Korean BBQ in Gurye: thick pork ribs and pork skin at Majae Galbi

While hunting for a good place to eat in Gurye, I ended up at Gurye Majae Galbi (구례마재갈비), a local favorite and one of the best pork BBQ spots in the area!

Gurye Majae Galbi / 84-1 Bongseong-ro, Gurye-eup, Gurye-gun, Jeollanam-do / Daily 17:00–23:00 / Last order 21:30

Where to park at Gurye Majae Galbi, and what the restaurant looks like

Parking at Gurye Majae Galbi is a 10-second walk from the restaurant! There's a public parking lot right next door, which was so convenient. Parking is always stressful wherever you go, so being able to walk straight in without worrying about it was great!

I visited on a weekday evening, and the place was already packed with local regulars by 6pm. Definitely lives up to being a local favorite!

The moment I walked in, I noticed how clean and pleasant it was for a BBQ restaurant! No sticky floors or tables at all, and everything was really well kept — it just felt good. Kudos to how spotless the owner keeps this place! I'd even recommend it as a spot to bring your parents in Gurye haha.

Gurye Majae Galbi menu and the side dishes that come with it

Here's the menu at Gurye Majae Galbi, one of Gurye's best BBQ spots. Their signature dishes are fresh pork ribs and seasoned pork ribs, plus they also have beef dishes and yukhoe (raw beef tartare). I noticed a lot of people around us ordering the yukhoe, but we decided to focus on the signature fresh pork ribs first!

Gurye Majae Galbi only uses 1+ grade domestic sow pork!

The side dishes were all clean-tasting and delicious across the board. The silkworm pupae were a surprise highlight lol — not too salty and light, so I really got my protein in!

Any side dishes or vegetables you run out of can be topped up freely at the self-serve bar!

How thick are the charcoal-grilled fresh pork ribs?

Gurye Majae Galbi grills the meat over real charcoal. The coals that came out were solid and had great heat, so the meat cooked fast lol. There's nothing worse than being hungry and waiting for meat to cook, but no worries here—

The fresh pork ribs at this Gurye BBQ favorite — 3 servings arrived! Sprinkled with coarse salt and pepper, the meat was seriously thick and had this gorgeous bright red color.

Whoa... it's been a while since I've seen fresh pork ribs this thick! The bones looked fresh too, and you could tell the meat quality was top-notch just by looking at it. Even someone with zero knowledge of meat quality would go 'wow, that's good meat!' lol.

The free egg custard and pork kimchi stew

An earthenware pot of egg custard comes free! It's finished off with a swirl of sesame oil, which was a nice touch — nutty, soft, and really tasty. Would be great to give to kids if you're eating here as a family haha.

They also gave us this as a freebie — whoa, pork kimchi stew! The broth is rich and spicy, seriously delicious! One bowl of this alone could take down a bottle of soju haha...

Now for the main event — the ribs go on the grill.

Look at the thickness of that meat lol. But even though it's so thick, it's not tough at all — clean-tasting and nutty! The meat itself is so good that just dipping it lightly in coarse salt was already amazing!!

Putting the anchovy sauce dish right on the grill to warm it up ~

Grilled to a perfect golden brown with care. Charcoal-grilled meat needs no explanation. Juicy all the way through, nutty with every bite — absolutely incredible.

Meljeot anchovy sauce and house-made kimchi with the pork

Another thing I loved was this anchovy sauce (myeoljeot)!! I'm normally the type who never dips anything in myeoljeot because it's too salty lol (won't even touch it in Jeju Island...) but this one is genuinely delicious!!

It's not salty at all and has this big savory punch that goes perfectly with grilled meat. I normally wouldn't even glance at myeoljeot, but I was dipping the meat generously in it lol. Umami explosion!

Whoa... and this kimchi doesn't taste like ordinary kimchi lol. Real house-made kimchi... Putting a piece on top of a bite of meat, my eyes literally widened lol. You have to eat it with the kimchi! The kimchi is so good it's delicious even eaten plain, without grilling it!

The meat itself is so fresh and tasty that it's amazing even with just a light dip in salt!

Round two at Gurye Majae Galbi: seasoned pork ribs and pork skin

We weren't ready to stop, so for round two we ordered one serving of seasoned pork ribs plus pork skin!!

The seasoned pork ribs were sweet and delicious too. Even with just one serving, the portion was pretty generous. Tasting it, I understood exactly why the place was packed with locals on a weekday evening!!

Everyone... the pork skin here isn't optional. It's an absolute must-order!! It's genuinely amazing, I'm not kidding.

The pork skin was tender with zero gamey smell!! Delicious dipped in soybean powder, and just as good dipped in curry powder. I think I could eat 10 servings honestly! Make sure to order the pork skin!

Is Gurye Majae Galbi worth a visit? Final verdict

The restaurant is clean and pleasant, the meat is really good, and even the side dishes are tasty! I especially loved the thick, clean-tasting fresh pork ribs!! Next time I go, I'm definitely ordering the pork skin again lol.

• Thick fresh pork ribs, cooked quickly thanks to strong charcoal heat
• Anchovy sauce that's savory without being too salty
• House-made kimchi worth eating alongside every bite of meat
• Free earthenware egg custard and pork kimchi stew
• Pork skin, best dipped in soybean powder or curry powder

If you're looking for a great BBQ restaurant in Gurye, definitely stop by this local favorite, Gurye Majae Galbi! There's only one conclusion: this is a place I want to visit again and again and again!!