Gangnam Seoul Korean BBQ with galbi samgyeopsal: Giun

Giun Main Branch for galbi samgyeopsal near Gangnam Station

As a Gangnam Station local, I have neighborhood meat places I love. One is Ttangko Charcoal Grill, and the other is Giun Main Branch! They are not far apart, so when I am craving meat, I drag my slippers over and go into whichever one calls to me haha. Today, I enjoyed Giun's signature galbi samgyeopsal!

It is near Exit 4 of Gangnam Station, and sadly, parking is difficult ㅠㅠ

The large sign makes it easy to find.

The restaurant is spacious and comfortable inside, and it got bustling with people by dinnertime.

The Don Giun Set and charcoal brazier

I ordered the Don Giun Set: galbi samgyeopsal (pork belly cut near the ribs, 200g), pork neck (200g), skirt meat (150g), and assorted vegetables for ₩58,000! If you like sampling different cuts rather than eating just one, I recommend a set. I have a condition where I will die without side dishes, so I also ordered mul naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles in broth) and donjang sulbap. It is just right for 2–3 people to eat their fill!

One feature of Giun is its charcoal-brazier pork barbecue! They say the specially made brazier installed at each table retains internal heat as much as possible, so you can enjoy it for a long time.

The basic side dishes arrived in a neat full-table spread.

They say they make nearly all the side dishes and sauces themselves, including seasoned chives, gungchae, green-onion kimchi, myeongi namul (pickled wild garlic leaves), and ssamjang. Maybe that is why every side dish was delicious.

Why the galbi samgyeopsal stayed with me most

Then came the glorious meat with assorted seasonal vegetables. They put binchotan, a premium charcoal, into the specially made brazier. Meat time!

I loved that the staff grilled everything for us. We started with the galbi samgyeopsal! I wondered how it would differ from regular pork belly, and even its preparation is pretty special. They bring in pork belly with the bone attached, cut away the bone themselves with a bone saw, then slice each piece by hand. Such a labor-intensive little thing...

Because the pork belly is aged with the bone, its flavor becomes deeper, and you also get the distinctive texture of the intercostal meat between the ribs. You absolutely, absolutely have to try Giun's galbi samgyeopsal!

After trying it, it definitely has a charm that differs slightly from ordinary pork belly. The nutty fat flavor of pork belly meets charcoal aroma, and depending on the cut, there is a chewy bite too, so galbi samgyeopsal was personally the most memorable part of the Don Giun Set.

The pork neck was clean-tasting yet juicy—pork neck that does not feel like pork neck(?) I used to find pork neck a little dry, but Giun's is this springy and chewy. They also grill vegetables and serve them along the way, and the vegetables are insane. You can add more vegetables, so add them and eat lots.

They top the sauce with grilled scallions, and the scallions are sweet and so good.

The skirt meat was tender and high quality too, and even after putting meat on the grill several times, the heat did not seem to drop easily. Amazing! It seemed ideal for grilling thick meat golden outside while preserving the juices inside.

So baek kimchi (mild white kimchi) is meant to be grilled (note to self). The side dishes are all delicious and varied, so it is fun combining them in different ways.

Minari and myeongi together are the best.

Finishing with donjang sulbap and mul naengmyeon

I also ordered donjang sulbap as a side. It felt closer to a rich cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) than the usual doenjang rice soup at a barbecue restaurant.

So rather than being aggressively flavored, it had a truly deep doenjang feel? It felt healthier. I ordered another bowl of rice and polished it off.

If I do not eat noodles at a barbecue restaurant, it feels like I have not properly finished the job;; I refreshed my palate with mul naengmyeon and ended completely full.

My boyfriend, who cleared even the meat stuck to the bones, told me to include this photo too. Proof that it is a great restaurant lol.

If you are planning a company dinner, date, or evening with friends around Gangnam Station and want a Korean BBQ restaurant that will not disappoint, I recommend Giun Gangnam Station Main Branch (기운 강남역 본점), which has something a little more unusual than standard pork belly. On my next visit, I would love to add an extra order of galbi samgyeopsal and have it again!