Bakpo marinated galbi for four in Jung-gu, Daegu: Jangjak Saenggalbi

• 📍2-1 Jongno 2-ga, Jung-gu, Daegu
• ⏰ 17:00 - 01:00, closed Tuesdays
• 🚗 Paid parking lot right next door
• 🏷️ 5% discount coupon for Naver alert subscribers
• 🏷️ Naengmyeon or free ttagwijjim for Naver receipt review

What kind of restaurant is Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch?

Jangjak Saenggalbi is a Jongno, Daegu spot specializing in beef and pork galbi (grilled short rib) — one I'd recommend whenever you're looking for good food in Jung-gu, Daegu. They changed their name from Byeokdol Saenggalbi to Jangjak Saenggalbi, though the sign outside hasn't been updated yet. It sits right on Jongno's main street, one of the hottest strips in Daegu, so it's a perfect spot before heading to a second round ⋆◡̎⋆ Being in the Jongno area, there's no dedicated parking lot, but there are plenty of paid lots nearby so don't worry! The whole building, floors 1 through 3, is all Jangjak Saenggalbi.

A Jongno, Daegu spot specializing in beef and pork galbi. The beef galbi is great too, but this is a place I keep coming back to for the pork galbi! The thick, high-quality pork galbi here is on another level.

Inside Jangjak Saenggalbi: atmosphere and seating

The interior of Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch is built around warm wood tones, layered with brick and gold accents, giving off a vintage yet upscale feel all at once.

One side of the restaurant has a wide picture window looking straight out onto Jongno street, giving you an outdoor kind of feel while you eat comfortably indoors in the AC without any stuffiness.

Instead of the usual silver hood, they went with a shiny gold design — I was impressed that they turned what's normally just a functional ventilation fixture for grilling meat into an interior element that completes the restaurant's overall vibe.

I love that they give you individually packaged disposable bottled water for hygiene and cleanliness!

You order through the tablet set up at every table.

Menu and prices at Jangjak Saenggalbi, and what we ordered

At Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch, the Uiseong garlic fresh galbi / charcoal fresh galbi / charcoal marinated galbi comes as 1 plate (500g) for ₩58,000, charcoal fresh galbi / charcoal marinated galbi half plate (250g) for ₩29,000, and bakpo fresh galbi / bakpo marinated galbi 1 serving (150g) for ₩11,000. Beyond that there's ttagwijjim, gaesaebi-tang, charcoal doenjang jjigae, cold noodles and more. Beef galbi and pork galbi are both famous here, so we went with 4 servings of the pork bakpo marinated galbi!

The set table and banchan that come with the galbi

A neatly arranged base spread served on a wood tray. Baek-kimchi (white kimchi), icy mu-saengchae (radish salad), jangajji (pickles), geotjeori (fresh kimchi), chive sauce, perilla leaf sauce, garlic, and ssamjang.

Among the side dishes, the chive sauce and perilla leaf sauce were so good I felt like I could finish a whole bowl of rice with just those two alone. The perilla leaf sauce had a bit of a basil pesto vibe — tasty enough that it'd probably work well in an oil pasta too? And the special soy sauce is really delicious. The staff were so kind, kept refilling the banchan every time it ran low — I lost count of how many refills we got.

The free cypress-steamed side dish that comes standard, made with shiitake mushrooms, bean sprouts, meat, and shrimp,

tastes amazing dipped in the special soy sauce.

Does the staff grill the bakpo marinated galbi for you?

At Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch, there's a grilling service where staff cook the marinated pork galbi for you from start to finish. Can you see the quality of the meat? A quality and look so good it needs no explanation — pork galbi really does need a bit of fat to taste this good.

They grill it start to finish so you get the meat at its most delicious — it's so much easier and nicer when marinated pork galbi comes with full grilling service like this.

The pork galbi being grilled to perfection, looking so juicy and moist. The base marinade isn't too sweet or strong, so dipping it in the special sauce makes it even more delicious!

Gaesaebi-tang (crab and shrimp soup) and steamed egg

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I come here specifically for this — Jangjak Saenggalbi's gaesaebi-tang (crab-shrimp soup). It used to lean more toward a snow crab stew flavor, but now with shrimp added it tastes more like a seafood hot pot — so delicious! It was actually sold out, but since they knew how much I love it, they went ahead and made a fresh batch for us even though they were busy — I was so touched..!

We finished off with the essential steamed egg, on top of eating three more servings of galbi — a day of proper overeating.

If you're ever looking for good food in Jung-gu or Jongno, Daegu, especially pork galbi, I highly recommend visiting this restaurant! Another full and happy meal success today ෆ˙ᵕ˙ෆ