Friday night galbi restaurant reservation in Gwangmyeong: Seoseo Galbi

Hi, this is Jinggeolog! I have a meat restaurant I genuinely love at Gwangmyeong Sageori — Gwangmyeong Seoseo Galbi!! From beef short rib to pork galbi, everything is delicious, and with the free doenjang stew and unlimited marinated crab, it's a total package. I've been back here so many times — this is my real, true favorite restaurant at Gwangmyeong Sageori, Gwangmyeong Seoseo Galbi.

Where is Gwangmyeong Seoseo Galbi, and where do you park?

Gwangmyeong Seoseo Galbi, a favorite meat restaurant at Gwangmyeong Sageori, is a 2-minute walk from Exit 10 of Gwangmyeong Sageori Station. There's a bus stop right out front and the subway station is close too, so it's great to visit even without a car.

There's parking for about 2–3 cars right in front of the restaurant, so if you're driving, you're covered. But the spots are tight, so if there's nothing available you'll need a nearby paid lot. I'd recommend the Gwangmyeong Traditional Market underground public parking lot or Croissant parking. If you shop at E-mart, parking at Croissant is free!!

Why a Naver reservation is a must on Friday nights

I went on a Friday evening. Since Gwangmyeong Seoseo Galbi is a beloved local restaurant, it gets really packed on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Even though the space is pretty big with plenty of tables, it was nearly full in the evening.

So I booked ahead through Naver, and they had a table set aside for me!! If you have the time, I really recommend reserving through Naver in advance. Apparently if you book and then leave a review, they give you mul naengmyeon or bibim naengmyeon (cold noodles) for everyone in your party. Such a generous deal.

They even give you water in a sealed bottle, which is nice and hygienic. These days I actually prefer places that serve water this way, haha.

Side dishes and the self-serve marinated crab bar

The side dishes at Gwangmyeong Seoseo Galbi are picked specifically to go with the galbi — scallion salad, mukeunji (aged kimchi), pickled onion, and marinated crab.

The amazing part is the marinated crab is at the self-serve bar. Most other places charge extra for crab refills, but here it's self-serve, so you can really eat as much as you want. Of course you should only take what you'll eat, but I'm a total crab lover so I went back for two whole plates, haha. Now you know why I love this place, ㅠㅠㅠ.

The menu at Gwangmyeong Seoseo Galbi: just three cuts

Gwangmyeong Seoseo Galbi's menu is only 3 items. Seoseo galbi (200g) ₩22,000, fresh short rib (150g) ₩20,000, pork galbi (200g) ₩16,000. Simple, right? But that's exactly the kind of place that's a real gem. Seoseo galbi is beef, and pork galbi is, well, pork. You can order single portions, so I'd recommend getting one of each!!

With the fresh short rib, they gave us salt and wasabi to go with it. Truly people who know what they're doing... salt and wasabi are essential with rich, fatty fresh rib.

What I ordered was one portion each of seoseo galbi, fresh short rib, pork galbi, and bibim naengmyeon.

• Seoseo galbi (200g) ₩22,000
• Fresh short rib (150g) ₩20,000
• Pork galbi (200g) ₩16,000
• Bibim naengmyeon ₩5,000

Grilling order: start with the fresh short rib

I'd recommend grilling in this order: fresh short rib, then seoseo galbi, then pork galbi. The beef short rib is just gorgeous ღ — clearly delicious meat, no matter who's looking at it.

The portions are generous too — enough for 3 people to eat comfortably full with 3 servings. We drove so we couldn't drink, but if you're drinking, this would be plenty as anju (drinking food)!!

Since it's grilled over real charcoal, the smoky aroma is incredible. The doenjang stew above comes free as standard. The service here is no joke. The owner is so kind too — this is honestly a restaurant I want to keep to myself ㅠㅠ.

Fresh beef short rib, 20,000 won

I grilled the fresh short rib first, and maybe because the meat quality is so good, the juices were really bursting out.

Looks so delicious, right? The quality is no joke. Just look at that glossy sheen ㅠㅠ.

Bibim naengmyeon, 5,000 won

You can't have galbi without bibim naengmyeon (cold spicy noodles). It's a must-order. Cool, tangy and sweet, it goes so well with the galbi.

Seoseo galbi, 22,000 won

I grilled the seoseo galbi too — apparently it's called seoseo galbi because the restaurant hand-slices the meat off the bone one piece at a time. Maybe that's why the shape wasn't like the galbi I usually know, but it was definitely more tender.

It's best dunked all the way into the special sauce!!

Pork galbi, 16,000 won

The pork galbi portion is really generous too. This is a single serving and it comes out this much.

Grilled until nicely done, wrapped in lettuce, and eaten alongside the bibim naengmyeon — it doesn't get better than this. I'm really putting myself out there to recommend this place... haha.

Why Gwangmyeong Seoseo Galbi is worth a third visit

On the way out there's even a milk coffee and matcha corner, hehe. Gwangmyeong Seoseo Galbi, the favorite restaurant at Gwangmyeong Sageori, is a place I love enough to visit over and over and over. The galbi is so delicious, and with unlimited marinated crab on top of that, how could it not be good. If you're looking for a meat restaurant near Gwangmyeong Sageori Station, I fully recommend Gwangmyeong Seoseo Galbi.