Pyeongtaek galbi restaurant, garlic-radish lettuce wraps: Ihwajeong

A Pyeongtaek pork galbi favorite, Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi 🍖

Today I visited Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi, a great spot when you're craving good pork galbi in Pyeongtaek.

With pork galbi, what really matters is how well the seasoning has soaked in and how tender the meat is, right?

Ihwajeong grills thick-cut pork over charcoal, and it's not just the meat — the side dishes come in a wide variety, and the parking lot is spacious enough to make it a solid choice for family meals or group gatherings. 😊 Especially with cold noodles rounding out the meal, I left feeling fully satisfied.

Where is Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi, and what are the hours and parking?

Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi is on the 2nd floor of a building at 1662 Manse-ro, Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do, and there's a large private parking lot to use. Hours are Mon–Fri 16:00–22:00 and Sat–Sun 10:00–22:00, with no break time.

• 📌 Name: Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi
• 📍 Address: 1662 Manse-ro, Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do
• ⏰ Hours: Mon–Fri 16:00–22:00 / Sat–Sun 10:00–22:00, no break time
• 🚗 Parking: Large private parking lot available
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Group-friendly
• 🏠 Room available: seats 5–16, floor seating
• 🚻 Restrooms: separate men's/women's
• 👶 High chairs available

Ihwajeong is on the 2nd floor. There are stairs, but also an elevator, so getting up was easy. It's right above Mikkodam restaurant, so it wasn't hard to find at all.

What I liked most was the parking lot! The space was really generous, so you don't have to worry about parking when you visit. 🚗

🏠 Inside Ihwajeong: how spacious is the dining room?

Inside Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi, there are large tables that seat about 8 people and group seating, making it well suited for family meals or company dinners. The tables were also spaced out generously.

Walking inside, the space was much bigger than I expected! The tables were spaced generously, and there was group seating for larger parties too.

There were especially large tables like 8-seaters, which looked great for family meals, gatherings with friends, or company dinners. The space is divided by partial walls with clear windows, so each table feels somewhat separated from the others. It felt like the layout was designed so groups could dine comfortably. 😊

Self-service corner at Ihwajeong ✔️

On one side there was a self-service corner too.

The self-bar had onion, lettuce, garlic, chili peppers, ssamjang (thick dipping sauce), and other wrap vegetables and sides that pair well with the meat.

There was also vinegar and mustard for the cold noodles, plus onion sauce, salt and sesame oil.

Small plates, tongs and scissors were also provided, so you could just grab whatever you needed. It was nice being able to help yourself whenever side dishes or vegetables ran low! 👍

🍽️ Ihwajeong menu and prices

At Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi, the seasoned pork grill is ₩17,000, seasoned pork galbi is ₩19,000, and beef galbisal is ₩24,000. We ordered two servings of seasoned pork grill, two cold noodles, two bowls of rice, doenjang stew (soybean paste stew), and a Pepsi Zero.

• (2cm thick, juicy and flavorful) Seasoned pork grill ₩17,000
• (144-hour cross-aged) Seasoned pork galbi ₩19,000
• (soy-garlic marinade) Beef galbisal ₩24,000

What we ordered at Ihwajeong

• Seasoned pork grill x2
• Cold noodles x2
• Rice x2
• Doenjang stew
• Pepsi Zero

That's what we ordered. I'm the type who feels something's missing without rice with meat, so we got rice too. 😋

🥗 The banchan spread before the pork even hits the grill

Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi sets the table with seasoned crab, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), potato salad, radish salad, salad and more banchan. It was tasty enough that we asked for a refill before the meat even came out.

After a short wait, the side dishes arrived first. Ihwajeong really brings out a wide variety of banchan!

From seasoned crab to japchae, potato salad, radish salad and green salad, the table was filled with a bunch of side dishes.

📸 The seasoned crab and japchae especially caught my eye, and while waiting for the meat, we kept picking at them one by one and before I knew it, my chopsticks wouldn't stop moving. 😂 With so many different banchan, there were plenty of ways to combine them with the meat too.

The banchan were so good we ended up asking for a refill before the meat even arrived. At a BBQ place I think the side dishes matter as much as the main dish, and here that part was very satisfying. If you love good banchan, you'll enjoy this place! ✨

🍖 How does the 2cm-thick seasoned pork grill actually taste?

Ihwajeong's seasoned pork grill for two comes sliced a thick 2cm, and despite being thick, it was tender, not chewy, and moist. The seasoning was sweet without being too intense.

Finally, today's star, the seasoned pork grill for two, arrived! The meat was sliced so thick it looked delicious just sitting there.

Ihwajeong reportedly uses carefully selected pork ribs and shoulder, cut thick to preserve the flavor and juiciness of the original meat. Once it went on the grill, they started browning it beautifully.

