Hwangnidan-gil dessert stop on a Gyeongju trip's last day: Buja Hodu

The last stop of a Gyeongju trip. I visited 'Buja Hodu' on Hwangnidan-gil in Gyeongju to pack some walnut pastries for my parents.

Buja Hodu 📍38 Poseok-ro 1095beon-gil, B-dong 105-ho, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk ⏰09:30-20:00

What kind of shop is Buja Hodu on Hwangnidan-gil, Gyeongju?

Buja Hodu is a walnut pastry (hodu-gwaja) dessert shop located on Hwangnidan-gil in Gyeongju.

I was thinking about what to pack for my parents from the trip, and decided to grab some walnut pastries on the last day of the Gyeongju trip.

It was the perfect stop when a snack craving hit while wandering the alleys of Hwangnidan-gil. I saw other people packing up walnut pastries right in front of the shop too, and it seemed like a great souvenir to bring home from a Gyeongju trip.

Buja Hodu's four walnut pastry flavors

This is the reason I came to Buja Hodu! They have walnut pastries in a variety of flavors. The menu includes low-sugar red bean / pea cream cheese / matcha / almond praline — walnut pastries made with more than just plain red bean paste. The almond praline is limited to 50 a day, so if you want to buy one, you'll need to visit early, ugh.

Even just looking at the menu photos made me want to try one of each.

• Low-sugar red bean — a natural sweetness in harmony with the rice dough
• Pea cream cheese — a fantastic combo of New Zealand cheese and sweet pea paste
• Matcha red bean — a deep, subtle, premium matcha flavor
• Almond praline — a dreamy combo of walnut and almond (limited to 50 a day)

How does the low-sugar red bean sample taste?

I was debating which flavor to get, and the owner cut off a piece of the classic low-sugar red bean for me to try, haha.

Wow — maybe because it's low-sugar, it wasn't an artificial sweetness but a soft, natural one, blended with 100% rice dough for a nutty, delicious bite. Biting into whole walnuts, it really lived up to 'you have to eat the classic first' lol. This is a real walnut pastry!!

Two boxes to go: 15-piece mix 17,000 won, 10-piece mix 11,000 won

I packed a 15-piece mix box (5 red bean + 5 pea cream cheese + 5 matcha) for ₩17,000 and a 10-piece mix (5 red bean + 5 pea cream cheese) for ₩11,000.

Holiday gift sets and bojagi cloth wrapping at Buja Hodu

They also sell walnut pastry gift sets for holidays. A premium wrapping cloth (bojagi) option (+₩3,000) is available too.

It made me think of my grandparents, haha. In-store purchase, courier delivery, and Naver Smart Store purchase are all available.

The gift set box is also wrapped in an autumn-toned, premium-looking package.

They're individually wrapped in round, cute little packages, each flavor a different color.

The easy-to-digest domestic rice dough is packed full with red bean paste and big whole walnuts!!

What my parents thought of the Buja Hodu walnut pastries

My parents, who had only ever tried the basic walnut pastry before, ate these different flavors and enjoyed them a lot! The matcha and pea flavors weren't bitter or overpowering, and blended subtly with the rice dough and whole walnuts, which I think is why they enjoyed them so much.

Still, at the end of the day the classic was the most popular, haha. I think older folks will love the basic low-sugar red bean.

They also sell walnut pastries, walnut ice cream, and even a walnut ice cream affogato with coffee — I'll have to try that next time I visit Gyeongju. There's terrace seating too, so it's nice to sit down for a coffee. If you're visiting Gyeongju, try Buja Hodu as a Hwangnidan-gil dessert stop! I'd also recommend the holiday gift set for parents who love walnut pastries.👍