Snow cheese potato pancake and extra rice at Goyu, Gyeongju

Whenever I travel to Gyeongju, Hwangnidan-gil is always on the itinerary. After looking around Cheonmachong and Daereungwon and browsing the little shops along Hwangnidan-gil, I wanted a good meal too, so this time I stopped by Goyu, a Korean restaurant on Hwangnidan-gil.

There were three of us, and we ordered a wide spread — pork kimchi jjim, mackerel perilla oil buckwheat noodles, and potato pancake. Here's my review of a genuinely delicious meal during our Gyeongju trip ❤️ 📸 Trip date 26.09.03

Basic info and location of Goyu, a Gyeongju restaurant

💙 Goyu Basic Info 💙 Goyu, a Korean restaurant near Hwangnidan-gil, was easy to find while traveling. We didn't drive that day — we walked from Daereungwon through Hwangnidan-gil, and the route from browsing the shops to heading over for a meal was an easy, comfortable walk.

Hwangnidan-gil is Gyeongju's signature tourist strip, where traditional hanok atmosphere meets cafés, restaurants, and little shops.

It's a great spot to combine food and sightseeing in Gyeongju, so it was a convenient location for those of us who parked once and then just kept walking around Hwangnidan-gil on foot.

What's the atmosphere like inside Goyu on Hwangnidan-gil?

Stepping inside, the space felt cleaner and more polished than I expected for a hanok-style building. It's a Korean restaurant, but it had a refined, almost restaurant-like feel.

A lot of the restaurants on Hwangnidan-gil lean into a hanok or traditional look, so Goyu's clean, sleek interior felt like a nice change of pace.

The table area was tidy and comfortable for chatting with friends over the meal. There were also baby chairs available, so it seemed like a good option for families too. And above all, the staff were genuinely kind!!

From ordering to how they attended to us, everything felt easy and comfortable. When you're touring Gyeongju, you end up walking all day and dropping into restaurants along the way — so being able to relax in such a clean space made the meal even better.

The side dishes were neat and well put together too, and since there were three of us ordering several dishes, it was easy to share each one as it came out.

Goyu's menu, our order, and prices

With three of us, we ordered a good variety of dishes.

• Pork kimchi jjim, 2 servings: ₩30,000 (₩15,000 per serving, includes rice)
• Mackerel perilla oil buckwheat noodles: ₩15,000
• Potato pancake: ₩12,000

Honestly, what we ordered looked like plenty for three people already, but the pork kimchi jjim was so good that we ended up adding two extra bowls of rice. So that day we ate our fill of rice too and finished the meal thoroughly satisfied.

Another fun thing about Goyu was the slightly unusual menu lineup! Beyond the common pork kimchi jjim, there's a dish that pairs mackerel with perilla oil buckwheat noodles, which had me curious. Trying it, the combination worked better than I expected, and it stuck with me :) (more on that below)

How the pork kimchi jjim, mackerel buckwheat noodles, and potato pancake tasted

Pork kimchi jjim — worth two extra bowls of rice

The first dish I want to talk about is the pork kimchi jjim. From the very first bite it had that flavor that instantly makes you want rice.

The kimchi and the seasoning blended really well together, and it paired perfectly with warm rice.

There was pork and tofu in it too, and the meat was so tender that it fell apart with just a light touch of the tongs. It melted in your mouth. In the end, after finishing the first bowl of rice, we added two more (that pretty much says it all haha). Just the pork kimchi jjim alone was hearty enough to make a full meal.

Mackerel perilla oil buckwheat noodles — boneless, so it was easy to eat

Next up was the mackerel perilla oil buckwheat noodles. When I first saw mackerel paired with buckwheat noodles on the menu, it seemed like an odd combination, but eating it, the two worked together better than I expected.

Best of all, the mackerel came boneless, which made it genuinely easy to eat. Usually picking bones out of fish is a bit of a hassle, but being boneless meant I could eat it comfortably alongside the noodles. It was good with rice too, and surprisingly it went well with the buckwheat noodles as well. I love mackerel, so I ate every bit, skin included ❤️

Potato pancake — topped with snow cheese, my top recommendation

And the dish I want to recommend most from this meal is the potato pancake!! I'd honestly call this place a potato pancake spot...

The potato is julienned and fried until crisp, then topped generously with snow cheese, and the visual alone was mouthwatering. Even on its own, the pancake was savory and crispy, but dipped in the sauce it took on a whole different flavor. The combination of crispy fried potato and cheese was such a good match that I kept reaching for more. Even with three of us ordering several other dishes, the potato pancake disappeared in no time 🤣 I personally recommend this one without hesitation~!

Why I'd recommend Goyu as a Hwangnidan-gil restaurant in Gyeongju

On this Gyeongju trip, we spent a lot of time slowly walking around Hwangnidan-gil, and it was satisfying to be able to have a hearty meal in such a clean space once we got hungry from all the sightseeing.

In particular, the pork kimchi jjim suited our taste so well that we ended up adding two extra bowls of rice, and the mackerel perilla oil buckwheat noodles were easy to eat thanks to the boneless mackerel and paired nicely with the noodles. And with crispy fried potato topped with snow cheese, the potato pancake couldn't not be delicious. If I visit again, these are the dishes I'd order without hesitation.

If you're touring Daereungwon and Hwangnidan-gil and looking for good Korean food, I'd suggest adding Goyu, this Hwangnidan-gil restaurant in Gyeongju, to your meal plan. Going with three people and sharing several dishes, like we did, lets you enjoy an even wider variety — so if you need a hearty meal during your Gyeongju trip, I recommend this fusion Korean restaurant, Goyu 👍