Daegu Korean restaurant, three dishes ranked at late lunch: Hyangtaek

I don't know why I've been craving home-style food so much lately lol. While looking for a clean, tidy Korean restaurant, I found out Hyangtaek is a chain that's famous for being delicious! So this time I visited the Daebong branch haha.

Where is Hyangtaek Daebong Branch, and what are the hours and parking?

Hyangtaek Daebong Branch is a Korean rice restaurant at 17 Dalgubeol-daero 440-gil, Jung-gu, Daegu. It's open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with break time from 3:30 to 5 p.m., and last orders at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

• Address: 17 Dalgubeol-daero 440-gil, Jung-gu, Daegu, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–20:00
• Break time: 15:30–17:00
• Last order: 15:00, 19:30
• Parking: Said to be free for up to 70 minutes, but parking is tight, so I'd recommend nearby public lots or public transit!
• Note: Recommended if you're craving a tidy, filling Korean meal~!

The exterior: a Korean rice house look from the sign onward

The sign alone gives off a strong Korean-restaurant feel~ The menu itself is pure Korean food too, with hanpan galbi, grilled deodeok and mushrooms, hanpan mushroom, and other healthy ingredients showcased in various dishes.

Inside Hyangtaek Daebong Branch: open kitchen and wood-toned seating

Right as you walk in, you see the tables and the open kitchen! Maybe because it's open, it felt even more spotlessly kept, and somehow more welcoming?

Maybe because we arrived a bit late, seats had opened up by the time we finished eating! The whole place is done up in wood tones, giving it a cozy feel.

Hyangtaek Daebong Branch menu and what we ordered

The menu had 5 rice dishes, 1 noodle dish, and 4 side dishes. We ordered the signature mackerel gondre rice (₩14,000), eggplant doenjang rice bowl (₩13,000), and hanpan galbi (₩10,000)! We also got a complimentary hanpan mushroom through a review event. Everyone should try joining one haha.

Before the food arrived, we read through the instructions for how to eat it the best way~

The full spread was ready quickly. Isn't the presentation great too?? They gave us soup on the side as well!

Mackerel gondre rice, 14,000 won: mild with no fishy smell

This was my first time really eating mackerel properly like this, and it barely had that distinctive fishy smell? I think even people who avoid fish because of the smell would like this.

I mixed the mackerel on top in without mercy, and once I tasted it, the gondre (Korean thistle) greens seemed lightly seasoned — a subtle sweetness and just-right saltiness that went so well with the mackerel! They also gave us soy sauce in case it felt plain, and piling a spoonful onto seaweed with a bit of soy sauce made a great combo~

Eggplant doenjang rice bowl, 13,000 won: the day's number one

A lot of people dislike eggplant, but I'm an eggplant lover, you know? Three big chunks of eggplant come with doenjang-seasoned meat (I think?), and it was so moist that it mixed together really well.

I tried the eggplant doenjang rice bowl too, and it was truly more delicious than I expected!!! I'd want to order this one again if I come back.

Hanpan galbi, 10,000 won: peppery, like tteokgalbi

They brought out the hanpan galbi right as we were already eating rice — the shine and juiciness were incredible, and once I bit in, it tasted like the tteokgalbi (grilled short-rib patty) you'd expect, but with a bit stronger pepper flavor? There was so much rice that we ended up leaving some, but it was delicious haha.

Verdict: a Daebong-dong Korean restaurant to bring your parents to

Overall the food came out clean and tidy, so I thought this would be a great Daegu Korean restaurant to visit with parents. Looking around at other tables, there really were quite a few groups dining with their parents. Eating there, we also thought this would be a fine place to bring our own parents. It's especially good for a day when you want a tidy, filling Korean meal instead of something heavily seasoned!

Of the dishes we tried that day, my personal ranking was eggplant doenjang rice bowl > mackerel gondre rice > hanpan galbi haha. The mackerel gondre rice was clean and satisfying, which I liked, and the eggplant doenjang rice bowl was much more delicious than expected, so it really stuck with me. The overall vibe was also clean and comfortable, so if you're looking for a place to eat with parents in Daebong-dong, or a tidy Korean restaurant in Daegu, this one is worth a visit :)