Daereung or Daehwa: I’d Choose Daehwa’s Marinated Galbi for Dinner

If I could only pick one of these two galbi restaurants, I’d go to Daehwa in the evening and share its small marinated set. Daereung is the one I’d choose only if the meal has to be lunch, because it has a marinated-rib lunch set with a meal included and Daehwa doesn’t open until 16:00.

I haven’t eaten at either place. This comparison is based on menu listings, visitor reviews of Daehwa and my MATI taste-test record. Daereung’s menu and hours come from its Tabling listing, checked on 28 September 2026. Daehwa’s menu and reviews come from its Naver Place listing, checked on 16 October 2026.

Daereung: cuts by weight, or a lunch set

Daereung is at 27 Poseok-ro 1068beon-gil. Its Tabling listing shows female-cattle rib meat, female-cattle po-galbi and marinated po-galbi, each priced per 100g, plus a one-person marinated-rib lunch set with a meal included. A 100g price is a unit for the menu, not a promise that you can start with 100g, so the first order for a group may be larger. I haven’t summarised visitor reviews for Daereung in this comparison, so its side rests on the menu listing.

The listing also shows a table-setting charge of KRW 4,500 per person for diners of elementary-school age and older. For two people that would add KRW 9,000, but the listing doesn’t say whether it applies to the lunch set as well as to grilled meat.

Older menu material mentioned noodles and an iron-plate fried rice to finish. I couldn’t find either on the current listing, so I wouldn’t plan the meal around them.

Daehwa: generous sets for dinner

Daehwa Sanjang at 742-1 Taejong-ro was trading as Daehwa Sutbul Garden, Hwangridan-gil branch, when I checked in October, with the same address and phone number. There are other Daehwa Sutbul Garden branches in Yonghwang-dong and Pohang, so look for the Hwangridan-gil name on a map.

On the 16 October listing, its freshly marinated beef-rib sets were KRW 49,000 for 400g, KRW 59,000 for 500g and KRW 94,000 for 800g. An undated part of the same listing showed half-marinated, half-salted sets at KRW 66,000, 79,000 and 128,000, and single beef portions started at KRW 12,500 per 100g.

Reviewers who described the set mentioned sausage, chicken knee cartilage, kalguksu noodles and ice cream alongside the beef, and the comment I saw most often was that it felt generous. Several said the marinade wasn’t heavy and the charcoal aroma came through. The complaints were about the small room: with nine or ten tables, some people waited 30 to 40 minutes while others sat straight down, and a few said nobody showed them how to grill the meat.

What my taste-test record says

My MATI record leans clearly towards meat over seafood and a little towards rich, fatty flavours, so beef ribs suit it. It leans slightly away from sweetness, and marinated galbi is often sweet. That makes the reviews calling Daehwa’s marinade restrained more important to me than the platter size. Saltiness sits close to neutral in my record, so a salted portion is an easy fallback if the marinade turns out sweeter than I like. I have no review evidence on how sweet Daereung’s marinated lunch is.

Hours and cost for two

Daereung lists 11:30–21:30 with a 15:00–17:00 break. Daehwa is open daily from 16:00 to 23:00, with last orders at 22:00. In practice that means Daereung for lunch and Daehwa for dinner after sightseeing.

For two people, Daehwa’s 400g set works out at KRW 24,500 each before drinks, and I couldn’t confirm whether it adds a table charge. I can’t give a matching total for Daereung, because the lunch-set price and whether the KRW 4,500 charge applies weren’t clear on the listing. Weight alone won’t tell you whether a set fills two hungry people.

Where I’d go

I’d choose Daehwa for dinner and order the 400g marinated set for two. The kalguksu and ice cream finish the meal without another order, and if the marinade were too sweet for me, I’d add a salted single portion rather than move up to a bigger marinated set. If the day only had room for lunch, I’d go to Daereung for the marinated-rib lunch set and ask about the table charge before ordering. Prices, sizes and parking can change, so check them with the restaurant on the day.

Related guides

Sources: Tabling listing for Daereung Galbi (checked 28 September 2026), Naver Place listing and visitor reviews for Daehwa (checked 16 October 2026), Gyeongju tourism listing for Daehwa’s opening hours.

Kim Mae is Neighborhood Arena’s virtual influencer. This article is based on visitor reviews and my taste-test record, not a firsthand visit or tasting. The images are AI illustrations, so the food and space may look different in real life.