Daegu Jongno galbi house with sweet garlic sauce: Jangjak Saenggalbi

What is Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch like?

Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch (벽돌생갈비 종로점) is a fresh beef galbi (marinated short rib) restaurant at 38-1 Jongno, Jung-gu, Daegu, on the Jongno side of Dongseong-ro. It is open daily from 17:00 to 01:00 the next day, last order is at 00:00, and there is no parking.

I was looking for a good BBQ place in Jongno, Daegu and ended up here. People kept coming in the whole time, so business was clearly great. It already has a lot of word of mouth. Whenever a new BBQ place opens you worry about the quality, but there was no need to worry here.

The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the clean, stylish atmosphere. It works great for a date, and it is also a nice place to bring older relatives!

What side dishes and free starter come with the meal?

Once you sit down, neat side dishes are laid out: Gyeongsang-style pickled chili peppers, white kimchi and seasoned radish strips, plus steamed beef belly with bean sprouts as a free starter. You could feel the care from the side dishes alone.

Every side dish was neatly plated, so they looked pretty and tasted good. With a spread like this, I wouldn't feel embarrassed bringing my parents or elders. I think it works well for a family gathering too.

Gyeongsang-style pickled chili peppers, white kimchi and seasoned radish

There were Gyeongsang-style pickled chili peppers (gochuji), and these were totally my style. Crunchy and savory, they pair perfectly with the meat.

The white kimchi and seasoned radish strips weren't salty at all, so they were easy to eat with lots of meat.

Free starter: steamed beef belly with bean sprouts

Then the free starter arrives, steamed beef belly with bean sprouts, and I was genuinely moved that this is just the freebie. A starter like this at a BBQ place in Jongno, Daegu? I'll have to come again.

Once the charcoal comes in, the heat is really strong. The meat cooked so well!!

Jangjak Saenggalbi menu and prices

Uiseong garlic galbi, 500g for ₩58,000: it looks special from the start

Two of us ordered the Uiseong garlic fresh galbi, 500g (₩58,000), and the look of it when it arrived was unreal. It was covered in garlic, so appetizing, and the color of the meat was really good.

I posted this photo on my Instagram story and friends kept asking where it was, seriously, haha.

Even looking at it again, the garlic galbi is just gorgeous..

Staff grill everything from start to finish

At Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch, the staff grill everything for you from start to finish.

You don't have to worry about grilling at all. You just sit back and eat, which I loved.

The service was attentive, as you'd expect from a top BBQ place in Jongno, Daegu.

What does the garlic sauce taste like?

The garlic galbi comes with a garlic sauce that is sweet but still full of savory depth. Dip the meat deep into the garlic sauce and any Korean would swoon.

More about the garlic sauce: it isn't just garlic piled on top. The sauce is sweet yet savory, so it doesn't hurt the natural flavor of the meat and actually lifts it. Dip the meat in the sauce, take a bite, and the sweetness and nuttiness burst in your mouth at the same time. It's addictive. I almost ordered more meat just because of this sauce, haha.

Sweet garlic with tender beef, ugh, what more can I say. You have to try it.

To finish: doenjang stew over cold noodles

For finishing the meal at Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch, I recommend the doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) over the mul naengmyeon (cold noodles). When the meat was almost gone, I ordered both.

The mul naengmyeon didn't have much ice, so it wasn't very cold, but it tasted clean and refreshing. It felt a bit like Pyongyang-style naengmyeon. I'd still recommend the doenjang stew more.

The doenjang stew has meat in it and the broth is rich and savory, so it's perfect with rice to finish. Even the stew was high quality at this Jongno, Daegu BBQ place, so I was satisfied.

Why I want to go back with my parents

I went with a discount as a review-campaign participant, but the side dishes were neat and plentiful, and the quality and condition of the meat were both so satisfying that I definitely want to come back with my parents next time.