Pyeongtaek pork galbi restaurant for a Saturday group lunch: Ihwajeong

I visited a friend in Pyeongtaek who just moved, and we went for a housewarming lunch at this Pyeongtaek pork galbi spot, Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi — let me introduce it!

Personally, the restaurant was very spacious and clean, the staff were kind, and the charcoal-grilled pork galbi and seasoned pork gui were thick and just sweet enough — so good!!

Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi hours and parking

• Mon–Fri 16:00 – 22:00
• Sat–Sun 10:00 – 22:00
• Parking area in front of the restaurant is very spacious
• No break time

What I liked about this place

• Tender pork galbi cross-aged for 144 hours
• Pork galbi grilled over charcoal
• Naver Reservations available
• Spacious restaurant, good for groups
• Room reservations available for 5+ people
• Baby chairs available
• Highly recommended for family gatherings
• Also recommended for group work dinners
• Well ventilated, so the whole meal felt comfortable
• Thick seasoned pork gui and galbi were so tender and just sweet enough that I kept reaching for more
• A certified Pyeongtaek pork galbi favorite

Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi is a pork galbi restaurant located in Sosa-beol, with a very spacious parking area in front, so it was easy to park even for a Saturday lunch.

Inside Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi

I was surprised the restaurant was much bigger than I expected. As you can see from the tables, there's a lot of group seating, so I think it'd be great for a work dinner!!

There are also many 4-person tables and baby chairs, plus rooms you can reserve, so it seems like a really good spot for family visits too.

The menu and what we ordered

The menu is printed right on the paper tablecloth. We ordered one serving of seasoned pork galbi (₩19,000) plus two servings of seasoned pork gui (₩17,000).

A wide variety of tasty banchan

The banchan (side dishes) came out first. The restaurant is quite spacious and very clean, giving it a comfortable yet upscale feel, and there was a wide variety of banchan too. Even the basic side dishes were enough to make the table groan under the weight!

Seasoned crab, the kind you don't often see as a banchan at a galbi place these days. It was packed with meat, and my friends said it had a light, slightly spicy flavor.

There was a self-serve bar in the back where you could grab extras like pickled onions, garlic oil sauce, or dressed lettuce salad.

How to wait for the charcoal to be ready

Our order of pork galbi + seasoned pork gui arrived.

The meat had to wait covered until the charcoal was ready, haha. Once the charcoal is fully lit, the staff come and put the cover on themselves, so you just sit tight! We actually misunderstood at first, thought we had to do it ourselves, and had to ask again, haha...

Unbelievable ;;;; so beautiful, the charcoal caught perfectly..

144-hour cross-aged seasoned pork galbi and 2cm-thick seasoned pork gui

Now we slowly grilled the pork galbi and seasoned pork gui. Even when the meat first arrived, the portion looked generous for 3 servings, and the meat itself was incredibly thick!!

The seasoned pork gui especially was scored well at 2cm thick, so it was tender and hearty while still soaking up the seasoning nicely — great value and very filling!!

The pork galbi, thanks to the 144-hour cross-aging, was really tender with a just-sweet-enough sauce that never got tiring — I kept reaching for more. Halfway through, we ordered one more serving of seasoned pork gui. Both were delicious, but I'm more of a pork galbi person for the tenderness, while my friends preferred the thicker, heartier pork gui, haha.

Doenjang jjigae, rice, and the drinks we couldn't resist

You know pork galbi has to come with doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) and a bowl of rice, right?

The doenjang jjigae was genuinely delicious too ;; loaded with vegetables and tofu, with that satisfyingly punchy flavor typical of a good barbecue-restaurant stew — a perfect match for pork galbi, which can otherwise get a bit rich.

We'd promised not to drink at lunch, and when our friend who drove and hosted said 'even a dog can quit doing its business' (a Korean saying about breaking a habit), we jokingly said no way, we've already quit — but honestly, with this combo, we couldn't resist a drink, haha.

On the way out, there was pear slush available for dessert, but we were too full to try it. Since pear is good for digestion, I think it'd be nice to finish the meal with a cool pear slush.

Overall review of Ihwajeong Charcoal-Grilled Pork Galbi

The seasoned pork galbi and seasoned pork gui weren't too sweet, had no gamey smell, and were so tender that I kept reaching for more without getting tired of them — a really happy lunch!

It's a bit of a drive from Pyeongtaek Station, so you'll need a car, but with the spacious parking, spacious restaurant, cleanliness, and reasonable prices, it seems like a great spot for family gatherings or group dinners. Highly recommend!!!