Pyeongtaek pork galbi with yuzu sauce at Okryeon Galbi

A few days ago, I visited Okryeon Galbi Pyeongtaek Main Branch, a great pork galbi spot in Bijeon-dong, Pyeongtaek. The pork galbi was not overly intense, with a lovely subtle sweet-and-salty balance and tender meat. Okryeon Galbi’s signature perilla oil makguksu (buckwheat noodles) was also absolutely delicious, full of perilla flavor and aroma thanks to the ground perilla seeds. Most of all, I loved that it is in a building with a parking tower—an escape from the parking shortage that always comes to mind when I think of Sosa-beol restaurants!

Pork galbi in Bijeon-dong, Pyeongtaek with free parking

Whenever I visited a Sosa-beol restaurant, I always had to use paid parking. But Okryeon Galbi Pyeongtaek Main Branch is in Golden Tower, which has a complete parking facility, so parking is free. You can also come directly from the garage, making it easy to visit even on a rainy day!

It was an early, rainy Monday, so I was able to photograph the quiet restaurant before it got busy. The ventilation is good, there is plenty of seating, and there are high chairs too—totally okay to bring a baby!

Keep recommending the perilla oil makguksu

The menu included yuzu-aged pork galbi, kkodeulsal, ppolsal, pork belly, pork skin, naengmyeon, perilla oil makguksu, doenjang jjigae, soy-sauce egg rice, and freshly cooked rice. I heard a few menu changes are planned for September, so it would be good to check before you go. The perilla oil makguksu that I truly loved is Okryeon Galbi’s signature dish and will continue to be sold, so I definitely still recommend it!

Banchan with chamnamul salad and pickles

The banchan (Korean side dishes) included various gungchae pickles, myeongi leaves, pickled chili peppers, chamnamul salad, fresh spicy radish salad, and assorted vegetables.

I had been disappointed because hardly any barbecue restaurants serve chamnamul salad these days, but I really enjoyed it here. The variety of pickles was another plus. The yuzu sauce for dipping the pork galbi was sweet with a refreshing tang, making it a perfect match for the meat! There is a self-service bar, so you can easily get more.

Tender pork galbi, so we added another serving

What we ordered was pork galbi! We had two servings, then added one more because it was seriously so good—though the first two servings were honestly generous already. The meat was thick but unbelievably tender, without even a hint of dryness; that signature pork galbi tenderness and springy bite were satisfaction point number one! The special yuzu sauce also removed any porky smell and brought sweet and salty flavors together beautifully, which was satisfaction point number two.

For the pork galbi, the owner grills it personally, so you can eat it at exactly the best moment and simply focus on enjoying your meal. That is such a big advantage.

For the first piece, I dipped it lightly in the yuzu sauce. How can it be this delicious?!!!

Honestly, I usually prefer pork galbi wrapped in leafy vegetables, but here it is completely delicious even with just the sauce!

Dip it in the sauce, refresh with the chamnamul salad, then dip it in the sauce again!

You know it is incredibly good with myeongi leaves too, right? It tasted so perfect whether dipped in sauce, wrapped in vegetables, or eaten with myeongi leaves that we simply could not not add another serving!

We added one serving, thoroughly picked the meat off the ribs, and ended up having three servings plus freshly cooked rice. We were absolutely stuffed.

Signature perilla oil makguksu loaded with ground perilla

But once we knew the signature dish was perilla oil makguksu, how could we possibly not try it? We ordered one to share. I always used to say that I was not really into perilla oil makguksu, but maybe I actually do like it!!

As I gently mixed it, the aroma of perilla oil spread out and my appetite exploded again! It was generously topped with ground perilla seeds, so the flavor was incredible. Honestly, it was the best perilla oil makguksu I have ever had! If you visit Okryeon Galbi, I highly recommend ordering it. The owner is kind, the food is delicious, and parking is easy! There is truly no reason not to visit this excellent pork galbi restaurant in Bijeon-dong, Pyeongtaek. I am already planning another visit because I am curious about the menu renewal.