Boneless pork galbi grilled rolling-style in Pyeongtaek: Ihwajeong

I was in Pyeongtaek recently when my daughter suddenly said she wanted pork galbi, so we went out for dinner.

While looking for a good pork galbi spot in Pyeongtaek, I found Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi (이화정 숯불돼지갈비).

Parking and the dining room at Ihwajeong in Pyeongtaek

Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi is on the 2nd floor of a building on Manse-ro in Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi. There were stairs, but also an elevator, and the dedicated parking lot was fairly spacious, so it was easy to visit by car.

Inside, the tables had generous spacing, and there were seats set up for larger groups too. It seemed like a good spot for a family meal or a gathering.

Boneless seasoned pork galbi: what makes it easy to eat

Looking at the menu, there was seasoned pork galbi, seasoned pork ribs, beef galbisal, and more. Alongside the usual bone-in pork galbi, a boneless seasoned pork galbi caught my eye. We ordered three servings of it that day. The boneless galbi we ordered was sliced thick, so it looked easy to eat.

Basic banchan (side dishes) included seasoned crab, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), salad, and radish salad, and we could grab more banchan or wrap vegetables ourselves from the self-bar.

How to grill the thick pork galbi: keep rolling it over the charcoal

When the meat came out, I noticed the table had instructions for grilling it well: rather than leaving the meat in one spot too long, you're meant to roll it and flip it often. So I followed that exactly.

Once the meat hit the charcoal, it sizzled away, and a sweet marinade scent mixed with the charcoal smoke rose up together. Taking a bite of the nicely browned meat, it was much more tender than I expected.

Since it was thick, I worried it might be chewy, but there was almost no toughness when I bit into it — the texture was moist. The marinade wasn't overly sweet either, more of a gentle sweetness. According to the restaurant, they use pear in the marinade and do a 144-hour cross-aging process, alternating between cold storage and marinade aging. Eating it, the marinade flavor didn't stand out strongly but blended naturally with the meat.

Wrapping a piece of the meat in lettuce with onion and radish salad, the sweet meat combined with crunchy, tangy flavors — this was my favorite way to eat it, as a wrap.

After the meat, mul naengmyeon (cold noodle soup)

After the meat, we also ordered mul naengmyeon (cold noodle soup).

The broth was cool and clean, great for resetting the palate after the seasoned meat. The noodles paired well with the meat too, making me think it'd be a shame to skip naengmyeon when eating pork galbi.

A pear smoothie to finish the meal

Walking out after the meal, we also tried a pear smoothie. Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi shares a brand story about a grandmother who planted a pear tree for her grandson.

Since pear is also used in the marinade, it was fun to see a pear smoothie offered after the meal. It had that distinct sweet, cool pear flavor, which worked well as a palate cleanser after the meat.

Is Ihwajeong worth it for pork galbi in Pyeongtaek?

We ended up here thanks to my daughter, and the boneless seasoned pork galbi turned out thick yet tender, with a gentle marinade flavor that paired well with the charcoal aroma. The parking was spacious and the restaurant itself felt roomy, so it worked well for a family meal or a group visit.

If you're looking for a place to eat pork galbi in Pyeongtaek, or a restaurant near Sosabeol, Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi is worth considering. Try the meat with naengmyeon like we did, and finish it off with a pear smoothie.