Paju Unjeong galbi restaurant: 300g pork ribs and pork skin, Tannae

These days the temperature swings are so big that you can easily catch a cold if you're not careful, so at times like this you've got to eat some meat to prepare your body and mind, right? So while I was scouting locations for a family dinner out, I found a pork belly and rib spot in the food alley of Garam-maeul that I want to introduce. The place is Tannae. Overall, it's a great spot for a family gathering and we had a really pleasant meal there — let's take a look at what made it so appealing!!! 💛💛

Where is Tannae Paju Main Branch, and how did the Friday booking go?

Tannae Paju Main Branch is located in the Garam-maeul food alley in Unjeong, Paju. It's in the alley between Jisan High School and Unjeong Bethel Church.

Tannae is right on the main street, so it's not hard to find, haha.

I visited on a Friday evening. Tannae does take Naver reservations, but on weekdays they're only available until 6pm and not after. Luckily, there was exactly one seat left at 7pm on Friday, so I got to visit in good spirits!!

The door was left half open, which meant the noise inside didn't echo and the smoke escaped outside, creating a pleasant environment for eating haha.

Charcoal searing and how Tannae got its name

The thing that caught my eye the moment I walked in was the brazier. At Tannae, the owner pre-grills the meat first over strong heat, so at your own table you get to eat cleanly without much smoke. As an aside... the owner had such a solid build that I trusted him x10000... you know how it is — the more solidly built the pork restaurant owner, the more trustworthy, and the thinner the sushi chef, the more trustworthy, haha.

The dedicated drink fridge was neatly and densely stocked with beverages. Since part of the kitchen interior was visible, I could tell they cared a lot about hygiene. Personally, I really, really like that, haha.

The self-serve bar was also kept clean and tidy. By the way, Tannae's previous name was 'Black Pig Brothers' (흑돼지형제들), but they recently changed the shop name. I asked why it's called 'Tannae,' and apparently, since they use charcoal (yeontan) to grill the meat, they first came up with 'yeontan-nae' (charcoal smell), then dropped the 'yeon' to finally arrive at 'Tannae.' Apparently they also brainstormed the name with GPT, haha.

The ingredients on the self-serve bar even had name tags, and overall it gave the impression of being managed very neatly.

They also had various sauces set up, and personally the shiitake wasabi (표고와사비) in the top left was quite impressive and had great umami, haha.

The menu, meat origin and the barley tea on every table

The menu is posted in large letters on the wall. Overall the value for the meat was really great, and moreover, all the pork cuts except the jowl meat are domestic, which gave me a lot of trust, haha.

The basic water is barley tea. Nutty and refreshing, I liked it~ haha.

Charcoal-grilled pork ribs: 300g for 17,900 won

First they lay the fire for you — with charcoal, haha. Honestly, I don't see places using charcoal fires much these days, so it felt really novel and distinctive. My sibling and I thought it was fascinating and loved it, but our parents didn't seem as thrilled, saying that charcoal is only a novelty now — back in the day it was a survival tool for winter, haha.

They place a grill grate on top of the charcoal to prepare for grilling the meat.

My family mainly ate pork ribs that day. It's domestic pork, and 300g for ₩17,900 is truly unbelievable value!! As I mentioned earlier, since it comes pre-grilled, the advantage is you can eat it right away not long after it's served, haha.

Pork ribs taste best when cooked until slightly charred and crisp, and Tannae's pork ribs were exactly the flavor you'd imagine. You know that sweet and salty taste you think of when it comes to pork ribs? The marinade completely met that expectation, and the meat was so tender that we just kept eating and eating — a truly delicious combo 💛

Pork ribs also need rice, of course — and ah, it was exactly the firm, chewy rice I love, haha. Glossy, firm rice topped with pork ribs was absolutely delicious, haha.

Shiitake wasabi, garlic sauce and myeolchi-jeot: the sauces that suit the ribs

Another thing that impressed me was this shiitake wasabi (표고와사비) — the moment you put a bite in, the subtle mushroom aroma fills your nose, then the spiciness hits right after. It's a sauce, so it's actually quite intense and strongly flavored. I'd recommend taking just a little at a time.

The basic sauces served are salt, garlic sauce, and ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), and the garlic sauce, which adds a slight kick of spice, paired best with the ribs by far!!!

Myeolchi-jeot (salted fermented anchovy) was also provided as standard, and its funky, salty flavor was really on point, haha. Though we mostly focused on the ribs that day so the myeolchi-jeot didn't get the spotlight, I think it would be a great choice for those eating pork belly or pork shoulder!

Doenjang stew with crab and the free naengmyeon for booking ahead

The doenjang (soybean paste) stew served as a basic side dish was also quite tasty. It had crab in it, so the broth was really nutty and refreshing. It was a taste so good you'd hardly believe it was just the free basic stew, haha.

And of course, naengmyeon (cold noodles), the best friend of pork ribs, can't be missed!!! Tannae's biggest appeal is that every single dish tastes exactly the way you'd expect. And the low price is a bonus too, haha. It was sweet and refreshing, perfect to eat alongside the ribs.

By the way, if you reserve through Naver, you get a free bowl of naengmyeon, so don't forget to grab it!!!

Thick pork skin tossed in soybean powder

This time, we also ordered pork skin. Like the ribs, the owner pre-grills the pork skin too, so you just bring it to your own grill and finish cooking it. Personally, I like my pork skin cooked crispy, so I pushed it off to the side and let it cook slowly for a long time, haha.

My sibling cuts it really skillfully, haha.

Tannae's pork skin is thicker than usual, so you can really enjoy the chewy texture. It's thick, but it doesn't have any off smell, so I think even people who don't usually like pork skin could give this a try!

There's also seasoning and soybean powder prepared, so you can enjoy it however suits your taste, haha.

I coated mine generously in soybean powder, haha.

Is Tannae Paju Main Branch worth it for a family dinner?

Tannae Paju Main Branch, visited with family in the Garam-maeul food alley in Paju! We got to enjoy meat pre-grilled over charcoal cleanly, and especially the domestic pork ribs at an unbelievable value of 300g for ₩17,900 left a strong impression. From the sweet-salty marinade and tender meat to the shiitake wasabi, myeolchi-jeot, and the nutty crab doenjang stew — every single thing delivered exactly the flavor I expected! I'd happily recommend this as a great pork restaurant for a family dinner in Paju's Unjeong area 💛 On top of that, both the owner and staff were super kind, so we got to enjoy a really pleasant meal!!!!