Gwangalli Korean BBQ near the beach: Haean Sutbul Galbi

A Korean BBQ restaurant that leads right into a Gwangalli Beach walk

I wanted a proper meat feast near Gwangalli Beach, so I found this place: Haean Sutbul Galbi (해안숯불갈비) in Namcheon-dong. You can tell from the name, right? Its location close to the beach was seriously great.

Just as the restaurant name suggests, Gwangalli Beach is practically a stone's throw away. You can take a leisurely beach walk before or after dinner, so it feels like a whole outing rather than just eating meat and calling it a day.

Especially after sunset, walking while taking in the night views of Gwangandaegyo Bridge and Marine City adds so much atmosphere that it feels like even love that wasn't there might suddenly bloom!

An interior with hardly any smoke or meat smell

The first thing that struck me on entering was that this was a barbecue restaurant with no hoods in sight.

I visited at around 6:30 p.m., when there were quite a few diners, but there was almost no smell inside—so surprising. It turns out every table has a downdraft hood system that pulls in the smoke from below before it can rise. So the smoke did not spread overhead.

Meat restaurants are always delicious, but the things I worry about beforehand are smoky air and odors clinging to my clothes. Here, my clothes barely smelled afterward, which made the meal so comfortable. This is a point I especially want to recommend for dates or gatherings when you are conscious of clothing odors.

Ordering fresh ribs, marinated ribs, and grilled tail

• Traditional marinated beef ribs, 200 g ₩23,900
• Grade 1 marinated pork ribs, 200 g ₩14,900
• Premium fresh pork ribs, 150 g ₩14,900
• Special grilled tail, 200 g ₩11,900

The three signature dishes displayed from the entrance immediately caught my eye, so I ordered two servings of fresh ribs and one serving each of marinated ribs and grilled tail.

Here is the basic table setting.

For some reason I was craving makgeolli (Korean rice wine) that day, so I ordered a bottle of Saengtak before the meat arrived. There was also a makgeolli highball on the menu, made with Saengtak, a local Busan brand. I think visitors to Busan and international travelers could really get into the travel mood with it.

Combinations that make fresh ribs even better

These are two servings of fresh ribs. They arrived with careful knife work already done, making them easy to cut along the grain.

They were delicious however I ate them, but the staff recommended ways to make them even better, so I tried them exactly as suggested.

First: lightly dip them in barley shrimp salt.

Second: try the supposedly perfect pairings of meat with muchae (seasoned shredded radish), or meat with spicy gat jangajji (pickled mustard greens).

Third: wrap it with various accompaniments and ssam (lettuce wraps). Since the meat itself was so good, I personally found that dipping it in barley shrimp salt brought out the nutty flavor best and tasted the best. Of course, the muchae and gat jangajji also paired beautifully with the meat and made for varied, delicious bites.

Sweet-savory marinated ribs and special grilled tail

One serving of marinated ribs.

We switched the grill plate and got grilling~ Marinades burn especially easily, so you need to focus and grill them with care.

The seasoning was so perfectly balanced—sweet and savory—that I kept reaching for more.

Lastly, this is Haean Sutbul Galbi's special dish, grilled tail. We were not grilling it very well and were burning it, so a staff member came over to help. They explained that it arrives more than 90% cooked, so it only needs a light kiss of charcoal flavor. With an expert's touch, the color was completely different. You could call it an upgraded version of pork rind: it has a little meat and fat attached to the skin, so it also reminded me of jokbal (braised pig's trotters).

It is currently offered as a service item when you write a Naver review, so be sure to write a review and try it for free.

Finishing with doenjang-jjigae

Koreans run on rice! After meat, you have to finish with doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew) to feel properly full, you know. They recommended adding udon noodles to the stew, but I was too full and only had rice. It sounds like a delicious specialty, though. I will try it next time.

With its convenient location near Gwangalli Beach, comfortable interior without worries about odors, and delicious meat, this place had all three. If you are looking for a great meat restaurant around Namcheon-dong or Gwangalli, I recommend Haean Sutbul Galbi.