Busan pork rib restaurant with aged kimchi: Choryang Hyeongje Galbi

Choryang Hyeongje Galbi in Choryang’s pork rib alley

We parked in a nearby lot and walked over! I had no idea Busan even had a pork rib alley! Yeraengi is originally from Busan and told me she lived in Choryang until first grade of elementary school! After chatting about this and that, we arrived at the alley! Walk straight into it, and Choryang Hyeongje Galbi is on the left!

We happened to make it all the way to Busan, and my younger sibling and their partner were craving galbi, so this is where we came! Even from the outside, it had the feel of a beloved old-school local spot, haha.

A busy dining room even late at night, plus reservations

This is the inside of Choryang Hyeongje Galbi, a great pork rib spot in Choryang! The moment we walked in, that proper beloved-restaurant feeling became even clearer,,💛 They said you need to call ahead if you want a reservation for six or more people! We arrived almost at 9 p.m., and all but three tables were occupied!

Fresh-made scallion salad and generous side dishes

We started with two portions of samgyeopsal (pork belly) plus three portions of galbi! Everything was replenished so quickly and kept nice and full, haha. They do not prep the scallion salad in advance—they make it fresh right away! I cannot eat scallions, so I skipped it, but the other three kept saying how delicious it was, haha. They also said they make all the green onion kimchi and regular kimchi themselves! You can even buy the green onion kimchi and pork ribs through Naver Store Farm. 👏🏻

We each got a piece of wild ginseng! The basic spread was so generous too: kimchi pancake, aged kimchi, green onion kimchi, pickled perilla leaves, pork rib sauce, sesame oil dip, doenjang (fermented soybean paste), scallion salad, lettuce and perilla leaves, black wood ear mushrooms, and garlic, haha. That aged kimchi was seriously the star,, I want it again, I really do,,

Here is the menu at Choryang Hyeongje Galbi, a great pork rib spot in Choryang :)

Starting with pork belly grilled tableside

As soon as we ordered, they preheated the grill and put on our two portions of pork belly first! And they grilled it for us too! The prices are reasonable, and they grill it for you as well,, restaurants that grill your meat for you are love,,💛 Can you see it turning beautifully golden? We had meat not long ago, but just seeing this made my mouth water all over again,,!?

It was so, so good with the aged kimchi that I think I ate all the kimchi myself,,,

Gently sweet pork ribs that made me order rice

Once the pork belly was cooked, they told us the pork ribs would take a little longer and put them on right away! You all know how your appetite just drops when the flow of a meal gets interrupted, right!? I was so happy they understood this point so well, hahaha. 💛

Ahhh,,,🤢 I did visit through a review group, like I mentioned at first, but the reason I said I did not even know why they needed a review group is,, it was soooo delicious. I was honestly shocked at how, how delicious it was. It was not overly sweet—just the right amount of sweetness—and even though I had not planned to order rice, I immediately started craving it,,!? So we ordered soybean paste stew and bowls of rice right away, and I even asked for the rice first,,!!

Anyone who reads my blog knows I am a wrap lover, but that day I made one wrap and then ate just ribs with plain riceㅠㅠㅠ It was seriously so delicious. It is also a place people wait for, so they were busy, and all I could think was, why,,? We kept happily eating, then ran out and ordered three more portions of ribs,,🤎

The soybean paste stew was nice and spicy too, a seafood doenjang-jjigae (fermented soybean paste stew) loaded with tofu,, I love it, honestly.

I could not resist—I mixed another bowl of rice into the stew and had a piece of rib, and the stew-and-rib pairing goes without saying,, The spicy kick cut the rich flavor of the ribs perfectly, and it was so good, hahaha. The warm steamed egg comes as a basic side too, haha.

A bite with cold kimchi noodle soup, too

Cold kimchi noodle soup,, you cannot leave you out either.

Can you see the little ice crystals floating on top!? Haha. It went so well with the tangy aged kimchi!? Taking a bite with the pork ribs, I cannot give up this combo,,🥹 My younger sibling and their partner kept saying, “Why are they doing a review group?? Why, when it is this delicious??” They said they wanted to come back again, hahaha. Truly, I completely agree this is a great Choryang pork rib spot!!

Can you see how perfectly they grilled the final bone!? We thoroughly picked it clean before leaving,, a day of feasting,,🥹 They say delicious food has zero calories, hehe. 🤎

Sides replenished without asking, and final thoughts

When you come out, the restroom door is on the left! It is an exclusive restroom!? I expected it to be small, but oh, it was clean and spacious, haha. 😊

After we finished and came out, we met a kitty that looked exactly like our Mungchi!! May every stray cat in the world be happy!!🐾🖤

Having visited Choryang Hyeongje Galbi, a great pork rib restaurant in Choryang, I think these were the best galbi I have ever had. While grilling, the staff refilled our wrap vegetables without a word when we finished them, made fresh scallion salad as soon as it ran out, and refilled the kimchi too—we did not have to ask for anything, and I loved that! When we paid, they also asked whether we had been comfortable during the meal and whether the food suited our taste. Not many places ask those questionsㅜ There is a reason successful places do well, truly. I will come back when I crave galbiㅠㅠ Next time, I will cook up a review paid for with my own money! I highly, highly recommend Choryang Hyeongje Galbi when you are craving pork ribs. 👍🏻