Jeonju BBQ restaurant where staff grill beef short ribs: Ubookgeum

Today I went to Ubookgeum Saenggalbi in Seosin-dong, Jeonju — a rib restaurant known for great service!

Ubookgeum Saenggalbi started in Daegu as a raw-rib specialist, trimming carefully selected high-quality meat and grilling it over top-grade charcoal for the best possible result. It's also a place that offers genuinely skilled service so you can have a relaxed, enjoyable meal. A solid meal, a satisfying night out, a place you keep thinking about — even the side dishes come together beautifully. Let me introduce Ubookgeum Saenggalbi.

Where is Ubookgeum Saenggalbi Seosin Branch, and where do you park?

Ubookgeum Saenggalbi Jeonju Seosin Branch is at 26 Ongoeul-ro, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk, 1st floor units 101 and 102, right on the main road across from Baek Dabang. Hours are 11:00–23:00, with a break time from 14:00 to 17:00.

• Name: Ubookgeum Saenggalbi Jeonju Seosin Branch
• Signature menu: Beef saenggalbi, pork saenggalbi, galbitang (lunch), seokgalbi set (lunch)
• Address: 26 Ongoeul-ro, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk, 1st floor units 101, 102
• Hours: 11:00–23:00 (break 14:00–17:00)
• Restroom: Shared building restroom, separated by gender
• Parking: 2 hours free at K parking lot, 1 minute walk
• One-line intro: A place offering a complete meal through premium quality meat, top-grade charcoal, and careful grilling

This spot used to be a Myeongryun Jinsa Galbi, and before that, a Tebasaki.

There's 2-hour free parking support at the K parking lot next to Baek Dabang. On the map it shows up as a road, but it's actually being used as a parking lot.

Tables at Ubookgeum Saenggalbi: is there room for a family gathering?

The restaurant has partitioned seats toward the back and open seats by the window — we took a window table for the open feel. The inner tables are set up as pairs of 4-seaters pushed together, which makes them great for group meals like family gatherings or company dinners.

Grill menu and lunch specials at Ubookgeum Saenggalbi

We went for dinner to eat meat, so first we checked out the meat menu. Beef and pork saenggalbi (raw ribs) are the signature items, and there's also yangnyeom galbi (marinated ribs) with a soft, savory flavor.

For dessert, there's kkotge jjaguli — a dish you can only get here — plus noodles and naengmyeon (cold noodles).

At lunch there are set menus and specials — galbitang, yukgaejang, and seolleongtang specials come with bossam on the side at a reasonable price, which makes them really popular.

You order through the tablet installed at each table. We ordered one plate of beef saenggalbi.

The basic table setting: doenjang jjigae and steamed egg

As soon as we ordered, the basic table setting was laid out.

We got pickled onions, ssammu (radish wraps), myeongi namul (wild garlic leaves), baek kimchi (white kimchi), lettuce for wraps, and the restaurant's own sauce — all great with the meat.

And also spicy-sweet bean sprout salad and refreshing dongchimi (water kimchi) to spoon up cold!

A bit later, a bubbling hot doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) came out,

along with a bouncy steamed egg — both part of the basic table setting.

And just like that, a wonderfully full spread was complete!

Beef saenggalbi LA-style short ribs, grilled and deboned by the staff

While the side dishes were being set out, the beef saenggalbi arrived too. That gorgeous marbling on the LA-style short ribs looks incredible!

Everyone knows LA galbi is delicious, but the bone makes it a hassle to grill and eat. Don't worry — at Ubookgeum Saenggalbi, a skilled staff member handles the entire grilling process for you, start to finish.

No filter, no editing — just look at that color on the meat. How does it turn out this beautiful?! They say they only use carefully selected premium-quality meat, and you can tell at a glance that it's good stuff!

While it grills, a built-in downdraft hood pulls the smoke away so you can eat without any smoke at all.

So now you're probably wondering — what happens to the meat still stuck on the bone? If they were just going to throw it away with the bone, anyone could do that.

Once the good cuts are nearly done grilling, they set the bones aside and debone them perfectly with scissors and tongs! It can feel a little chewy because of the texture, but that's exactly its charm — it's fun to eat.

Salt, special sauce or shiitake wasabi: what to dip the ribs in

For the first bite, they told us to dip it in salt, so I did — and oops, I used way too much haha. Since the raw ribs already have a base seasoning, I'd recommend just a light touch of salt.

And personally, my top recommendation is the special sauce that comes one per person!

The brown one next to the salt is the shiitake wasabi — the sharp bite of the wasabi and the fragrant shiitake flavor go really well with the meat, so I highly, highly recommend trying it this way too!

It's also delicious wrapped up with myeongi namul and garlic on top.

It's nice to enjoy it with a bit of spice too, topping it with the crunchy bean sprouts and cheongyang chili.

There's an unlimited self-serve bar, so rolling the precious myeongi namul and baek kimchi together is another salty, crunchy pleasure haha.

And if you carefully wrap up the meat that was still on the bone, that's really enjoying Ubookgeum Saenggalbi to the fullest!

What to grab before you leave

On your way out, plum tea and sujeonggwa (cinnamon punch) are ready, so don't skip dessert — and if you parked at the K parking lot, don't forget to grab your 2-hour free parking stamp!

Also, they said if you enter the receipt review event, you can win a share of ₩2,000,000 in dining support money!

A place offering a complete meal through premium quality meat, top-grade charcoal, and careful grilling.