Paju Korean BBQ restaurant: pre-grilled marinated pork at Tannae

Location and parking at Tannae Paju Main Branch in Garam Village

It had been a while since I visited Paju, and on a day like that, I just wanted to lift my mood with something delicious. I’d been craving pork ribs for days, so after wondering where to go, I ended up at the always-reliable Tannae Paju Main Branch (탄내 파주본점)!

It wasn’t difficult to find even on a first visit. It is on the first floor at 73 Garam-ro, near the Garam Village commercial-residential complex, so the restaurant was easy to spot even from a distance. There is parking behind the building, which made parking easy; if it is full, you can use a nearby alley parking lot.

An open exterior and evening atmosphere inside

Even the sign didn’t have that rough-and-ready meat-joint feel, and with the front doors thrown wide open, it had such an open atmosphere.

Maybe because it was dinner time, the interior was packed with guests. Popular places really are different, haha. There are still plenty of tables, and it is clean and set up perfectly for eating while chatting away together.

They also have high chairs, so there were quite a few families.

There is a separate self-service bar, and it was kept clean, without food spilled all over it or anything like that.

Marinated king pork ribs and side dishes

• 3 servings of marinated king pork ribs
• Steamed egg
• Cold buckwheat noodles

We ordered quickly as soon as we sat down. One interesting thing was that they put something like meljeot (fermented anchovy sauce) over the charcoal; once it boils, you can move it to the side.

Eating it bubbling away somehow makes it feel even tastier~

Even the water is like barley tea, which is totally my taste.

They brought out all these basic side dishes too—fresh kimchi and green-onion kimchi, plus my love, corn and macaroni salad—so I think I ate to my heart’s content. And that garlic sauce in the middle... it is seriously this place’s secret kick!!

I wanted to warm up my stomach a little first, so I ordered steamed egg—but is this portion for real? Hahaha. It came puffed right up to the brim of the earthenware pot, and the seasoning was genuinely perfect. How did they hit that exact middle ground—not too bland, not too salty...? It was warm and fluffy, and went down so easily.

The easy way to enjoy pre-grilled marinated king pork ribs

One great thing here is that the owner grills everything first and brings it out one serving at a time, so it is really convenient—I don’t have to keep flipping it myself.

They brought out one serving of pork ribs first—can you see the size? Haha. Since it comes almost fully cooked, you just grill it a little more and cut it into easy-to-eat pieces.

Even a nicely grilled piece eaten plain is great, because the marinade is savory and sweet. No problem eating it just like this.

But while trying different dips and looking for the best combination...

This sauce is really sweet with a pungent little kick—hard to put into words, but everything comes together so well.

The lettuce was seasoned too, so you could eat it with a little spice, and the green-onion kimchi had just the right balance.

Here, you can choose either kimchi stew or doenjang jjigae (soybean-paste stew) as a complimentary dish. We chose the crab doenjang jjigae, and there was actually this much crab in it. Maybe because of that, the broth felt spicier and deeper.

Rice is a must with stew, so we ordered some too ^^

As we were finishing, they brought out more like this. I was grateful and comfortable that they looked after us according to our eating pace.

Finishing with icy cold buckwheat noodles

We finished with cold buckwheat noodles, with little shards of ice floating on top—just perfect for clearing the palate. The noodles were chewy, and the sweet-tangy broth worked well as the final course.

Wrapping the cold noodles around the few pieces of meat I deliberately saved.

And with that, we cleared every last bit~~

Their signature is actually pork neck, and their pork belly is famous too, but the marinated king pork ribs were plentiful, tender, and delicious! The marinade is the kind of universally appealing flavor that anyone, young or old, would enjoy, and there is a wide range of stews and side dishes to choose from. The owner is always kind too, so I always leave with a happy memory. If you are looking for a spot for a family meal or work dinner in Garam Village, Unjeong, Paju, I think you would enjoy a visit here!