Balsan Station Korean BBQ with chamnamul salad, 3 servings: Ihwajeong

Balsan Station pork galbi restaurant Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga Magok-Balsan Branch, a room-style restaurant with easy parking. Words/photos/video ©Taejimom

A weekend family dinner at Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga near Balsan Station

This is Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga Magok-Balsan Branch, a pork galbi spot near Balsan Station we visited for a weekend family dinner. We'd been looking for somewhere comfortable to eat near Balsan Station and ended up here — there's a private parking lot so parking is easy, the restaurant itself is spacious, and there are even private rooms, making it a good pick for family gatherings, work dinners, or meeting friends. Best of all, the staff grilled the meat for us, so we could just relax and chat while eating.

How far is Ihwajeong from Balsan Station, and is there parking?

Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga Magok-Balsan Branch is about a 3-minute walk from Exit 4 of Balsan Station, so it was easy to reach by public transport too.

If you're driving, there's a dedicated parking lot, so you can visit without worrying about parking — which I really appreciated. For family dinners, the food matters, but so does whether parking is easy, right? On that front, this was a great pick near Balsan Station for an easy-parking family meal.

• Hours 11:00–22:00
• Parking dedicated lot available
• Directions 3-minute walk from Balsan Station Exit 4

Inside the private rooms at Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga

Walking inside, there was a wide open seating area by the windows, and private rooms on the other side. It looked like a great option whether you're having an intimate family meal or a larger gathering in a room.

We visited around 5pm, and even though it's a meat restaurant, there was no lingering meat smell — the atmosphere was clean overall. Since the restaurant itself is spacious, the tables had plenty of room between them, so we could eat comfortably without worrying much about the next table.

What's on the menu at Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga Magok-Balsan Branch

Looking at the menu, there was a wide range of beef and pork dishes — soy-marinated king galbi, marinated pork neck galbi, raw hanwoo galbi, soy-marinated galbisal, and more. The reason we came today was simple: our son wanted pork galbi! So we ordered three servings of pork galbi.

Side dishes served with the pork galbi, including chamnamul salad

After ordering, it wasn't long before the side dishes started arriving one by one at the table.

There were also several kinds of salad, which went nicely with the meat. Of everything, the kids' favorite was the potato salad — soft and light with a slight bite, and topped with a sweet potato chip that had them polishing it off the moment they saw it. They ended up refilling it twice.

And the chamnamul (Korean parsley) salad, made with savory perilla oil, had whole perilla seeds that popped fun in your mouth, plus that distinctive nutty, savory perilla aroma that really got the appetite going. It also paired really well with the meat.

Staff grill the pork galbi for you, from first sear to finish

Finally the pork galbi we'd been waiting for arrived, and a staff member came right over and started grilling it for us.

Pork galbi can burn easily because of the marinade, so it was great to have staff grilling it for us.

The smell of the meat browning nicely drifted over, and watching it get grilled right in front of us made our mouths water before we'd even taken a bite. At first, they grilled pieces to just the right doneness and put them straight on our plates one by one.

As we slowed down eating, they brought back the pre-seared meat on a plate and told us just to warm it up a little before eating. They kept checking on the meat and flipping it throughout, so all we had to do was eat comfortably.

How the pork galbi tastes: smoky char and juices

I tried a piece of the nicely browned pork galbi —

The sweet-and-salty marinade really suited my taste, and biting in, the smoky char spread through with juicy, moist meat. Having a skilled staff member grill it definitely made it taste even better.

The meat was delicious on its own, but pairing it with the salads and shredded scallions kept things interesting and gave us new flavors throughout the meal without ever getting tiring. Chatting with the family and eating slowly, before we knew it the plate was completely clean.

Pork galbi and mul-naengmyeon: why the pairing works

After the meat, you can't skip a noodle course — we ordered mul-naengmyeon.

A cool bite of mul-naengmyeon together with a piece of pork galbi — this combo never fails. My kids especially gave a big thumbs up, saying pork galbi and naengmyeon are just the best, and watching them enjoy it so much made me laugh.

And for dessert, we got a pear sherbet, which was refreshingly good.

Is Ihwajeong near Balsan Station worth it for a family dinner?

Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga Magok-Balsan Branch, where we visited with family on a weekend evening, has a spacious, comfortable interior with private rooms and its own parking lot, making it easy to use for family outings. Since the staff grilled the meat for us, we didn't have to worry about being too distracted with grilling to enjoy the meal, and could relax and chat with family instead.

It's close to Balsan Station, so it's easy to reach by public transport, and parking is easy if you drive, so if you're looking for a family dinner spot, a room restaurant, or a pork galbi restaurant near Balsan Station, I'd recommend giving this place a try. Our family finished the evening full and happy after a satisfying meal of pork galbi and naengmyeon.