Early-morning solo ttaro-gukbap in Dongseong-ro, Daegu: Hanwoojang

With the weather getting chillier lately, I've been craving soup-based dishes. Since I was eating alone early in the morning, I wanted something filling, so I headed to Hanwoojang, a gukbap (Korean soup with rice) spot in Dongseong-ro, Daegu :)

Where Hanwoojang is, parking, and 24-hour opening

Hanwoojang is at 555 Gukchaebosang-ro, 1st floor, Jung-gu, Daegu, right along the Dongseong-ro street. Since it's right on the road, there's no dedicated parking lot. You'll need to use a nearby paid parking lot, and there's no parking fee support, just so you know~!

Open 00:00 / Close 24:00

Since it's open 24 hours a day, every day of the week from Monday to Sunday, it's great for when you're out late in Dongseong-ro and craving hot soup, and also good for people like me who have plans starting early in the morning and want a hearty meal.

Second generation since 1968: an old-school seolleongtang house

Hanwoojang, known for its seolleongtang (ox bone soup), has been run by the second generation since 1968 on Gukchaebosang-ro in Jung-gu, Daegu — it's a fairly old gukbap restaurant. Rather than the shiny, polished look of newer gukbap restaurants, it has more of an old-school feel, but it's kept spotlessly clean haha.

There's a variety of beef-based dishes — seolleongtang, ttaro-gukbap, oxtail gomtang, doganitang, suyuk (boiled sliced meat), and more.

Side dishes and the self-serve bar at Hanwoojang

Kimchi, kkakdugi (radish kimchi), stir-fried anchovies, and other side dishes are all made in-house. The basic ones are served to you first, and if you want more, you can help yourself at the self-serve bar. Cleanliness at a gukbap restaurant's self-serve bar matters a lot to me, and I was glad to see it was kept clean even with 24-hour operation haha.

Special ttaro-gukbap for 12,000 won: what Daegu-style ttaro-gukbap is

Special ttaro-gukbap — ₩12,000

Honestly, I thought ttaro-gukbap just meant a dish where the rice and soup come separately, but Hanwoojang's version isn't your typical pork gukbap style. Ttaro-gukbap, one of Daegu's ten famous local foods, does serve rice and soup separately, but it's a spicy soup simmered with beef, green onion, and radish.

For the first side dishes, they served kimchi, seokbakji, and stir-fried anchovies, and they even brought over tongs and scissors so I could easily cut things up~! If you need more seasoning, there's salt, chili paste, and pepper at every table. Personally, the seasoning was just right, so I didn't add anything extra.

How did the seonji and the noodles taste?

I ordered the special version, so it had extra noodles and seonji (ox blood) inside. I like seonji, but I can't handle it when it's gamy — one bite in, though, and I could tell right away it was rich and savory, no gaminess at all, so even people who aren't usually into seonji should be able to eat it comfortably haha. It was interesting that noodles were included — I enjoyed those first, then mixed the rice into the broth afterward, which worked perfectly. The broth looked red and spicy, but with radish in there too, it actually tasted really refreshing, not just fiery. And that spoonful of minced garlic on top was such a nice kick. If you like a cleaner taste, don't mix everything right away — sip it clear first, then mix it in partway through for a whole different, richer flavor.

Who will enjoy Hanwoojang most?

Rather than the flashy vibe of a trendy modern restaurant, it has the feel of an old-school place that's been serving gukbap in the same spot for decades, so it seems like a comfortable place for older diners too. If you're not a fan of seonji, they also sell seolleongtang and gomtang besides ttaro-gukbap, so you can just split up the order by menu.

If you're looking for a good gukbap restaurant for solo dining in Dongseong-ro, Daegu, or want to try Daegu-style ttaro-gukbap, I'd recommend Hanwoojang, a well-known gukbap restaurant in Daegu :)