Chojeon-dong beef restaurant, Jinju: skirt steak set at Psyche

I found a special beef restaurant in Jinju — I stopped by while I was in the area for something else. It's not a place with a lot of tables; it's built around just four rooms, and the interior felt upscale with each room separated for a private meal. Here's my review after a delicious beef dinner 🥰

Where is Psyche in Jinju, and what are its hours and parking?

• 🥩 Psyche
• 📍Address _ 16-18 Chojeonbuk-ro 61beon-gil, 1F, Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea
• 🕒 Hours _ 18:00 ~ 22:00 (last order 20:30)
• 🌿Regular closure _ Every Sunday
• Chuseok holiday closure _ Sep 24 (Thu) ~ Sep 26 (Sat)
• 🚗 Parking _ Free parking available (near Simcheon Sauna parking lot, behind Witch Gimbap parking)
• 💡 Reservations possible, group bookings possible, separate men's/women's restrooms, wifi, kids' chair, corkage available (fee), Zero Pay and local currency accepted

I just followed my navigation there, and it turned out to be near Chojeon 2 Children's Park.

There's a parking spot right beside the restaurant, but I didn't know that and parked near the park instead. It was evening, so it looked like a lot of local residents park around there too. So I just quietly joined them haha

Inside Psyche: a restaurant with only four private rooms

At Psyche, you walk down a hallway to reach the four rooms, and staff guided me right in. The interior had black walls and black tables with soft lighting, decorated with gold accents and artwork — it gave off a really upscale impression.

Since I'd made a reservation in advance, the table was already set. For two of us, they arranged it like this, though the table could easily seat four. The room space was spacious and the restaurant was fairly quiet, so it was great for chatting over the meal. The counter and restrooms were further back down the hallway.

Psyche's menu and prices (member vs. regular)

Here's Psyche's menu. They offer three types of beef, meal dishes, and a variety of alcohol. Meat and meal menu prices are listed as member price / regular price.

MEAT MENU | Beef cuts at Psyche

• Anchang-sal (100g) _ ₩44,000 / ₩49,000
• Toshi-sal (100g) _ ₩44,000 / ₩49,000
• Jebi-churi (100g) _ ₩38,000 / ₩42,000

MEAL MENU | Noodles and rice dishes

• Hanwoo specialty-cut doenjang stew _ ₩16,000 / ₩18,000
• Seafood doenjang stew _ ₩9,000 / ₩10,000
• Clam kalguksu (2+ people / seasonal) _ ₩10,000 / ₩11,000
• Perilla oil noodles _ ₩11,000 / ₩12,000
• Cold tomato buckwheat noodles (seasonal) _ ₩10,000 / ₩11,000
• Scallop & shiitake mushroom set _ ₩34,000 / ₩38,000
• Salmon salad _ ₩13,000 / ₩15,000

DRINKING MENU | Drinks and alcohol

• Golden Blue 12yr _ ₩130,000
• Golden Blue 17yr _ ₩180,000
• Ballantine's 17yr _ ₩310,000
• Ballantine's 21yr _ ₩430,000
• Henkell Trocken (champagne) _ ₩70,000
• Ilpum Jinro (tonic water+lemon) _ ₩50,000
• Hwayo (tonic water+lemon) _ ₩50,000
• Soju (Jinro, Chamisul, Saero) _ ₩7,000
• Beer (Cass, Terra, Kelly, Hite) _ ₩7,000
• Soft drinks (Coca-Cola, Chilsung Cider) _ ₩2,000
• Highball _ ₩13,000
• Red wine _ ₩12,000

※ Meat orders start at 2 servings per first order, and leftover meat cannot be packed to go.

Turns out Psyche runs a membership program. If you're a regular, it might be worth joining. You can get red wine or jebi-churi through their review event, and there's also a birthday event — worth mentioning when you make your reservation!

What we ordered at Psyche and what it cost

• Anchang-sal x3 servings ₩147,000
• Coke x1 ₩2,000
• Perilla oil noodles x1 ₩12,000
• Total ₩161,000

Brassware side dishes, abalone porridge and grilled abalone

Turns out Psyche uses brassware for their dishes. The cups and other dishware are all upscale pieces too, which made the meal feel a level more refined. I heard this is a popular spot for meeting-the-in-laws dinners for that reason.