Watching the meat sizzle over the charcoal made me want to dig in right away. 🔥 As it cooked, the sweet aroma of the seasoning mingled with the charcoal smell and really stirred up my appetite. Ihwajeong's pork galbi apparently uses pear for natural sweetness and goes through a 144-hour cross-aging process of refrigerated aging and marinade aging. Maybe thanks to the pear-based marinade, the meat had a subtle sweetness, and the seasoning had really soaked in — it was delicious. Above all, the meat was so tender!

Even sliced thick, it wasn't tough at all, and biting in gave a moist texture. The seasoning wasn't overly intense either, just sweet enough that I kept reaching for more. 😋

🔥 Charcoal-grilled pork galbi in a lettuce wrap with garlic and radish salad

Ihwajeong reportedly uses twice-burned charcoal and rice husk smoking to give the pork galbi a subtle smoky aroma. Grilling the meat, I could really taste that distinctive charcoal note. Combined with the sweet flavor typical of seasoned pork galbi, the overall flavor felt even richer. I really love grilling garlic when I eat meat. 🧄

So this time too I drizzled sesame oil over garlic and grilled it until golden brown. I topped a piece of lettuce with the well-grilled garlic, onion, radish salad and a piece of meat, and wrapped it up — this combination was genuinely delicious!

The sweet seasoned meat, crunchy onion, tangy radish salad and nutty garlic all came together in a great mix of flavors in every bite.

🍚 Pork galbi with a spoonful of rice

Topping warm white rice with a well-grilled piece of pork galbi made the rice disappear fast. The combination of well-seasoned meat and white rice never fails.

If you're someone who always wants rice with your meat, be sure to order a bowl too!

🥘 Savory doenjang stew and a warm bowl of rice

Ihwajeong's doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) has a rich, savory aroma that goes great alternating with the sweet seasoned pork galbi. It's a bit of a letdown if a meal of meat doesn't come with stew, right? 😆

We ordered doenjang stew along with the seasoned pork grill. It came out bubbling, with a savory soybean paste aroma that paired well with the meat. Topping white rice with a nicely charcoal-grilled piece of pork galbi and adding a spoonful of the stew made a bowl of rice disappear in no time. 🍚

Switching between the sweet seasoned pork galbi and the savory doenjang stew kept things from getting repetitive, so I kept eating without getting tired of it. If you want a hearty meal of meat and rice, order the doenjang stew too! 😋

🍜 Cold mul-naengmyeon to finish the meat

Ihwajeong's mul-naengmyeon (cold noodle soup) comes in a cool broth with floating ice shards, cleanly cutting through the sweetness of the seasoned meat. Rolling a piece of meat into the noodles was an especially great combination.

After finishing the meat, we ordered cold noodles to wrap things up. Isn't finishing pork galbi with cold noodles just the standard rule? 😂

The cold noodles arrived with ice shards floating on top, looking refreshing just from the sight of it. One sip of the broth spread a cold, refreshing flavor through my mouth. It felt like it cleanly reset the sweetness left over from the seasoned meat. And really, pork galbi tastes best paired with cold noodles!

Rolling a piece of meat into the noodles and eating them together, the tangy, cool noodles and sweet seasoned meat blended really well. It had a different charm from eating the meat alone. If you love the meat-and-noodles combo, definitely order it together!

🍐 Pear smoothie for dessert at Ihwajeong

At Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi you can enjoy a pear smoothie for dessert after the meal. Sweet and cold, it was the perfect way to cleanse the palate after the meat.

After finishing the meal, we also tried the pear smoothie for dessert. Looking into Ihwajeong's story, it mentioned that the grandmother planted a pear tree for her grandson — a menu item using that pear felt even more special because of it. 😊 The pear smoothie tasted like a smoothly blended pear drink.

The distinctive sweet, cool flavor of pear was perfect for cleansing the palate after the meat. Sometimes after eating meat you crave something sweet, and this pear smoothie filled that craving perfectly. It was sweet without being heavy, and I enjoyed it a lot. If you visit Ihwajeong, be sure to try the pear smoothie after your meal! 🍐

✨ Final verdict — who should book a table at Ihwajeong?

After trying the seasoned pork grill and cold noodles at Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi, my conclusion is that the thick, juicy meat and subtle charcoal aroma stood out, and the banchan were substantial too. With its large parking lot and roomy interior, it's a solid choice for family meals or group gatherings.

Overall, the meat was tender with the seasoning soaked in well, making for a delicious meal. Personally, my favorite combination was the lettuce wrap with grilled garlic, onion and radish salad. 😋 Adding the refreshing cold noodles on top made for a hearty, satisfying meal.

• ✔️ Looking for a Pyeongtaek BBQ restaurant with a large parking lot
• ✔️ You love thick seasoned pork galbi
• ✔️ You need a spot for family meals or group gatherings
• ✔️ You love the combo of pork galbi and cold noodles

If any of these describe you, Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi is worth checking out. If you've been looking for great pork galbi in Pyeongtaek, come enjoy a piece of meat full of charcoal aroma at Ihwajeong! 🍖✨