Namyangju lamb ribs restaurant with tableside grilling: Jin 1926

I’d been craving lamb ribs lately. Once the craving starts, it just keeps coming back. What can you do at times like this? Today, it’s lamb ribs!!! Rather than making lamb ribs at home, they taste best when you go somewhere that grills them properly for you. So I went to Jin 1926 Dasan Branch (진1926 다산점), a restaurant well known for lamb ribs. Since it had been a while since I’d last had them, I was excited before I even got there.

Is it easy to get to from Dasan Station?

It’s about a two- to three-minute walk from Dasan Station, so it’s great by public transit, and there’s parking in the building basement if you drive. Parking is available for up to two hours, so after eating, I even took a short walk at Dasan Waterside Park.

Inside Jin 1926 Dasan Branch and the table setting

The interior felt clean and comfortable overall. The tables were well spaced, and the floor-to-ceiling windows kept it from feeling closed in. I expected a typical bustling barbecue-restaurant atmosphere, but it wasn’t noisy at all. It would be nice for a cozy meal for two, a family dinner, or a group gathering. Each table had a grill on one side, plus storage under the chairs for belongings. There were two of us, so we sat at the counter. They set out Maldon salt, wasabi, their special sauce, and the basic side dishes: gat kimchi (mustard-leaf kimchi), white kimchi, Cheongyang chili peppers, and seasoned dried radish strips. At Jin 1926, the staff grill everything through to the end, so all you have to do is eat comfortably.

Ordering lamb ribs and Jin Special Rice

As soon as we sat down, I took my time looking over the menu. As you’d expect from a popular restaurant, it was simple: lamb options including French rack, lamb ribs, lamb loin, and lamb chuck flap, plus side dishes and a wide range of drinks. We started with two servings of lamb ribs (₩31,000 each) and Jin Special Rice (₩6,000), planning to order more as we ate. Since there were only two of us, we ordered individual dishes, but there are lots of well-put-together sets, so a set would probably be better for a larger group.

And then there was this amazing review event. They give you one lamb rib rack for free, so of course we joined and had an even more generous meal. No way I could pass that up, haha. The two servings of lamb ribs were chilled meat and looked beautiful. They say they fly in lambs under one year old raised in Australia’s clean regions, then trim the meat the same day.

As the meat and assorted vegetables grilled, the delicious smell really got my appetite going. I wanted to eat already 😍🤤

Smoky stir-fried bean sprouts and Jin Special Rice

The stir-fried bean sprouts came out while the meat was grilling. Wow—this was so good. There were peppers in it, so it had a slight kick, plus a smoky flavor and such a great crisp texture. You can add more for ₩3,000, but we had plenty.

Then came the Jin Special Rice. It was gondre rice—rice with Korean thistle greens—topped with myeongnan (salted pollock roe), with roasted seaweed on the side. It was my first time trying gondre, and I loved the nutty flavor with the saltiness of the roe. Wrapped in seaweed, it was even better. Later, I had it with the lamb ribs, and they went together even better than I expected.

How the staff-grilled lamb ribs tasted

The staff grilled the lamb ribs in two rounds. They first cut the fully cooked meat into easy-to-eat pieces and put it on a plate for us.

The golden-brown lamb ribs were juicy and clean-tasting, without any gamey smell, which I loved. Their distinctive rich yet light flavor came through beautifully. As expected, the doneness was perfect when cooked by a professional. They were delicious with salt, wasabi, or sauce, and just as good with the grilled vegetables.

King oyster mushrooms in lamb fat and crisp bones

Wow—king oyster mushrooms can taste like this? They grilled them whole and then sliced them. Maybe it was the lamb fat, but they were full of juices, tender and chewy, and so delicious eaten hot.

They grilled the lamb-rib bones a little longer until crisp, then wrapped them in paper. So I picked one up and gnawed on it right away. People say the meat stuck to the bone is delicious, and they’re right. Crispy meat is always good.

I was very happy with dinner today. It was great to finally eat plenty of the lamb ribs I’d been craving, and I loved being able to relax while the staff handled all the grilling. More than anything, I’m sensitive to lamb’s distinctive smell, but I didn’t notice it at all and enjoyed every bite. The next time I crave lamb ribs, I think of Jin 1926 Dasan Branch. A day of delicious lamb ribs in Dasan—I came home after a thoroughly satisfying meal.