Mapo Korean restaurant lunch with galbitang and grilled ribs: Ok Galbi

Getting to Ok Galbi from Hapjeong Station and parking

I walked from Hapjeong Station, and it took about five minutes! I got there faster than I expected, haha.

There wasn't a dedicated parking area at the restaurant, unfortunately. If you're driving, I think you'll need to use a nearby public parking lot! I looked around for parking and used one nearby; it was fairly close to Ok Galbi and the fee was relatively affordable too.

Warm wood tones and group seating

Inside, the overall mood was warm and calm with wood tones. It had a slight Korean set-menu restaurant feel, so it was a comfortable place to eat :) There was group seating on one side too, and when I visited, a company group was having a meal there! Maybe because it was lunchtime, I saw lots of office workers as well, haha.

From galbitang to traditional liquor, wine, and highballs

Ok Galbi's signature dishes are galbitang (beef short-rib soup) and galbijjim (braised short ribs), but it also had a range of meals such as kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) and gomtang (beef soup). What surprised me was the fairly wide selection of drinks! There were traditional Korean liquors as well as wine and highballs.

Ordering was easy with the QR code at the table! The menu also showed photos of the food, which made it convenient to use as a reference when ordering :)

The table came set with scissors, tongs, vinegar, pepper, salt, and more. As soon as I sat down, they also served cold water, so I started by gulping it down in the hot weather.

Cold naengmyeon and a juicy grilled-rib lunch set

The naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) arrived first! It had a mildly seasoned, somewhat Pyongyang-naengmyeon-style flavor, and the floating ice made it nicely refreshing.

The meat on naengmyeon is often sliced thin, but here it was quite thick? It was a slightly fatty cut, so eaten with the cold noodles, it felt a little rich to meㅠㅠ Personally, I think thinner-sliced meat would have paired better with the noodles!

The ribs that came with it were really delicious! They were full of juice when I bit into them, and they went well with side dishes such as perilla-leaf pickles. They were also a perfect match with the naengmyeon!

Ok Galbitang with three ribs and egg garnish

And then, today's main event! My Ok Galbitang arrived, haha. Just looking at it, the big ribs made it seem so appetizing.

There was a good amount of meat on the ribs, and there were no fewer than three of them...!!! The meat also came off the bones so easily, haha. The galbitang was topped with lots of fluffy egg garnish, and since I already love egg garnish, this was the part I especially liked, haha.

The broth seasoning and textures of the rice and kkakdugi were disappointing

The galbitang itself was tasty, but the broth was a little too salty for my taste...ㅠ My dining companion thought it was a bit salty too. I even considered adding some hot water, but I tried it as it was first.

The rice was disappointing too; when I ate it, it felt slightly sticky and clumped togetherㅠㅠ The kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) that came with it was soft rather than crisp, which was a shame. So instead of eating the rice on its own, I mixed it into the broth, and that made it more enjoyable at least.

My overall Ok Galbi lunch review near Hapjeong Station

I visited Ok Galbi for lunch near Hapjeong Station! The Ok Galbitang I had that day was quite filling, with three big ribs, substantial meat, and generous amounts of egg garnish and glass noodles :) I especially loved the plentiful egg garnish because I'm already a fan of it, haha.

The naengmyeon we ate alongside it was refreshing with ice floating on top, and the grilled ribs were thick, juicy, and delicious! Still, the galbitang broth was a little salty for my taste, and the textures of the rice and kkakdugi were slightly disappointing. Even so, it was a day when I left full after a hearty lunch of galbitang and naengmyeon in a warmly atmospheric restaurant :)