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Dish guide · Meat

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Galbi

갈비

Grilled short ribs

♨️ Served hot🙂 Not spicy🥬 Not vegetarian

Galbi means "ribs". On its own it usually means beef short ribs, often marinated in a sweet soy and garlic sauce and grilled at the table. Pork ribs are called dwaeji-galbi.

What it is

  • Yangnyeom-galbi is marinated in soy sauce, sugar, garlic and sesame oil, often with Korean pear. Saeng-galbi is plain, so you taste the beef itself.
  • The meat is cut into long, thin layers still attached to the bone so it cooks quickly. LA galbi is a thinner cut across several bones.
  • Beef galbi is one of the pricier barbecue meals, often saved for family celebrations.

Styles & local versions

Suwon galbi수원갈비

Suwon's galbi is cut much bigger than elsewhere, which is why it is also called wang-galbi (king galbi). It is traditionally seasoned with salt instead of soy sauce, then grilled over charcoal. The city's large cattle markets are often given as the reason galbi took root here.

Dongin-dong jjimgalbi동인동 찜갈비

Daegu's spicy braised beef ribs, born in the alleys of Dongin-dong in the 1960s and 70s. Unlike the sweet soy-braised galbi-jjim found elsewhere, the ribs are cooked with lots of chili flakes and minced garlic, so it's fiery but a little sweet. The restaurants cluster on Dongin-dong's Jjimgalbi Alley.

How to eat it

  1. 1Staff usually grill it and cut it off the bone with scissors. Marinated galbi burns easily, so it needs turning often.
  2. 2Wrap a piece in lettuce with ssamjang (soybean and chili paste) and garlic, or eat it with rice.

History

  • Suwon, south of Seoul, is famous for galbi. Its style is traced to Hwachunok, a restaurant at a local market that opened in the 1940s and later began grilling marinated ribs; sources differ on the exact year.
  • The name LA galbi is usually linked to Korean immigrants in Los Angeles, though no one is certain where it came from.

Allergies and diet

Usually contains

beefsoywheatsesame
  • The wheat comes from the soy sauce in the marinade.
  • Many places also serve dwaeji-galbi (pork ribs), so check the menu if you avoid pork.

Recipes differ between restaurants. If you have an allergy, always ask the staff before you order.

🗣️ Allergy card for the staff

Pick your allergy to see the sentence in Korean.

📍 Where to try it

Sources

We check every fact against at least two sources and write it in our own words. Last checked: 2026-10-28.