Family BBQ in Jongno, Daegu: new garlic galbi at Jangjak Saenggalbi

How are you all getting through the hot summer? Our family (Nunu's family) spent our first vacation of the summer in Daegu :-) This year plenty of places are way hotter than Daegu, so it doesn't even feel like "Daefrica" (Daegu + Africa, the city's heat nickname) anymore. Still hot, but we ate well, stayed cool and came home full. The first restaurant of our Daegu trip was Jangjak Saenggalbi (벽돌생갈비) in Jongno, Daegu.

Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch: location and hours

Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch is at 38-1 Jongno, Jung-gu, Daegu. It is open daily from 17:00 to 01:00 the next day, with last order at 00:00. For parking, use a nearby paid lot. From Daegu Jungbu Police Station, go straight toward Dong-A Shopping; it's in the Jongno food alley, across from Yeongsaengdeok.

The restaurant changed its name from Ubokgeum Saenggalbi, and it fills a three-story building with a retro interior. It's near the main Jongno street, so it's easy to reach by car or public transport. It was a weekday evening and the place was packed, so it seems to have plenty of regulars already.

Why we chose the new Uiseong garlic galbi

The meat menu has brick-style raw galbi, Uiseong garlic galbi and black pork marinated galbi. We went for the newly launched Uiseong garlic galbi. I was curious about the brick-style galbi too, but a friend said it was great last time, so we picked the garlic one.

If you're looking for proper raw galbi in Daegu, or a place for a company dinner or a family meal, run to Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch~~ The building is tall and spacious across floors 1 to 3, and the staff grill good-quality meat over charcoal for you, so you can eat comfortably and deliciously. We came with our kids, and being able to look after them while we ate in peace was the best.

Uiseong garlic galbi, 500g for ₩58,000: how does it taste?

The Uiseong garlic galbi is 500g for ₩58,000. The house special sauce is made with Uiseong garlic, Eonyang pear, Changnyeong onion and more; it's tossed with the meat right after you order, then grilled over charcoal. And the cypress steamer is a freebie!

The cypress steamer (편백찜) comes as standard here. Crunchy bean sprouts, mushrooms, meat and even shrimp: very hearty for something that counts as a basic side. It's great to eat while the meat is grilling, and good for feeding kids too.

The Uiseong garlic galbi is sweet with a mild sharp kick. The galbi itself is already seasoned with garlic, and they bring extra on top, so garlic lovers can eat all the garlic and meat they want.

Even people who don't usually like garlic should find it easy to enjoy, thanks to the sweetness. The meat is tender, and the kids really ate it up with that sweet seasoning.

Staff grill everything, plus the side dishes

Meat with marinade or garlic on top burns easily, so it's usually hard work to grill. Here the staff grill it all, come by at the right moment to flip and cut it, and that's the best part! You can chat with a friend and have a beer without worrying about the grill at all~~

The side dishes are neat and tasty. Extra sides are available at the self-serve bar. I especially loved the thinly sliced radish salad (musaengchae).

The kids ordered steamed egg (gyeran-jjim), mixed it up and ate it with the meat. They ate so well that they said it was really filling~~

If you want to comfortably enjoy high-quality raw galbi in Jongno, Daegu, head to Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch. Spacious, pleasant interior, neat side dishes, a free cypress steamer, and galbi grilled by the staff!