Balsan Station Korean BBQ with kiosk side-dish refills: Ihwajeong

Today I want to introduce a great meat spot near Balsan Station — spacious, comfortable inside, and generous portions for a very fair price. Here's my honest review of eating at Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga, a pork galbi (marinated pork ribs) restaurant near Balsan Station.

Where is Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga Magok-Balsan Branch, and what are its hours?

Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga Magok-Balsan Branch is located at 42 Gangseo-ro 54-gil, 1st floor, Unit 1, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea, about a 5-minute walk from Exit 4 of Balsan Station on Line 5. It's open daily 11:00–22:00, last order at 20:30, with no break time and open all 365 days.

• Address: 42 Gangseo-ro 54-gil, 1st floor, Unit 1, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00 / last order 20:30 (no break time, open 365 days)
• Amenities: group dining available, delivery, Wi-Fi, reservations, separate men's/women's restrooms, baby chairs, waiting area, parking available

If you're driving, the parking space is nice and roomy so parking is a breeze.

Where to park at Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga: the 77-car parking tower and tile-roofed gate

A huge plus of this pork galbi place near Balsan Station is the spacious parking tower that fits 77 cars. The front gate is styled like a tile-roofed hanok, giving off a Korean, clean and tidy vibe — I felt good just walking up to it.

It looked pretty spacious from outside too, and it turns out it can host group gatherings of 30 to 100 people! It seemed like a perfect spot for a family or company dinner with a big crowd.

Inside Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga: seating and atmosphere

Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga Magok-Balsan Branch has an antique exterior paired with a calm, comfortable atmosphere featuring clean private rooms. We weren't a group so we were seated in the main hall, but it was still spacious and open enough to make the meal comfortable.

The place was so clean I asked the owner about it, and turns out it's a brand-new BBQ restaurant that opened this past April, haha.

Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga menu and prices: what we ordered

Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga's menu includes single dishes like raw beef ribs, hanwoo (Korean beef) skirt steak, seasoned beef king ribs, marinated pork ribs and hanwoo yukhoe (beef tartare), as well as well-curated set menus, meal items like naengmyeon (cold noodles), doenjang stew and rice, and drink and alcohol menus.

We ordered 300g of marinated pork ribs (₩23,000) for two, doenjang stew (₩8,000), rice (₩1,000) x2, and Pepsi Zero (₩2,000).

How the kiosk side-dish refills work

Once we ordered, the side dishes came out — scallion salad, baek-kimchi (white kimchi), pickled vegetables, and fresh cabbage salad, all great to pair with the meat. Potato salad and mook-muchim (seasoned acorn jelly) were also nicely seasoned and delicious. If you want more, you can refill them via the kiosk, which was convenient.

300g marinated grilled pork for two, grilled by the staff

When the marinated pork ribs finally arrived, a staff member grilled everything for us, so all we had to do was eat — so convenient. One serving is 300g, so the portion was generous, and the sweet marinade was so good I fell in love.

It turns out they use a patented 144-hour cross-aging process to tenderize the beef and pork ribs while maximizing the umami of the meat! They also use organic pear in the marinade for a natural sweetness rather than an artificial one.

Maybe that's why the sweet-and-salty flavor typical of pork galbi came through at its best, without any off or overpowering taste — genuinely delicious, haha.

Doenjang stew and rice with the pork ribs

Eating the meat along with zero-sugar cola, doenjang stew and rice left me incredibly full, haha. This place feels like you could fill up on the meat alone! That's how generous and hearty the portions were.

The doenjang stew tasted like something homemade — mild and mellow, great with rice.

Free pear sherbet for dessert

After finishing the meal, they served pear sherbet for dessert. You can order it for free from the dessert tab on the kiosk, so don't forget, haha.

It was refreshing and cut through the greasiness after all that meat — a great way to finish. It tasted almost identical to a Tank Boy popsicle, haha.

Verdict: is Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga worth it for a family dinner near Balsan Station?

Overall, if you're looking for a pork galbi restaurant near Balsan Station where you can eat comfortably with family, I'd recommend Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga Magok-Balsan Branch. The restaurant is spacious and clean, with plenty of parking, making it easy to bring your parents along, and above all, the 300g portion per person was really filling.

The marinated pork ribs were grilled by staff so we could eat comfortably, and from the neatly served side dishes to the meal items to the final dessert, it was a satisfying meal overall. Especially getting to finish off with the free pear sherbet after the meat made for a clean, nice ending!

If you're looking for a family dining spot near Balsan Station or a pork galbi restaurant to visit with your parents, I think it's worth checking out.