Jongno, Daegu BBQ with pork galbi and acorn jelly soup: Jangjak

Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch (장작생갈비 종로본점) is open every day from 17:00 to 01:00, with last order at 00:00.

Today my wife and I went to Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch, a BBQ place in Jongno, Daegu 🔥 The staff grill all the meat for you from start to finish 😲 And they're so good at it that I never picked up the tongs once, haha. Here's how it tasted 👇

What are the exterior and menu prices like at Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch?

On the Jongno street in Jung-gu, Daegu, a big red "Jangjak Saenggalbi" sign hangs out front ✨ With the wooden outer wall and retro tiled steps, the first impression already has atmosphere! Rows of lights above the sign make it stand out in the evening 🔥

The signboard at the entrance lists both the meat and the meal menu 🤤 It's handy to check prices and dishes before going in!

• Fresh galbi and marinated galbi: 500g ₩58,000, 250g ₩29,000 🥩
• Bakpo fresh pork galbi and marinated pork galbi: ₩11,000 per serving (150g)
• Meals: gesaebi-tang (spicy crab and shrimp soup), ttagwijjim (braised dish), firewood soybean stew, mul/bibim naengmyeon (cold noodles) 😋

Inside Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch: atmosphere, waiting and ordering

Step inside and the sparkling chandelier catches your eye first ✨ Tiled floors, wood walls and brick interior give it a proper vintage feel!

Posters of the signature dishes hang on the wall 😲 Gesaebi-tang, Uiseong garlic fresh galbi and ttagwijjim, so the meal menu looked hearty too!

Near the entrance there are waiting chairs and a Tabling machine (queue kiosk) ✨ Even if there's a wait, you can sit comfortably 👍

You order yourself on the Hi-Order tablet on the table 🤤 Photos and prices are all visible at a glance, so choosing was easy!

What the two of us ordered, and the basic setup

We ordered two things at Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch 🥩 A half plate of marinated galbi (250g) for ₩29,000, and bakpo fresh pork galbi (150g) × 2 (₩11,000 per serving)!

The basic setup is spread across a wooden tray 🔥 Ssamjang (dipping paste), raw garlic, perilla leaf pesto, white kimchi and other side dishes come out together! Two sauces sit alongside, a spicy Cheongyang pepper sauce and salt 😋 I figured the Cheongyang sauce would cut the richness of the meat, so I was looking forward to it 👍

I also loved that the pajeori (seasoned scallion salad) came piled high in a big bowl 🤤

Finally, the meat arrived 😲 On the left is the marinated galbi with tightly packed marbling, and on the right the bakpo fresh pork galbi! The marinated galbi is glossy beef on the rib bone 🥩 The fresh pork galbi is thick, with dense scoring and the bone cross-section visible!

Do the staff at Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch really grill everything?

Yes. At Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch the staff handle everything from the charcoal to the grilling and cutting. The charcoal glows red-hot, so you trust the heat right away 🔥 Since the staff keep an eye on the coals themselves, I felt at ease from the start 👍

This is a place where the staff grill for you from start to finish 😲

The timing of laying the meat on the grate, flipping and cutting was perfect! Smoke curls up as the meat turns golden outside and juicy inside 🤤 We just waited with our small plates and received it, haha.

How does the bakpo fresh pork galbi taste? Compared with Bu-am Galbi in Incheon

We started with the bakpo fresh pork galbi 🔥 The outside is crisp and the juices burst inside! The rich fat melts in your mouth, and there's no porky smell at all.

We really love Bu-am Galbi in Incheon, and my wife said the fresh pork galbi here at Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch is better than Bu-am 😲 It was so good that she just kept repeating how good it was the whole time, haha.

The marinated galbi and the intercostal meat

Now the marinated galbi 🥩 Maybe because it's beef, the look alone raised my expectations! See the pink cross-section? I'm already drooling 😭

The marinade had a gentle sweetness and was full of charcoal aroma, so good 😭 The grain of the meat loosens softly and the juices keep flowing as you chew 😋 It isn't too sweet, so you never get tired of it and keep reaching for more 👍

At the end they even grilled the intercostal meat (neukgan-sal) attached to the rib bone perfectly 😲 Chewy yet rich flavor bursts out from between the bones! Intercostal meat can easily burn if you grill it yourself, but they cooked it just right on their own, which moved me 🔥 It's a cut so good that the YouTuber Jeongyukwang is said to call it his favorite, you know? Picking off every bit of meat clinging to the bone was the peak of satisfaction!!

The best combo: pajeori wraps and mukbap-style cold soup

My favorite combo was wrapping grilled galbi in pajeori 💯 Wrap the grilled meat in the scallion salad and pop it in your mouth in one bite! The crunchy scallions cut the richness of the meat and the tangy, spicy dressing lifts the savoriness 🔥 The pajeori was just that good 😭

Between bites of meat I also tried the cold muksabal (chilled acorn jelly soup) 😋 It's topped with seaweed flakes, sesame, kimchi and julienned cucumber, with ice floating in it! The cool, tangy broth washes away the greasiness. It was a magical combo that sent my hand right back to the meat 👍

Review event at Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch

By the way, there's a review event notice next to the Hi-Order tablet at Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch ✨ Show your review to the staff and you get either mul naengmyeon or bibim naengmyeon, so keep it in mind!

Overall verdict

I was really satisfied with the start-to-finish grilling service at Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch! The grilling was perfect, so you can truly taste the meat 🔥 My wife said the fresh pork galbi was better than Bu-am Galbi. The marinated galbi is beef, so it's super tender, and even the intercostal meat was perfect 🥩 Do try the pajeori wraps and the cold muksabal too 👍 If you're looking for a BBQ place in Jongno, Daegu, I highly recommend Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch 👍