Beef galbi BBQ in Jongno, Daegu: 3 rib flavors side by side, Jangjak

Today was my last meal in Daegu, so I wanted to eat something meaningful, and after some searching I ended up at Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch (벽돌 생갈비 종로점). It's described as a premium fresh galbi (raw beef short rib) specialist that carries on the tradition and know-how based on the secret recipe of Wolgae Galbi in Bukchang-dong, Seoul. Here's an honest review from my own visit, along with an intro to the place.

Where is Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch, and what are the hours?

Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch is at 38-1 Jongno, Jung-gu, Daegu. It's open 17:00 to 01:00, with last order at 00:00. There's no parking, so public transport is the way to go.

There's a eye-catching sign and a menu board out front. The restaurant is in the Jongno food alley, so I found it quickly after getting off at Jungangno Station.

It was nice to be able to see the whole menu at a glance out front.

We arrived at 5:30 and it was already busy, so I'd recommend reserving ahead.

What are the interior and seating like?

The interior has brick decor with wide spacing between tables, plus rooms and group seating. Even on a weekday evening the place was full of customers.

It was a weekday and the place was still packed, so yes, it's a legit good restaurant, haha.

The moment I walked in, the classy interior caught my eye!!

Overall it's brick-style decor with wide spacing between tables, and with rooms and group seating it works easily for company dinners, get-togethers and family meals!!

The restaurant runs over floors 1 and 2, which I really liked.

If you open the drawer beside the table, you'll find spoons and chopsticks, tissues, wet wipes and a bottle opener set out!! The origin-of-ingredients notice on the wall was nice to read before eating!

Menu and how to order

Every table has a kiosk, so ordering was easy. To try all three beef rib flavors, we ordered Uiseong garlic fresh galbi (500g), brick-cut fresh galbi (250g) and brick-cut marinated galbi (250g).

The signature menu items were Uiseong garlic fresh galbi, brick-cut fresh galbi, brick-cut marinated galbi, pork bakpo fresh galbi, pork bakpo marinated galbi, ttagwi-jjim (steamed beef cheek), crab and shrimp stew, and brick doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew).

• Uiseong garlic fresh galbi 500g
• Brick-cut fresh galbi 250g
• Brick-cut marinated galbi 250g

Restaurant event

A Naver receipt review event is also running, so keep that in mind!!

Side dishes and the free steamed dish

The basic side dishes were white kimchi, scallion salad, pickles, seasoned radish and several sauces, and a steamed cypress-box dish came as a free service. There's a really wide variety of sides!

There was white kimchi, scallion salad, pickles, seasoned radish, and sauces.

If you run out of sides, you can order more through a tablet. The free steamed dish had shrimp, mushrooms, meat and bean sprouts inside.

Finally, today's meat arrived. All the beef ribs looked delicious, and I was excited to enjoy three flavors.

Brick-cut fresh galbi: thick, bone-in classic

The brick-cut fresh galbi is the basic raw beef short rib, with thick meat attached to the bone. I started with the classic one first.

True to its brick name, the meat was thick and attached to the bone,

and when it's grilled laid out in a straight line, it really looks like a brick from a distance.

Finally the meat was fully grilled. I enjoyed the first bite for the flavor of the galbi itself, and after that ate it with the sauces and side dishes that came with it.

Uiseong garlic fresh galbi: garlicky ribs in a signature sauce

Uiseong garlic fresh galbi has Uiseong garlic on top of red fresh galbi, and apparently uses Jangjak's own signature sauce. Since it's marinated meat, a staff member grilled it for us and cut it into bite-size pieces.

Marinated meat burns easily, so I really liked that the staff grilled it and cut it into bite-size pieces. While it cooked, my friends and I talked about our life stories so far, and before we knew it the meat was done.

After cutting the fully cooked meat, the staff member disappeared. Unlike the fresh galbi from before, the garlic marinade gave it a garlicky aroma while I could still enjoy the taste of the meat itself.

Brick-cut marinated galbi: sweet, charcoal-scented ribs

The last one, brick-cut marinated galbi, was also fully grilled by the staff. The sweet marinade plus charcoal aroma made it a different taste from the previous two.

Last up is the brick-cut marinated galbi. Same as before, the staff grilled it all for us,

The sweet marinade soaked well into the meat, and with the charcoal aroma added, it had a pleasant sweetness that was different from the earlier meats, so I loved it, haha.

Overall verdict on Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch

Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch had nothing lacking: tasty food, a nice space and friendly service!!!! I liked that it's a proper galbi restaurant in Daegu with polished flavor and atmosphere, and it made for a memorable meal. If you're looking for proper galbi in Daegu, spend a special time at Wonjo Byeokdol Saenggalbi.