Galbi BBQ in Jongno, Daegu: perilla-pickle ribs & jjagyechi, Jangjak

What is Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch?

Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch (벽돌생갈비 종로점) is a raw galbi (short rib) specialist with a reputation as a meat spot in Dongseongno. It says it inherited the recipe and know-how of Wall Street Galbi in Seoul's Bukchang-dong, and offers fresh meat and a special flavor as a premium galbi restaurant. If you love meat, I really recommend visiting once.

Location and parking in Jongno, Daegu

It sits about midway along the Daegu Jongno food street, a 5-minute walk from The Hyundai Daegu. For parking, use a nearby paid lot.

They say they use fresh raw meat trimmed in the shop and toss it in the marinade as soon as you order, so it arrives at its best!

They say the seasoning isn't heavy, so it brings out the meat's own flavor, giving a clean yet deep taste!

What we ordered: fresh and marinated galbi half plates

We ordered a half plate of the raw galbi and a half plate of the marinated galbi.

Basic table setting and how to order side dishes

The basic setting is very neat: sangchu jaeraegi (seasoned lettuce salad), garlic, ssamjang (dipping paste), kkaennip-jang (soy-pickled perilla leaves), chili peppers, jangajji (pickles), seasoned radish and white kimchi! Ask if you need wrap vegetables, and you can order any side dish you need by kiosk at any time, which was convenient.

That's 250g of raw galbi and 250g of marinated galbi. The meat is freshly trimmed, and seeing the ribs on big bones, it looked special from the start! The thick, meaty cuts looked so appetizing that I was excited even before grilling.

Do you have to grill the galbi yourself?

A big plus here is that the staff grill the meat for you! They put the raw galbi on the charcoal grill and carefully cook it, watching the meat so it's done at its best.

How was the fresh galbi?

They say the raw galbi is beef short rib built on the Bukchang-dong Wall Street Galbi recipe and reinterpreted in Jangjak's own way! Aging, seasoning and even the grilling are carefully calculated, and one bite is said to give rich juices and deep flavor.

But seriously, it's so delicious T_T It was tender and the juices were amazing, it honestly melted. That garlic seasoning sauce is the kicker.

The meat on the bone is trimmed off and grilled separately so it's easy to eat! The chewy texture and savory fat make it a different taste. I found the meat on the bone that delicious T_T

Is the marinated galbi worth ordering?

Even if you add it at the end, I hope you try the marinated galbi. Right after the raw galbi, we asked them to grill the marinated galbi too. They say it's the signature dish with a perfect sweet-salty balance, and the most popular pick among first-time visitors.

Honestly, marinated galbi tastes much the same anywhere, so I didn't expect much, but this was really good! T_T!!! Highly recommend. The combo with the kkaennip-jang (soy-pickled perilla leaves) was the absolute best!

It was really hot that day and I'd been walking around all day and was exhausted T_T But this flavor gave me energy back! It was so good my eyes popped open, haha

It's so tender, and the sweet-salty sauce goes so well with the meat,, even if you add the marinated galbi at the end, I hope you try it.

Noodles to finish: mul naengmyeon and jjagyechi

Cold noodles are the golden rule with marinated galbi, right? The mul naengmyeon (cold noodles in icy broth) here was cool and delicious, washing away the whole day's fatigue.

My boyfriend said he wanted jja-gye-chi (jjajang noodles with a fried egg) the second we sat down and ordered it right away. The look of it when it arrived was impressive. We already like soupless Jjapaguri, so it was exactly our style and so delicious!

It was nutty and cooked just right, so good T_T I want to go back just for this. A true jja-gye-chi master.

Is the cypress-steamed dish really free?

They even bring a free pyeonbaek-jjim (cypress steamer)! You wrap the well-cooked meat with bean sprouts and dip it in garlic sauce, and it was really good!

A free steamer on top of everything, I almost burst.

Final verdict on Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch

Honestly, I never knew raw galbi could be this delicious! Haha. The meat quality was really good, and I could properly taste the juices and flavor that raw galbi is known for. I enjoyed it so much.

Besides the meat, there's a wide range of meal and drinking-snack menus, so it seems great for company dinners, gatherings and family meals. Above all, the service was really satisfying! The staff grilled the meat for us so we could eat comfortably, and the shop feels clean and upscale, so it would suit a date too.

Taste, service and atmosphere were all satisfying, so if you like raw galbi, I recommend visiting once!