Galbi BBQ in Jongno, Daegu: fresh ribs with salt & wasabi, Jangjak

What is Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch in Daegu?

Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch (벽돌생갈비 종로점) is a beef and pork galbi (marinated or fresh ribs) restaurant in Jongno, Jung-gu, Daegu. It used to be Ubok Geumsaeng Galbi and was renamed. They say the taste, ingredients and staff are all the same, so regulars of Ubok Geumsaeng Galbi can visit without worrying!

It's been a while since I was in Jongno, Daegu! There are so many BBQ places around here that I couldn't decide, but I was craving beef galbi so badly,, so after some thought I came to Jangjak Saenggalbi, which had good reviews!

Jangjak Saenggalbi sits on the main stretch of the Jongno food alley! The whole building is one restaurant, which is already impressive ;; It's split into a 1st and 2nd floor!

Atmosphere and seating: is Jangjak Saenggalbi good for a team dinner?

The inside is a little dim, which is totally my style (?). Best of all, it's clean and not the kind of place full of meat smell and smoke! I think it'd be great for group gatherings and team dinners too!

The 2nd floor is up the stairs! And the restroom is by the stairs on the 1.5 floor!

The overall vibe feels upscale-! The 2nd floor is definitely a bit quieter hehe

These are the 2nd-floor seats! Since the staff grill everything for you, the tables are spaced widely, which I liked, and the food was served fast even upstairs, which was great!

What to order: half fresh galbi, half marinated galbi

Jangjak Saenggalbi sells both beef galbi and pork galbi! After diligently searching reviews, I started with a half plate of fresh galbi and a half plate of marinated galbi!

Side dishes and dipping sauces

The side dishes come out fast! Lettuce geotjeori (fresh-tossed salad), ssamjang (dipping paste), chive ssamjang, jangajji (pickles), seasoned radish, white kimchi and more, all great with galbi! Every side dish can be refilled on request, and on the 2nd floor you can add more by kiosk!

There's also a salt and a seasoning sauce that come as standard, and this stuff is seriously good.. One bite and I thought, this marinated galbi is going to be so good ;;

Free pyeonbaek-jjim (cypress-steamed platter)

A cypress steamer (편백찜) comes as a free service! Bean sprouts, brisket, mushrooms and even shrimp, quality you can hardly believe is free!

It's perfect to eat while you wait for the meat to grill! And dipped in that seasoning sauce I mentioned, it's seriously the best,, please try it,,

How is the fresh beef galbi? Try it with salt and wasabi

A half plate of fresh galbi plus a half plate of marinated galbi comes to 500g for ₩48,000. They start grilling the moment the meat arrives! The best thing about Jangjak Saenggalbi in Jongno is that they grill everything from start to finish! All you have to do is eat hehe

We started with the fresh galbi! Juicy, charcoal-scented fresh galbi,, how could it not be good? ㅠ They also separate the bone from the meat so it's easy to eat! It was cooked so perfectly, look at that shot... And they don't just throw away that bone.

A perfectly grilled piece right away! I ate it with salt + wasabi and it was honestly.. so good.. The outside is slightly crisp from the charcoal and full of charcoal aroma, but the inside was really moist and tender ㅠ I already like the salt + wasabi combo, but for this fresh galbi it's absolutely the number one!

I also ate it with the perilla leaf pickles, chive ssamjang and geotjeori and honestly... I inhaled it way too fast hehe They also neatly separated and grilled the chewy bit attached to the rib bone! They said it's surprisingly crunchy and tasty, and it really was a different flavor! The fatty richness was stronger and it was delicious- First of all, the staff's grilling skill is the best,, and the meat itself seemed really good, and with every bite I was almost sad to see it disappear (?)

How is the marinated beef galbi? Staff even time the grilling

Next was the marinated beef galbi! The seasoning sauce itself was so good that my expectations were high- The staff member was especially kind: while we were eating the fresh galbi, they asked whether to grill the marinated ribs right away or a bit later, which touched me,, At most places that grill for you, they just grill a huge batch without a word and leave, so being asked about timing really moved me hehe

And the marinated galbi is seriously good too ㅠ Now I totally understand why the reviews said to get half and half,, If the fresh galbi is nutty and clean-tasting, the marinated galbi is sweet with a slightly punchy kick that makes the soju go down so easily ㅠㅠ

Is 500g enough for two? Adding pork galbi

For two people, the half-and-half beef galbi fills you up just moderately, so I wanted one more meat and, after hesitating, went for the pork I hadn't tried! Some reviews said the pork galbi is good too, so I ordered one extra serving of pork galbi!

Of course they grill the pork galbi all the way through too! They're truly masters: nothing burnt and super tender hehe All three were delicious, but if I had to pick, I'd choose the beef galbi!

Final verdict on Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch

Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch was a place I was satisfied with in every way: atmosphere, kindness and taste! It was my first beef galbi in Daegu, and whenever I crave beef galbi from now on I think I'll come here! It's good for a glass of soju in Jongno, good for team dinners, good for dates. Highly recommend this Daegu Jongno fresh galbi house-

Opening hours and parking

• Hours: daily 17:00–01:00
• Last order: 00:00
• Parking: not available, use a nearby public parking lot