Galbi BBQ for groups in Jongno, Daegu: 3 floors & random box, Jangjak

After wrapping up my day in Daegu, I went looking for dinner in Jongno and ended up at Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch (벽돌생갈비 종로점). It's known as a Jongno favorite for charcoal-grilled fresh galbi (short ribs). Best of all, the staff grill the meat and cut it up for you from start to finish, so the meal was really relaxing. With spacious seating on floors 1 to 3, it also looked great for family meals and group dinners.

The fresh galbi was rich in charcoal aroma and juice, and the marinated galbi had a sweet-salty flavor that wasn't overwhelming. Here's my story of eating the signature fresh galbi, marinated galbi and doenjang stew, starting now~

Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch: hours, location and parking

The restaurant is at 38-1 Jongno, Jung-gu, Daegu, and it's open from 17:00 to 01:00 the next day (last order 00:00). There's no private parking lot, so you'll need a nearby paid lot.

• Hours: 17:00 to 01:00 the next day
• Last order: 00:00
• Address: 38-1 Jongno, Jung-gu, Daegu
• Parking: none, use a nearby paid lot

Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch specializes in fresh galbi and marinated galbi. They say the restaurant learned the recipe directly from Wall Street Galbi, a long-loved spot in Bukchang-dong, Seoul, and then added its own twist. The focus is on bringing out the natural flavor of fresh galbi, so I was looking forward to it.

The restaurant is in the center of Jongno, so there's no private parking. If you come by car, use a nearby paid lot. We parked at Bukseongno Public Parking Lot and walked over.

What we ordered at Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch

We ordered the signature 250g fresh galbi, 250g marinated galbi, and the doenjang stew (soybean paste stew). Besides galbi, the restaurant also has plenty of dishes that go well with drinks.

Basic table setting and side dishes

Right after we ordered, the side dishes were set out quickly.

Garlic, pickled perilla leaves, ssamjang, chive jeotgal

The fragrant pickled perilla leaves (kkaennip-jang) had a lively aroma and went great with the meat.

White kimchi and pickles

The white kimchi was nicely fermented and clean-tasting, perfect for cutting the richness of the meat, and the pickles made with celery and radish were appealing too. They were so good I had them refilled once.

Seasoned radish

The seasoned radish (musaengchae) came slightly frozen and kept its cool, crisp texture. I loosened it with my chopsticks and ate it with the meat, and the crunch was lovely.

Steamed-dish sauce and Himalayan pink salt

A signature here is that a cypress steamer dish (pyeonbaek-jjim) comes as standard. So along with the steamed-dish sauce, Himalayan pink salt came out for dipping the meat.

Seasoned vegetables

The fresh vegetable and radish salad was also good with the meat. And partway through the meal, they bring you the steamed dish! The steamed dish and neat side dishes made for a really enjoyable meal.

250g fresh galbi, charcoal-grilled by the staff

We ordered the signature galbi half and half: 250g fresh galbi and 250g marinated galbi. I wanted to try both! They say the fresh galbi is cut in-house from fresh raw meat.

Just look at that fresh galbi~ The bright red color alone looked great. The meat looked to be in good shape with a nice amount of fat, so I was excited before it even hit the grill.

The staff grill it for you! The biggest plus of Jangjak's fresh galbi is that the staff grill it deliciously and cut it up for you from start to finish. All I had to do was sit and use my chopsticks, so it was super easy to enjoy.

They diligently grill the raw meat over charcoal! When it's cooked just right, they separate the meat from the rib bone and set it to one side. Crispy outside, juicy inside! Galbi cooked by an expert.

See how glossy it is?! The fresh galbi tasted rich even on its own, but dipped in pink salt, it got about twice as good.

And the chive jeotgal and pickled perilla leaf combo I mentioned earlier also cut the richness of the meat nicely. A great pairing!

Eating it with the pickles added a salty kick and was delicious too.

The meat attached right next to the rib bone was grilled a bit longer over the charcoal until well done! Sure enough, the meat next to the bone, cooked until crisp, had a nutty flavor and a pleasantly chewy texture.

Yum with the cool seasoned radish too~ The fresh galbi was juicy and nutty, a signature dish that let me enjoy the natural flavor of fresh galbi. With a subtle charcoal aroma and all kinds of side-dish combos, I enjoyed it bite by bite to the end.

What comes in the free steamed cypress dish?

The steamed cypress dish is included as standard, arriving midway through the meat, and it had bean sprouts, shrimp, mushrooms and thinly sliced beef brisket (usamgyeopsal). A Korean BBQ place where a steamed dish comes standard! It was more generous than I expected.

