Busan galbitang restaurant for a late date night: Gang Galbitang

It was hot all summer, but now there’s a little hint of fall in the air and mornings and evenings have gotten chilly. (I love fall~ 🥹🥹) After work, my girlfriend and I were looking for something warm for a late-date meal, so this time we picked galbitang (beef short-rib soup)!!

Gang Galbitang Seomyeon location and parking

I was looking for somewhere not too far away and happened to find this spot in Seomyeon. It was tucked between Seomyeon Station and Bujeon Station, and since I usually get around by car, I liked that it was just outside the busiest area, so parking felt less stressful.

If you’re taking public transportation, come out of Exit 11 at Seomyeon Station and walk about 300 m toward Busan Citizens Park. It’s in the building next to TT Hotel, so you could search for that area too.

If you’re driving, you can park at Blue Parking about a block away. With a meal of ₩20,000 or more, you can get 30 minutes of parking fees supported, so be sure to get a discount voucher at the counter!! After dealing with pricey parking lots around Seomyeon all the time, the lot near the restaurant was inexpensive enough that parking did not feel like a big burden. (About ₩1,500 per 30 minutes.)

A clean interior that is easy to visit alone

It is on a main road, so it was not particularly hard to find, and the interior was clean. There are tables along the wall too, so I think solo diners could comfortably stop in for a meal without feeling awkward.

Kiosk menu and ordering

You can order from the kiosk, and the food came out faster than I expected.

• Galbitang: ₩14,000
• Spicy galbitang: ₩15,000
• Beef rib gukbap (rice in soup): ₩9,500
• Spicy beef rib gukbap: ₩10,500
• Beef rib noodles: ₩13,500
• Add Jeju jukmyeon noodles: ₩2,500
• Add brisket: ₩3,500
• Extra-large glass noodle add-on: ₩1,000
• Aroong-satae boiled beef: Small ₩28,000 / Large ₩41,000

Level-one spicy galbitang with added somyeon

As usual, my girlfriend ordered the regular one, and I got the spicy one. And I added somyeon (thin wheat noodles)~

You can adjust the spicy galbitang from level one to level three. Since it was dinner and I did not want anything too intense, I went with level one, but even level one had plenty of that nice peppery kick. They said they can give you extra chili seasoning (dadegi) on the side too, so you can adjust it to your taste.

If you love spicy, fiery food, raise the heat level; for most people, level one is already deliciously satisfying! The sides were simple: chili peppers, garlic, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), pickles, and a soy-based sauce for dipping the meat. I liked how clean and straightforward it was.

Like always, I took a spoonful of broth first, then slurped up a chopstickful of noodles right away~ It already comes with glass noodles, so if you are a noodle person, add more glass noodles or somyeon as you like. I normally eat quite a lot, but with the added somyeon, I was seriously full 🤤

Big ribs and lemon sauce

The meat came in big pieces attached to the bones. It was piping hot, so it was not easy to pull apart with my hands, but using the tongs and scissors provided to separate and cut the meat made it much more tender and easier to eat.

If you want a generous meat feast, definitely add extra meat!! Lemon and sauce came together for dipping the meat, and I think they brought out the meaty flavor a little more. It was not too salty either, so I recommend dipping it! After enjoying the meat like that, I mixed in a bowl of rice and ate without even thinking. Hungry again today, so I polished off a bowl in no time..

They also sell meal kits, so if they suit your taste after eating, it would be nice to keep some in the fridge and have one now and then. Busy modern people do not have time to simmer stock from scratch, right? 😢