Sadang Station Korean pub for wedding invitation meetups: Balgil

Why I picked Balgil Sadang Station Main Branch for my wedding invitation meetup

Balgil Sadang Station Main Branch (발길 사당역본점) is a Sadang Station pub-style restaurant I chose for handing out wedding invitations to my friends. They all love Korean food, so I was looking for a place with a varied menu and ended up here.

So many friends around me are getting married these days. This time it was my turn to hand out invitations, and we met at Sadang Station. A "cheongmo" (청모, a get-together to give out wedding invitations) isn't just about eating and leaving, right? You eat good food, have a drink, and catch up on everything after a long time. So I chose the place quite carefully.

Conclusion first: the food was really good and the atmosphere was nice, so it was a satisfying place for our meetup.

If you're looking for a Sadang Station bar for a wedding invitation meetup, this is worth a look.

What's the atmosphere at Balgil Sadang Station Main Branch like?

The moment I walked into Balgil Sadang Station Main Branch, there were so many people holding wedding invitation meetups. It wasn't just a loud drinking place; the mood was lively in a good way. There are so many bars in the Sadang Station restaurant alley, but at Balgil my first thought on walking in was, "Huh? There are really a lot of people doing invitation meetups here..."

At table after table, people were pulling out invitations, handing them over, congratulating each other and taking photos. We were there for the same reason, but I almost wondered, "Is this the place for wedding invitation meetups?" 😂 The lively-but-not-too-loud mood made it easy to talk with friends and perfect for catching up after a long time.

The complimentary snack chips were so easy to keep grabbing, too! haha

Definitely order the pressure-cooker gopdori-tang

At Balgil Sadang Station Main Branch we ordered pressure-cooker gopdori-tang (spicy chicken and beef intestine stew), pollock roe shrimp cream udon and Hanwoo beef sashimi.

Even before visiting, I'd heard a lot about how good the pressure-cooker gopdori-tang is.

Once I tried it, I understood right away why it's the signature dish. Maybe because it's boiled in a pressure cooker, the broth was really rich.

The chicken was cooked through and really tender, and the gopchang (beef intestine) was nutty and not chewy, with a great texture.

Above all, the broth is the kind you keep going back for. It isn't just sharp and spicy; the savory depth is strong, and it went really well with soju. The moment my friends took a bite, they said, "This isn't very spicy, and it's delicious."

And please add the glass noodles (dangmyeon)!!!! Seriously, that was the best trick..!!

The pollock roe shrimp cream udon was a surprise favorite

Balgil's pollock roe shrimp cream udon has a cream sauce that isn't heavy, plus the salty savory flavor of pollock roe, and it paired really well with the gopdori-tang. Gopdori-tang alone felt a little short, so we ordered the cream udon too, and it was really satisfying. The pollock roe kept me eating.

The shrimp were plump and the noodles chewy, so the texture was great. Especially after the spicy gopdori-tang, a bite of the cream udon felt like it reset my mouth, so the combination was really good.

Hanwoo beef sashimi is perfect with drinks too

The Hanwoo beef sashimi at Balgil Sadang Station Main Branch was really fresh and tender, so it went well with drinks. It was soft and clean-tasting, with a different charm from the rich-broth gopdori-tang.

It suited drinking, and it was a great dish to share one piece at a time with friends. With such a varied menu, I thought it would be good for visiting with friends who have different tastes.

Handmade strawberry makgeolli: everyone around us was drinking it, so we ordered it

Almost every table around us at Balgil Sadang Station Main Branch was drinking pink handmade strawberry makgeolli (milky rice wine). We had started with only soju, but the pink color caught the eye and everyone kept ordering it, so out of curiosity we ordered one too.

And... I understood right away why everyone was drinking it. It has a subtle strawberry aroma and a really nice sweetness. It has almost none of the dryness makgeolli is known for and goes down smoothly, so I think even people who don't usually drink makgeolli would like it. It went really well with the pressure-cooker gopdori-tang, and next time I'll order the strawberry makgeolli from the start.

Why Sadang is so popular for wedding invitation meetups

What impressed me most at Balgil Sadang Station Main Branch that day was how many people were there for invitation meetups. We were handing out invitations too, and looking around, there were so many tables with a similar mood.

Meeting friends after a long time, talking about weddings, taking photos and eating good food together, I could see why people come here for these gatherings. The food and drink choices are varied, so it was easy to suit everyone's taste.

Is there a table time limit?

Note that at Balgil Sadang Station Main Branch, when there's a waitlist, the table time limit is 2 hours 30 minutes! We met on a weekday Thursday evening, though, so we chatted away happily without worrying about the time limit.

Overall verdict

I think we chose well with Balgil Sadang Station Main Branch for this meetup. We picked it because my friends like Korean food, and everything we ordered was satisfying: the pressure-cooker gopdori-tang, of course, but also the pollock roe shrimp cream udon and the Hanwoo beef sashimi. And the handmade strawberry makgeolli, which I hadn't expected, was really delicious too.

I'd planned on only soju at first, but I copied the surrounding tables and ordered it, and it ended up being even more satisfying. If you're deciding where to hold a wedding invitation meetup, or looking for a Sadang Station bar with tasty food to go with a drink, it's worth a visit. I plan to come back the next time I meet friends in Sadang!