Banwoldang, Daegu Korean restaurant: roe noodles in gim at Hyangtaek

I visited Hyangtaek Daegu Jongno Branch (향택 대구종로점), a Korean restaurant near Banwoldang Station in Jongno, Daegu! Hyangtaek is so famous that I'd always wanted to try it someday, and it happened to be near my office, so I finally made it. Here's my honest review!✨

Location, hours and parking at Hyangtaek Daegu Jongno Branch

• 📍 Location: 19 Jungang-daero 77-gil, Unit 1, Jung-gu, Daegu, Hyangtaek Daegu Jongno Branch
• ⏰ Hours: Daily 11:00-20:00 / Break time 15:30-17:00 / Last order 15:00, 19:30
• 📌 Takeout available; high oil price relief subsidy accepted
• 🚘 No parking

Hyangtaek Daegu Jongno Branch is right across from the Starbucks Jongno Gotaek branch, so it wasn't hard to find! It's a 5-minute walk from The Hyundai Daegu and about 10 minutes on foot from Banwoldang Station, so it's easy to reach by public transport👍🏻 There's no dedicated parking lot, though, so if you drive, use the nearby Daegu Korean House (Hanguk-ui Jip) parking lot. Parking fees are on you, just so you know!

Atmosphere, seating and the weekday 5pm wait

The inside is calm, quiet and clean overall, which I loved! The comfortable interior suits Korean food well, and I felt relaxed the whole meal.

There are about 8 tables, so it's not a big place, and with lots of seats for two it seemed good for a date or a meal with a friend. I went a little after 5pm on a weekday, before the dinner rush, so it was quiet.

Hyangtaek Daegu Jongno Branch menu and weekday review event

The menu has so many options that it was hard to decide what to order. We ended up getting yukhoe bibimbap and herring roe bibim noodles to share between two! The mackerel gondre rice (thistle rice) and eggplant doenjang rice bowl looked so good that I'll definitely try them next time😏 Also, as a weekday-only event, if you write a Naver receipt review they give you a free mushroom platter (hanpan beoseot). If you visit, join the review event too!😋

Side dishes and doenjang soup

The basic table setting came with side dishes and warm doenjang (fermented soybean paste) soup. Before the food even arrived, my friend took one spoonful of the soup and nearly finished it all, haha. The soup isn't salty or harsh; it's a deep, mild style that went down easily. It was perfect for getting your appetite going before the meal! The side dishes were clean and not too strong either, so they went well with the main dishes.

There's a guide on how to eat the dishes best, so I followed it, and I could taste what makes the food special even more!

Herring roe noodles: wrapping them in gopchang gim is my top pick

The herring roe bibim noodles were totally my taste. They're my number one pick of this visit🤤🩷 I loved how the roe pops with every bite! The sauce isn't overly strong and the seasoning is just right, so I enjoyed it to the end without feeling weighed down. Mild yet full of savory depth, the kind of flavor that keeps your chopsticks going..🥺

It also comes with fragrant perilla leaves and meat, and the combination really works. The popping roe, the aroma of the perilla and the nutty meat all come together in one bite, so good! And the gopchang gim (crinkly seaweed) goes so well with the noodles that the savory flavor goes up another level. Personally, it was delicious on its own, but I recommend wrapping it in the seaweed even more❤️🔥

How was the yukhoe bibimbap?

I could tell the ingredients in the yukhoe bibimbap were really fresh from the first bite! There was a good amount of yukhoe, not skimpy, and the soft raw beef with crunchy, cool pear and lettuce made for a clean taste that left an impression. The seasoning wasn't strong or harsh, just lightly salted and right, so I could taste the ingredients themselves. It's a mild flavor you keep eating without feeling weighed down, so I emptied the bowl quickly, haha.

Who should go?

Overall I loved this Korean restaurant for its clean, non-aggressive flavors! If you like mild, light seasoning it should suit you especially well, and I think it's good for a date, a casual meal, or a visit with your parents🥰 If you're looking for a clean Korean restaurant with a nice atmosphere near Jongno or Banwoldang in Daegu, I'd definitely recommend Hyangtaek Daegu Jongno Branch!