin spot. The moment I sat down and looked at the menu, one thing instantly caught my eye — 'spicy king galbitang'!

Today, for myself after such a rough day, I really craved something spicy, hot, and refreshing haha. No hesitation — I ordered the spicy king galbitang!

Barley gangjeong is free at the self-serve bar, or 3,000 won to buy

On one side of Achasan Tong Galbitang there's a self-serve corner where you can eat as much barley gangjeong as you want. They also sell it separately — ₩3,000 for one, ₩5,000 for two.

While waiting for my food, I was so hungry that I wandered over to check out the self-serve corner on the side — and lo and behold, barley gangjeong was set up right there among the side dishes, all-you-can-eat! haha

It was so nutty and delicious that I kept reaching for more, and it turns out they even sell it separately.

At such a nice price — ₩3,000 for one, ₩5,000 for two — I actually considered buying some on my way out hahaha. Right next to it, a variety of neatly arranged side dishes were laid out too!

Icy 17-grain misugaru: two cups straight down

Right beside that, there was actually a '17-grain misugaru' (roasted grain powder drink) spinning coolly in a machine with ice floating in it! Misugaru, of all things!! Is there anyone who doesn't like misugaru?!

I was so hungry before the galbitang arrived that I scooped up a cup of the icy misugaru and gulped it straight down... wow! The moment I drank it, my eyes just lit up haha.

As soon as I finished that cup, I found myself standing right back up to scoop another one hahaha. It was so rich, sweet, and nutty that I thought, 'wow, I want to come back just for this misugaru someday.' I'd believe it if someone told me this place was famous for its misugaru alone haha.

How much meat is in the spicy king galbitang?

Achasan Tong Galbitang's spicy king galbitang comes with a hefty king short rib bone that looks ready to burst out of the bowl, plus a generous amount of glass noodles and bean sprouts. The meat was so tender it practically fell off the bone when I cut into it with tongs and scissors.

Just as I was marveling over the delicious misugaru and barley gangjeong, the main dish — spicy king galbitang — finally showed up alongside the neat side dishes!

Wow, but the moment the stone pot arrived, my jaw dropped. The portion was seriously huge!

That big king rib bone looked like it was about to burst right through the bowl haha. I grabbed the tongs and scissors and carefully carved the meat off the bone — it was so tender it just slid right off!

There was a bowl of ssamjang (seasoned dipping sauce) on the table, so I dipped the tender meat in first — the nuttiness and saltiness together were so good!!

Looking into the soup, there were plenty of glass noodles, and even a generous amount of crunchy bean sprouts!

Rice stirred in, pot cleared: how does the broth taste?

I plopped a bowl of rice right in and started mixing it with the broth.

The broth was genuinely spicy but also so refreshing, maybe because of the bean sprouts — it felt like it cleared everything right out of my system! As I kept shoveling down the hot, spicy broth, my body started heating up and my nose even started running a little haha.

Blowing my nose with tissues in between, I basically filmed a full-on eating frenzy hahaha. It was so good that I scraped the broth almost down to the bottom of the bowl! Total clean-plate success hahaha. All the sorrow of missing a meal earlier just melted away.

The owner's seven-falls, eight-rises story on the wall

Oh, and on one wall of the restaurant, the owner had honestly written out the moving history of failing and succeeding over the years in the food business hahaha.

Reading it was surprisingly fun, and seeing the owner's story of getting back up again and again after failing made me think, 'ah, that's why the food has so much depth to it!' It really felt like a space filled with the owner's persistence and passion haha.

If you're exhausted and hungry after a long day and craving a hearty, deep-flavored soup, I seriously recommend Achasan Tong Galbitang, a favorite near Achasan Station!

From the sweet misugaru all the way to the spicy, refreshing king galbitang, you can enjoy the full course perfectly haha. I'm already planning to come back soon when I'm craving that hot broth again!