Busan galbi restaurant with angelica pickle: Choryang Hyeongje Galbi

I visited a pork galbi restaurant that locals in the Choryang galbi alley swear by. Inside, with its old-school charm, you can eat addictive pork galbi alongside excellent kimchi. From tasty side dishes to fresh domestic pork galbi, this is Choryang Hyeongje Galbi, a Busan Station favorite.

Where is Choryang Hyeongje Galbi, and what are its hours and parking?

• Address: 15-4 Choryang-ro, 1st floor, Dong-gu, Busan, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 16:00–22:50 (last order 21:50)
• ※ Closed the second Tuesday of every month
• No parking support: nearby Kakao T Choryang-dong lot (937-29 Choryang-dong)
• Reservations available via Naver Place — call for groups of 6+
• Private hire available (up to 26 people)

Outside and inside Choryang Hyeongje Galbi

Just about 278 meters from Exit 1 of Choryang Station, close to Busan Station and easy to get to — Choryang Hyeongje Galbi is a well-loved Busan Station restaurant. It's famous among regulars in the Choryang galbi alley as a go-to pork galbi spot.

Stepping inside, an old-school dining space full of character opens up. The sizzling sound of grilling galbi and the smell of meat make you hungry the moment you walk in.

It's not huge, but the tightly packed tables somehow add to the old-school charm. I visited around 8pm on a Friday, and true to its popularity as a Busan Station meat restaurant, it was so full of diners that I could barely get a photo on my way out.

From the house-made scallion kimchi to the marinated galbi, everything at this Choryang pork galbi favorite is also available through their online smart store. As a well-known Busan Station restaurant, dining time is limited to two hours if there's a wait.

What is on the menu at Choryang Hyeongje Galbi?

True to a Choryang pork galbi restaurant, the mains are raw galbi and pork galbi, with samgyeopsal (pork belly) and mokssal (pork neck) also available. For a post-meat meal, there's kimchi kalguksu (kimchi noodle soup) and doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), with steamed egg as an add-on.

There's also cold kimchi noodle soup and seafood ramyeon, so you can pick based on your mood. Every side menu practically calls for soju, and drinks are only ₩4,000, so the value is great.

Side dishes and the angelica root pickle (danggwi jangajji)

Once we ordered, the basic side dishes came out right away. What caught my eye was the wild ginseng root among the lettuce leaves.

Eating the slightly bitter root somehow made me feel healthier. Since Nana isn't a fan of bitter flavors, both roots ended up being mine.

Every side dish was neat and paired well with the meat: white kimchi, scallion salad, angelica root pickle, and seasoned wood ear mushrooms. In particular, that angelica pickle — which I first mistook for perilla leaf — cut through the richness of the meat so well it became my favorite side dish of the day.

Next came deep, well-aged kimchi and scallion kimchi. Just looking at the color of that aged kimchi made my mouth water.

Kimchi pancake is also served as a basic side. Before starting on the meat, you can enjoy the kimchi pancake with a shot of soju.

Then came the bubbling steamed egg. Salty yet soft, it warms up your stomach before the main event begins.

Three servings of raw pork galbi, grilled by the staff

We started with three servings of raw galbi. Domestic raw pork galbi is priced at ₩12,000 for 150g.

The friendly staff grilled and cut everything for us, so we could just eat comfortably. Alongside the meat on the grill, they also cooked mushrooms and sweet pumpkin.

Kimchi was grilled right alongside the beautifully browned meat. Aged kimchi is delicious raw, of course, but grilling it in pork fat takes it to another level.

Salt is set on the table by default, and sesame oil is brought over on request. I sprinkled salt into sesame oil to make a dipping sauce.

Since it's from domestic female pigs, the raw galbi had a good balance of fat and lean meat. Savory and tender, it practically melted in the mouth.

Every side dish was well-seasoned and neat. The angelica pickle in particular, with its fragrant, distinctive aroma, was a total highlight.

You can't have galbi without the aged kimchi and scallion kimchi combo. With so many side dishes that pair well with the meat, mixing and matching them, the meat disappears before you know it.

The mushrooms, cooked to a moist tenderness, are soft and delicious dipped in sesame oil. The sweet pumpkin had a subtle, understated sweetness.

Marinated pork galbi, 200g for 12,000 won

Just as we were finishing the raw galbi, the marinated pork galbi we'd ordered arrived. Domestic marinated pork galbi is priced at ₩12,000 for 200g.

Just like before, staff grilled and cut the marinated galbi for us, so all we had to do was eat. Marinated meat burns easily, but they grilled it perfectly without burning it.

The marinated galbi comes with a meat sauce on the side. It's soy-sauce based, salty with a nice savory depth.

True to a second-generation Busan Station restaurant, the secret marinade — made with fresh vegetables and fruit, refined over 35 years in the business — is seriously impressive. The pork galbi, well marinated, is tender and sweet, the kind of thing you keep eating without noticing.

At this point, just seeing a photo of the angelica pickle makes my mouth water. No amount of praise for this pickle would be too much — I honestly wanted to buy some to take home as a side dish.

I wrapped the pork galbi in lettuce with my favorite angelica pickle. Since the galbi itself is quite bold in flavor, it pairs really well when wrapped.

Finishing with white rice and seafood ramyeon

Eating the marinated pork galbi made me crave white rice. For just ₩1,000, you get a glossy bowl of rice.

White rice with marinated pork galbi and kimchi — is there a Korean alive who dislikes this combo? Even after already eating five servings of meat, somehow there's still room.

Torn between doenjang jjigae, kimchi kalguksu, and seafood ramyeon, I went with the seafood ramyeon. It comes out simmering in a small pot, priced at ₩5,000.

True to its name, the seafood ramyeon is packed with squid, octopus, and shrimp. The broth has that refreshing seafood flavor too.

We wrapped up the meal with a spicy finish. The kimchi was so good that I'll have to try the kimchi kalguksu on my next visit.

Is Choryang Hyeongje Galbi worth a Friday night visit?

Choryang Hyeongje Galbi is a Choryang pork galbi favorite where you can enjoy delicious pork galbi and kimchi in a warm, old-school atmosphere. The meat itself was great, and the friendly staff grilled everything for us so we could eat with ease.

Between the aged kimchi and scallion kimchi we ate alongside it, and that standout angelica pickle, I enjoyed the meal so much I'm already planning to bring friends here when they visit Busan. If you're looking for a meat restaurant near Busan Station or a Busan Station favorite, Choryang Hyeongje Galbi, located in the Choryang pork galbi alley, could be a great choice.