Marinated pork galbi for 3, ₩63,000 in Nohyeong-dong, Jeju: Boncham

This one's for travelers looking for a dinner spot. It's only 10 minutes from Jeju International Airport, so a lot of people end up eating black pork nearby for either their first meal after landing or their last meal before flying out — the distance makes it really convenient. There are so many black pork restaurants near the airport that it's hard to tell which ones are actually local favorites, so here's a rundown of the menu, prices, and parking situation at this 18-year-old spot.

Where do you park at Jeju Boncham Sutbul Galbi?

Jeju Boncham Sutbul Galbi is a charcoal ribs restaurant that has held its ground for over 18 years in Nohyeong-dong, the neighborhood with the Jeju Grand Hyatt and Dream Tower. There's a private parking lot for the restaurant, but since it sits on a busy street, parking can feel daunting when you first arrive. Call ahead and the owner will kindly walk you through where the private lot is.

Keep walking straight past the restaurant, and within less than a block you'll see a building on your right with "Mitaly" written on it. Turn right there, and the private lot is right on your left. On your way out, just give the staff the last four digits of your license plate and they'll register your car for parking. The fact that this place caters to locals rather than tourists really stood out to me.

Jeju Boncham Sutbul Galbi menu and prices

The restaurant's signature dishes are the marinated pork ribs (300g) at ₩19,000, raw ribs (200g) at ₩20,000, and black pork belly (180g) at ₩22,000. On the side, there's cold noodles (naengmyeon) at ₩8,000 and seafood soybean paste stew at ₩3,000, among others.

• Signature marinated pork ribs (300g) — ₩19,000
• Raw ribs (200g) — ₩20,000
• Black pork belly (180g) — ₩22,000
• Marinated beef short rib meat (200g) — ₩20,000
• Pork neck (140g) — ₩20,000
• Pork skirt meat (140g) — ₩20,000
• Samhap special (deodeok root, scallop, shrimp) — ₩20,000
• Cold noodles (naengmyeon) — ₩8,000
• Seafood soybean paste stew — ₩3,000
• Extra steamed egg — ₩3,000
• Bowl of rice — ₩1,000

Three servings of marinated galbi, pre-grilled by the staff

When I ordered meat at Jeju Boncham Sutbul Galbi, a steamed egg dish came out alongside it. I spooned bites of it while waiting for the ribs — it was puffed up nicely and fluffy, and it worked great as a palate cleanser between bites of the marinated ribs.

They bring out three servings of meat, and once you put the first batch on the grill, a staff member comes right over to pre-grill the next batch for you. So while you're still working through the first round, the pre-grilled meat is already ready to go on next, which really cuts down on eating time. Being able to eat continuously without a long wait was really convenient.

On top of that, according to the owner, they use a copper grill grate over direct charcoal fire to lock in the juices. And since staff mostly come over to grill the meat for you, you can just relax and eat. The marinated ribs were so well seasoned that I didn't even need to dip them in extra sauce. And of course, the soybean paste stew I ordered to finish was a must. I usually don't eat much rice when having meat, but I couldn't help myself this time — wrapping it up with rice in a lettuce wrap made for a really filling meal. Among the side dishes, two kinds of salad came out, and the black sesame dressing on one of them was exceptionally good.

What does dinner for three cost?

Three servings of marinated ribs plus rice and soybean paste stew came to ₩63,000 total, which works out to a little over ₩20,000 per person for dinner. Most black pork restaurants in Jeju charge upper-₩20,000s to ₩30,000-something per serving, so this felt a lot easier on the wallet — and I ate really well!