Haeundae samgyeopsal restaurant with self-serve banchan: Gwang-anmok

Today I've got a review of Gwang-anmok, a spot I hit up during a birthday trip to Busan that turned out to be a seriously legit pork neck and pork belly restaurant! The meat quality, the service, the view — nothing was missing, and I was just so happy.

Where is Gwang-anmok Haeundae Branch, and when is it open?

📍 16 Gunam-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan, 2nd floor / 🕛 12:00 - 24:00 (break time 15:00-16:30)

Gwang-anmok, this Korean BBQ spot in Haeundae, sits right on Haeundae's main street on the 2nd floor! It's in the Artbox building, so you can spot it at a glance.

The A Set: 370g pork neck and 130g pork belly

They say pork neck (mokssal) is their signature representative menu item! I'm normally a pork belly diehard, but I went with the staff's recommendation and ordered the A Set! 370g pork neck + 130g pork belly for around ₩50,000 — pretty reasonable price.

How long is the wait at Gwang-anmok, and what is the room like?

This was my first time at Gwang-anmok, and true to its reputation as a Haeundae pork BBQ favorite, even foreigners seemed to know about this spot before I did..? Waiting is basically required (which is why I recommend Naver Reservation or Catch Table!) and there really are a ton of foreign visitors. Plenty of Korean customers too, and the place is huge, but with the floor-to-ceiling windows open, the ventilation was great!

Side dishes come from a self-serve bar

The side dishes were set out, and as a banchan lover myself, how did they manage to pick out exactly the foods I love..? Wild garlic leaves (myeongi-namul), wrap greens, white kimchi, mustard leaf kimchi, pickles, basil wraps — it was like they read my mind🔫 The moment I walked in and saw how neat the banchan spread was, I knew I'd come to the right place.

And get this, even the banchan is self-serve? For fellow banchan lovers like me, you have no idea how great a self-serve bar is..🥺

The meat is only fridge-aged, high-quality cuts, so how could it not be delicious haha. Honestly the best meat I've had all year, this year ㅠㅠㅠ I want to go back to Busan already.

The staff grills every cut for you

The best thing about Gwang-anmok!!! The staff grill the meat and bring it right to you, so your clothes barely pick up any smell and you don't have to grill it yourself! And on top of that, the visuals are insane... how is pork belly and pork neck this photogenic? It could go straight onto Instagram no problem haha. And since experts are grilling it, you can only imagine how well it's cooked haha.

Basil wraps with the house special sauce

Put the basil wrap that comes with the meal together with the special sauce and it's basically heaven. I'd never had basil with pork belly or pork neck before, and it was a new, satisfying flavor combo >.< My basil-obsessed boyfriend loved it too.

Pork neck can turn out dry if it's not cooked right, but true to being their signature, it was unbelievably tender and chewy with zero gamey taste — now I get why they recommend it so highly.

The pork belly, oh my... true to being my personal favorite, it was seriously so good. I was genuinely so happy that day.

Wrapping pork belly and pickles with wild garlic leaves and eating it together is just insanely good. Looking for a Haeundae pork BBQ spot? Just go to Gwang-anmok.

For a Korean BBQ place, Gwang-anmok has a really great atmosphere — the staff are so energetic and the vibe is lively, so it really felt like being on a trip, which I loved so, so much.

And why is the side stuff — the corn, mushrooms — that come with it so good too..;;

Only two window seats on the second floor

Best of all, the second you sit down at the 2nd floor window seat, you've basically got your Instagram photo secured haha. It's 100 times prettier in person than in photos, but since there are only 2 of these seats, you'd better fight for one breathlessly.

And lastly, I'll leave this aesthetic shot here as a memory.

This Busan trip made me so incredibly happy, and Gwang-anmok, this Haeundae pork BBQ favorite, was a big part of that! Pork neck and pork belly might sound ordinary, but the taste exceeded expectations, and with the lively atmosphere and the great-view seat, it was impossible not to be happy there. I really, really, really, really recommend you go!!!🥰🥰 You'll seriously regret it if you don't... trust me.