Dish guide · Meat
Galbi
갈비
Grilled short ribs
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.
How to eat it
- 1Staff usually grill it and cut it off the bone with scissors. Marinated galbi burns easily, so it needs turning often.
- 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
- 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
- 🥩
Haeundae Amso Galbi 해운대암소갈비집
Korean BBQ · Haeundae & Gwangalli · Since 1964
Haeundae's famous beef rib house, in a converted home near the beach. Go for saeng-galbi (fresh, unmarinated ribs) or yangnyeom-galbi (marinated ribs), then finish with gamja-sari: potato noodles cooked in the sauce left in the pan. The fresh ribs often sell out.
Try: Saeng-galbi (fresh beef ribs)
1 hr+ wait - 🥩
Joseonok 조선옥
Korean BBQ · Euljiro · Since 1937
A tiny alley restaurant serving marinated beef short ribs grilled over coal briquettes since 1937. It is one of the oldest galbi houses in Seoul, now run by the third generation.
Try: Marinated beef short ribs (yangnyeom so-galbi)
- 🥩
Mapo Jinjja Wonjo Choedaepo 마포진짜원조최대포 본점
Korean BBQ · Yeouido & Mapo · Since 1956
Keeper of Mapo's old pork barbecue tradition since 1956. Marinated pork ribs and salt-grilled pork are cooked at the table with chewy pork skin on the side, the meal this neighborhood has been known for since the 1950s. It recently moved to a new site by Daeheung Station.
Try: Dwaeji-galbi (marinated pork ribs)
Short wait - 🥩
Buam Galbi (Songdo) 부암갈비 송도신도시점
Korean BBQ · Songdo
A Songdo branch of an Incheon Blue Ribbon name that goes back more than 45 years. Buam specializes in saeng-galbi: fresh, unmarinated pork ribs grilled at the table. The menu is short, and a side of rice fried with salted hairtail sauce makes a good finish.
Try: Dwaeji saeng-galbi (fresh pork ribs)
Short wait - 🥩
Dadogine Sutbul-gui 다독이네숯불구이
Korean BBQ · Noryangjin
A hugely popular charcoal grill in Noryangjin. Bone-in pork belly and marinated pork ribs are cooked over charcoal, and staff help with the grilling. Lines start early and can reach a couple of hours on Friday nights.
Try: Ppyeo-samgyeop galbi (bone-in pork belly)
1 hr+ wait - 🥩
Mongtan 몽탄
Korean BBQ · Itaewon
The barbecue that turned Samgakji into a food destination. Its signature is ude-galbi, a giant beef short rib on the bone, first smoked over burning rice straw for a deep, smoky flavor, then grilled at your table by staff. Finish with fried rice made in the drippings. Expect one of Seoul's longest lines.
Try: Jjipbul ude-galbi (straw-smoked beef short rib)
30-60 min wait - 🥩
Samwon Garden 삼원가든
Korean BBQ · Gangnam
Gangnam's landmark galbi house: a big traditional restaurant with a garden and waterfall, where Seoul families have celebrated for decades. Order the house marinated beef short ribs or plain prime Korean beef ribs, grilled at your table, or come at lunch for a bowl of galbitang and cold noodles.
Try: Samwon traditional marinated galbi
Short wait - 🥩
Useong Galbi 우성갈비
Korean BBQ · Dongdaemun
An old pork-rib joint by Yaksu Market that sells just two things: marinated pork galbi and pork skin. The ribs are first seared over charcoal briquettes in the kitchen, then finished at your table. On warm nights everyone eats outside on oil-drum tables in the alley.
Try: Dwaeji-galbi (marinated pork ribs)
Locals' pick - 🥩
Wangbijib (Myeongdong main branch) 왕비집 명동본점
Korean BBQ · Myeongdong
The Korean barbecue restaurant most first-time visitors to Myeongdong end up at. Staff grill marinated pork ribs, beef and pork belly over charcoal at your table, so you don't need to know what you're doing. Wangbijib has several branches around Myeongdong; this is the main one, near Myeongdong Station.
Try: Dwaeji-galbi (marinated pork ribs)
Short wait - 🥩
Yeongcheon Yeonghwa (Cheongdam) 영천영화 청담점
Korean BBQ · Gangnam
A Cheongdam house for hanwoo, Korea's prized native beef, open around the clock. It is best known for yukhoe bibimbap, rice topped with seasoned raw beef, and for grilled hanwoo rib meat. Foreign visitors, especially from Japan and China, fill the tables alongside locals.
Try: Hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef bibimbap)
30-60 min wait
Sources
We check every fact against at least two sources and write it in our own words. Last checked: 2026-10-28.