Gyeongju corner walnut pastry shop, 24-piece mix and coffee: Buja Hodu

When I think of Gyeongju, Hwangnam-ppang (Hwangnam bread) usually comes to mind first, but on this trip I found a walnut pastry shop that really suited my taste. It's Buja Hodu, located on Hwangnidan-gil.

I wanted to try several flavors, so I bought a 24-piece mix and also had a cup of coffee. The plump walnuts and generous filling were a hit, and the staff were as kind as a mother figure, so I left feeling good about the whole visit.

A rest stop on a Hwangnidan-gil walk in Gyeongju

Buja Hodu sits on a building corner. The dark-colored sign with wood-toned lettering catches your eye, and there are tables and chairs set up out front.

You can get everything to go, but I liked that you could also sit outside and enjoy the walnut pastries with coffee. Walking around Hwangnidan-gil, there are moments when you just want to sit down for a bit, and this turned out to be a decent place to rest with a snack.

There are tables under the parasols, and other customers were actually sitting there enjoying their snacks too. Watching the alley scenery while pulling out one walnut pastry after another was a small pleasure of the trip.

Four flavors at Buja Hodu, from red bean to matcha

At the time of my visit, the sign listed four flavors.

• Low-sugar red bean paste
• Pea cream cheese
• Matcha red bean paste
• Almond praline

Beyond the basic red bean, there's pea cream cheese, matcha, and almond praline, so there's real fun in choosing. The sign noted that they use 100% Korean rice and one whole walnut per pastry.

I couldn't bear to pick just one flavor, so I went with the 24-piece mix, which lets you try several flavors together.

The box packaging is fairly neat too. I bought it to share with family, but I also thought it would make a decent simple gift for a friend after wrapping up a Gyeongju trip.

Open the box and each walnut pastry is wrapped individually in paper, sitting neatly in its own slot. It's easy to grab one at a time, and being able to share different flavors made it great for a family snack.

Big whole walnuts and generous filling in every pastry

What I liked best while eating it was the filling inside.

Inside the pastry there's a nice big chunk of walnut and a generous amount of red bean paste, so you can really taste both the walnut and the filling.

I especially liked the texture of biting into the walnut. It has a different charm from pastries with just filling and no walnut.

My kid enjoyed it too, so it was great for sharing, and being able to pick from several flavors was satisfying as well.

Personally, I felt Buja Hodu tasted better than Hwangnam-ppang this time around. Of course tastes vary, but for me the big chunks of walnut and the variety of flavors won me over more.

The coffee at Buja Hodu, blended by a Gyeongju coffee master

While buying the walnut pastries, I also ordered a cup of coffee.

The in-store sign explained that the coffee was blended and roasted by a Gyeongju coffee master. I was curious what coffee at a walnut pastry shop would be like, and when I actually tried it, it turned out to be really good.

Eating a walnut pastry and then taking a sip of cool coffee, the two paired really well together. Both the pastry and the coffee were delicious, so I was glad I ordered them together.

My kid ate the walnut pastries while I had coffee alongside, and we got to spend a little while resting together.

Motherly service that made the visit memorable

The staff working at the shop were really kind too. They treated me warmly and comfortably, like a mother would, which made the whole purchase feel good.

Eating delicious snacks is great, but when you get treated this kindly, the shop tends to stick in your memory even more.

This visit to Buja Hodu was satisfying from the 24-piece mix all the way to the coffee I had alongside it. The plump walnuts and generous filling are what stuck with me most.

If you're looking for a snack to share with family or a gift to pack up in Hwangnidan-gil, Gyeongju, Buja Hodu seems like a solid choice. It's a place I'd want to visit again, coffee in hand.