Look at the basic side dishes and dishware they set out. So pretty, right? The pickles were chosuk-jam (Chinese artichoke), gungchae, and garlic pickle. They said the selection can change with the season. I'd never seen chosuk-jam before as an ingredient — the crunchy texture was great, and I liked that the pickles weren't sweet. They said the namul (seasoned greens) are also prepared seasonally.

The meat sauces were turmeric-shiitake salt, whole grain mustard, and wasabi — three sauces that all cleanly brought out the flavor of the meat.

Abalone porridge made with abalone innards, butter-grilled abalone, and a salad.

The abalone porridge was warm and savory — great to have before the main meal. The butter-grilled abalone was also cooked tender, and the garlic butter smelled amazing. So good 👍👍

Three servings of skirt steak, grilled tableside by the owner

I ordered 3 servings of anchang-sal (skirt steak). It comes with scallops, shiitake mushrooms, sweet pumpkin, and cherry tomatoes.

The owner or staff grill the meat for you. They said if you'd rather eat at your own pace, just let them know. I told them my friend and I wanted to eat slowly, so we'd grill it ourselves! But at first, the owner grilled it for us. He explained things kindly while cooking.

Toshi-sal, also called angeomi, only yields about 550g per cow, making it the most valuable cut. It has almost no marbling, but there's a tender tendon running through the middle, and the meat protein is fairly soft, giving it a distinctive taste where the savory meat aroma meets the umami of tender protein.

Anchang-sal only yields 1.2kg to 1.8kg per cow, making it a rare, highly prized specialty cut ranked alongside salchi-sal as top-grade beef. It's a thin muscle layer running along the diaphragm, just inside the ribs, and it's the most popular cut at Psyche. The meat is tender, so women and kids especially love it.

Jebi-churi has the least fat of the three cuts, giving it the best texture. It's rich in juice with a great meaty aroma, tender and savory, and because the intramuscular fat content is low, you get a clean, light flavor.

That's the breakdown of the three types of beef Psyche serves. I had the anchang-sal, and it really was tender!

The first bite was grilled just lightly on the outside! They suggested dipping it in the turmeric-shiitake salt, so I tried it that way. Right away — wow, so delicious 🥹 The texture was soft too. Savory but clean-tasting.

Look at that color. Pure radiance 🥹👏👍

For the second bite, they told me to try it as a 3-way combo with the scallop and shiitake mushroom. The moment I took a bite — wow, soft, savory, chewy all at once, my mouth felt so luxurious 😭 I understood why they recommended eating it this way. Absolutely the best bite!

From here on, we grilled it ourselves. Can you see the quality of the meat? 🥰

Kimchi, salad, abalone porridge, and more — there was so much delicious food, our chopsticks were busy 😆😆

We had it with wasabi and with whole grain mustard too! With 3 servings plus all the side dishes, we ate a really hearty meal.

Ending with perilla oil noodles and fruit for dessert

For the meal course, we added perilla oil bibim noodles and shared them.

The perilla oil was added in just the right amount, so the flavor wasn't overpowering — it was delicious. With perilla leaves, seaweed flakes, and sesame seeds mixed in, it was fragrant and savory. A perfect match with the grilled beef 🥰

They also brought out fruit for dessert, so we enjoyed it right to the end — it refreshed the palate and gave the meal a clean finish!

Is Psyche worth it for a special occasion in Jinju?

Psyche had an upscale atmosphere with individual private rooms, so you could enjoy the meal privately. The quiet, relaxed vibe made it feel like a great spot for a special occasion like meeting the in-laws or celebrating an anniversary. I loved that you could enjoy specialty beef cuts here, and honestly everything was satisfying — not just the meat, but the carefully prepared dishware, the side dishes, and even the closing meal course.

The atmosphere was great and the food was delicious, so my companion and I finished the meal in good spirits. If you're looking for a beef restaurant in Jinju that's good for a special occasion, I'd recommend stopping by Psyche in Chojeon-dong, where you can enjoy a delicious meal in a private space.