Daebong-dong Korean restaurant, icy pollack mulhoe: Hyangtaek Daebong

I had some business in Daegu and stopped by Hyangtaek Daebong Branch, a Korean restaurant near Gyeongbuk Uni Hospital Station. I'm a huge fan of Korean food so I looked up good spots nearby and this one came right up! The reviews were so good too, so I visited with high expectations haha

Hyangtaek Daebong Branch hours, break time and parking

Hyangtaek Daebong Branch is open daily from 11:00 to 20:00, with a break time from 15:30 to 17:00. Last order is 15:00 and 19:30, and parking is available in front of the restaurant.

How to walk to Hyangtaek Daebong from Gyeongbuk Uni Hospital Station

Hyangtaek Daebong Branch is located in Daebong-dong. It's within walking distance from Gyeongbuk Uni Hospital Station, so it's very accessible. It's also near Kim Kwang-seok Street and Bangcheon Market, so it's a great stop if you're already exploring the area for good food.

Is there a wait at weekday lunch? Inside Hyangtaek Daebong Branch

When I walked in it was busy since it was lunchtime. Hyangtaek Daebong is popular enough to have a wait sometimes, but luckily I didn't have to wait!

The interior is clean, calm, and cozy. There are solo seats, group tables, and even large party seating. Looking at the group tables, I thought it would be a great spot for a Daegu wedding invitation gathering haha

Hyangtaek Daebong has an open kitchen, and you can see right away how spotlessly the kitchen is kept~! It's so hygienic and clean that you can eat there with total peace of mind!

What is on the Hyangtaek Daebong Branch menu?

Here's the Hyangtaek menu board. There are rice dishes, noodle dishes, and side dishes, with mackerel gondre rice bowl and eggplant doenjang rice bowl as the signature menus. It's packed with delicious Korean dishes — yukhoe bibimbap, chamnamul squid rice bowl, herring roe bibim noodles, the summer-only pollack yukhoe mulhoe, deodeok mushroom grill, mushroom platter, galbi platter, and Cheongsong-style spicy chicken >_<

They're also running a weekday-only review event!

Side dishes at Hyangtaek Daebong and how to eat them

After ordering, the side dishes came out. Putting rice on that gopchang gim (thick roasted seaweed), adding some salted seafood, and topping it with gungchae greens is absolutely the best..!

Before the food arrived, I carefully read through Hyangtaek's guide on how to eat the dishes properly! I really wanted to enjoy it the right way >_<

The dishes I ordered came out! I was happy the food came out fast

We ordered the yukhoe bibimbap and the pollack yukhoe mulhoe. Just looking at them, the bowls were packed full! They really gave a generous serving-!

Yukhoe bibimbap: the sauce and the gopchang gim wrap

Hyangtaek Daebong's yukhoe bibimbap has vegetables and raw beef piled on top of the rice, looking absolutely delicious! You mix in the egg yolk and the special sauce that comes with the yukhoe bibimbap.

That yukhoe bibimbap sauce was really the game-changer!

The amount of raw beef was seriously so much, every spoonful had so much yukhoe in it ❤️ I love that so much >_< The beef was chewy and fresh-tasting, and the vegetables were fresh too!

And especially this gopchang gim!! It's even more delicious wrapped in the seaweed!_! You really have to try it haha. My husband doesn't like the fishy taste of seaweed, but he seemed to really love the gopchang gim at Hyangtaek haha. He was eating it so happily, I felt so proud-!

Summer-only pollack yukhoe mulhoe and its shaved-ice broth

Pollack yukhoe mulhoe is a refreshing summer-only dish that combines pollack and raw beef! Totally my kind of dish 👍

The pollack looks soft just from looking at it and comes already seasoned. The amount of raw beef in the mulhoe was generous too-!

The broth wasn't a thin liquid — it was impressively like sorbet, as if finely crushed ice had been blended into it.

The raw beef was chewy, the pollack was soft, and the noodles were bouncy — every texture was so good! Normally I don't reach for pollack if it's tough, but Hyangtaek's pollack was so soft that I kept going back for more of it lol

After finishing the noodles, mixing the leftover broth with the rice that came with it was so good~? I really thought I wouldn't be able to eat rice after the noodles, but what was I even thinking,, you have to try it!! It's so filling and satisfying

Would I go back to Hyangtaek Daebong Branch?

I really love Korean food, and I feel like I found a great Korean restaurant in Daegu. If I'm ever near Gyeongbuk Uni Hospital Station or Kim Kwang-seok Street again, I would go back to Hyangtaek 1000000%!! Next time I'll definitely try the signature mackerel gondre rice bowl and the herring roe bibim noodles haha. If you're looking for a good Korean restaurant in Daegu, give Hyangtaek Daebong Branch a visit-!