A faint cypress aroma wafted up~ It was loaded with bean sprouts plus shrimp, mushrooms and brisket. I thought only meat would come out, so I was happy that the steamed dish came as standard too.

Soft meat with crunchy bean sprouts is a great combo~ The crisp, lightly sweet sprouts went well with the mild meat for a clean bite. There's plump shrimp in there too.

Dipping it in the tangy sauce made it even better. The meat, lightly infused with cypress scent, was moist and tender, and with the sweet-sour sauce there was no greasiness at all.

250g marinated galbi: how is the sweet-salty flavor?

The staff grilled the 250g marinated galbi at just the right timing too, so the flow of eating never broke. They kept coming by, checking each table and grilling, and it looked really professional! It's annoying when the flow gets interrupted mid-meal, but they grilled it so well that it never was.

They put the marinated galbi on the charcoal~ 250g is quite generous! Since the meat is marinated, a sweet aroma gently rose as it grilled and teased my nose. The marinated galbi looked delicious~

Marinated meat is easy to burn over charcoal, so it's surprisingly hard to grill, but they did it well and I ate comfortably again.

The fresh and marinated galbi definitely had different charms. The marinated galbi delivered sweetness and salty savoriness straight from the meat.

The meat on the well-done rib bones was also seasoned all the way through.

I enjoyed it with the vegetable salad and pickled perilla leaves. The marinated galbi blended sweet seasoning with charcoal aroma, a great sweet-and-salty dish.

Doenjang stew to finish after the meat

I ordered the doenjang stew as an extra because I naturally started craving it while eating meat, and its balance of hearty and spicy was good. When the doenjang stew is good at a BBQ place, satisfaction shoots up, and this one did exactly that.

It came bubbling in an earthenware pot, packed with meat and vegetables, and especially lots of radish, which made the broth taste refreshing. I loved the earthy flavor typical of traditional doenjang stew. With so much in it, it was great with rice. I polished off a whole bowl of rice!!

Menu at Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch

The main menu includes Uiseong garlic fresh galbi, fresh galbi, marinated galbi, bakpo pork fresh galbi and bakpo pork marinated galbi, plus a variety of other dishes. The Uiseong garlic fresh galbi and the fresh galbi are the signature items, and besides meat there are drinking snacks like ttagwi-jjim, crab-and-shrimp soup and doenjang stew.

There are also meal items like mul naengmyeon (cold noodles in broth) and bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles), which looked like a hearty way to finish after the meat. If you're looking for a meat spot in Jongno, Daegu, Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch, with its tasty fresh and marinated galbi, is worth a visit.

If you write a Naver receipt review, you get ttagwi-jjim as a free service.

Self-bar and random box

On one side of the restaurant there's a neatly kept self-bar with extra side dishes, sauces and utensils. Aprons hang on the wall, and scissors, tongs, small plates and other essentials are all there along with side dishes and sauces.

While looking around the self-bar, I found something fun. Between the side dish containers was one labeled "random box." At first I was like, what?? What a surprise!! So charming!! It was such a clever idea that I couldn't help laughing.

When I opened the random box, there was a "Congratulations, winner" note with soju and cola inside. Curious, I asked a staff member, and it's a real random box. They explained that if you open it and there's something inside, you can take it and enjoy it freely. I was already full and can't drink soju, so I passed on everything, but it was a little point of fun. A small event like this shows how much thought they put into their customers.

Is Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch good for group dinners?

The restaurant runs on floors 1 to 3, so it's quite big. We came right at opening and there were already diners eating, and after that groups came in and the 1st-floor tables filled up fast.

The spacing between tables was decent and there are lots of seats, so it looked good for family meals, team dinners and group gatherings. If you're looking for a BBQ place for groups near Jongno or Dongseongno in downtown Daegu, it feels like a good place to visit.

Wrap-up on Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch

Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch is a galbi specialist where you can properly enjoy charcoal-grilled fresh and marinated galbi. The staff grill it for you, which made for a comfortable meal. The standard steamed cypress dish and the neat side dishes were satisfying too.

I enjoyed the nutty juiciness of the fresh galbi, the sweet-salty charm of the marinated galbi, and the hearty, spicy doenjang stew, and I'd happily recommend it. If you're looking for a place for a family meal or group dinner in Jongno or Dongseongno, this is a great fresh galbi spot in Jongno, Daegu.

• A proper charcoal-grilled fresh galbi spot!
• A BBQ place where staff grill for you so you can eat comfortably
• A place where a steamed cypress dish comes as standard!