Incheon galbijjim restaurant with spicy pork and minari: Haemokjeong

Haemokjeong Seoknam, a galbi restaurant near Seoknam Station: a 4pm weekday visit

Haemokjeong Seoknam is a galbijjim restaurant a 7-minute walk from Exit 6 of Seoknam Station on Incheon Line 2, right in the middle of the busy Seoknam-dong strip. I stopped by around 4pm on a weekday for a late lunch, and since there's no break time, it was nice to see groups of two or three settled in and enjoying daytime drinks together.

Spicy and sweet — the special pleasure of eating out. Even if you drain the blood from the meat carefully and cook hard at home, it so often doesn't taste like this. Haemokjeong Seoknam is unrivaled when it comes to galbi in the Seoknam area, and I had a comfortable, satisfying late lunch there. What is life, really? Just the simple joy of eating something delicious with people you love.

The spicy galbijjim came out piled high with minari, and for just ₩35,000 the portion was generous and the flavor kept coming back to mind — the kind of dish that makes you want to return. Cutting to the chase, it's fairly close to Seoknam Station — about a 7-minute walk brings you right into a lively commercial area. Best of all, there's no break time, and it stays open every single day of the year, which made it feel that much more welcoming. South Korea really does have that never-sleeps charm when it comes to small businesses open all year round.

Haemokjeong Seoknam menu: lunch specials and seafood galbijjim

Haemokjeong Seoknam's signature dish is seafood galbijjim, and this time I ordered the spicy version made with pork. The lunch specials included cold kalguksu, hand-cut king pork cutlet, and garlic chive-octopus stir-fry — comfortable, unpretentious Korean dishes that are hard to make at home.

The seasoning, rice cakes, and meat piled generously on the hot plate had an overwhelming texture.

Haemokjeong Seoknam opening hours and what the dining room is like

The entrance was bright from the start. Open every day from 11am to 10pm, it's good for lunch, dinner, and welcomes daytime drinking too. Just note it's non-smoking, so gentlemen should keep that in mind. It's known around Seoknam-dong for being quite clean.

It's actually a fairly well-known brand in Incheon, and they're also taking on franchisees, so it might be worth a look for anyone thinking of starting a business. Overall, the recipe seemed like something almost anyone would enjoy, no strong likes-or-dislikes involved. The tables and chairs were clean, and the interior was tidy without a single flaw.

Fried squid for a review, birthday seaweed soup and the side dishes

Looking at the electronic ordering system at Haemokjeong Seoknam, I noticed they give out fried squid for writing a Naver review, and even give every customer free homemade seaweed soup on their birthday. That kind of touch seems perfect for enjoying a relaxed meal out with family on a special day — it's exactly this kind of thoughtfulness that ends up touching customers.

The basic side dishes were as follows. Along with my favorites — perilla leaves, stir-fried potatoes, pickled chili peppers, white kimchi, and chive salad — there was also a pretty appealing cheonsachae (glass noodle-like vegetable strands) salad with mustard sauce.

Spicy pork galbijjim with minari, 35,000 won: how does it taste?

Finally, the main dish, the spicy galbijjim, arrived. The blood had been thoroughly drained from the meat, it wasn't tough, and most of the fat had been trimmed off, leaving it tender and appealing. It was great wrapped in perilla leaves, and the precious minari was piled generously on top — leading me to conclude that among Seoknam galbi restaurants, this one has real flair and knows how to handle flavor.

The refreshing white kimchi, stir-fried potatoes, and chive salad were all rice thieves. Overall, the seasoning wasn't too heavy, so it went down smoothly even without rice.

Sometimes you go somewhere and the perilla leaves are wilted, and you realize the ingredients aren't being handled well. Here at Haemokjeong, though, it was different from other Seoknam galbi restaurants. They clearly pay close attention to freshness and sourcing domestic ingredients.

The sweet and spicy sauce was truly the 'kick.' It was so addictive that I really don't think any trick at home could replicate that taste. Naturally, as a Korean, carbs started calling — I reached for the flour rice cake first. Then I happily devoured a chunk of pork rib too.

The cheonsachae was doused generously in spicy mustard sauce, which oddly cooled the mouth and cut through the richness completely. It really confirmed that, as a well-known name in Incheon's food scene, they know how to handle food and pair ingredients well. Being a restaurant dish, it did lean a bit sweet, but that's part of the charm of Korean food.

Taking leftover galbijjim home and turning it into fried rice

Haemokjeong Seoknam lets you take leftovers home. Scraping up every bit of sauce, then adding it to rice with crushed seaweed flakes at home for fried rice was just wonderful. Among Seoknam galbi restaurants, this one has a real addictive quality that keeps coming back to mind. The place is clean too, which makes me want to keep coming back.

Haemokjeong Seoknam address, hours and contact details

• 7-minute walk from Exit 6, Seoknam Station, Incheon Line 2
• No break time
• Hours 11:00–22:00, open every day
• Non-smoking