Buk-gu, Daegu shabu-shabu buffet with rice paper tips: Shabu20

On a chilly evening, while looking for somewhere to eat near Daegu Airport, I ended up at Shabu20 Daegu Bokhyeon branch.

Where is Shabu20 Daegu Bokhyeon branch, and where do you park?

Shabu20 Daegu Bokhyeon branch is at 79 Gonghang-ro, 1st floor, Buk-gu, Daegu, on the way from Bokhyeon-ogeori toward Gonghanggyo, so it was easy to find, and being close to Daegu Airport made it a handy option when looking for somewhere to eat near the airport.

Parking was pretty generous too.

There's space for 30-plus cars around the front, back and side of the restaurant, and there's also a public parking lot under Gonghanggyo, about a 2-minute walk away, with room for roughly 100 cars on each side.

This might also be useful for anyone looking for good restaurants near Kyungpook National University's Bukmun gate or in Daegu Isiapolis.

Inside the 190-seat dining room

Shabu20 Daegu Bokhyeon branch has room for up to 190 people, so it seemed like a good fit for family meals, gatherings with friends, or larger group get-togethers.

Shabu-shabu is a great dish to share with a group, so it felt low-pressure to bring the kids along, and the restaurant itself is spacious enough to eat at ease.

Shabu20 is apparently a shabu-shabu franchise running more than 60 branches nationwide.

Half-and-half katsuobushi and spicy broth, plus the self-bar

For the broth this time I went with two options — katsuobushi and spicy.

One side was a clean, mild katsuobushi broth that even a baby could eat, while the other was a fiery spicy broth, so it was nice being able to enjoy both flavors at once.

Shabu20 is a place where you can enjoy premium-grade beef along with Vietnamese rice paper rolls, fried chicken, vegetables and more, all unlimited, so being able to take as much as you like made for a satisfying meal.

I picked out fresh vegetables from the veggie corner and piled them in generously while boiling the broth.

While waiting for the broth to boil, you can fill up on the self-bar's various snacks.

• Tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes)
• Okonomiyaki
• Pad thai
• Cream spaghetti
• Umukgasari (seaweed jelly)
• Fried rice

The fried chicken from the self-bar is a must-try.

Shabu20 is a fried chicken restaurant too, honestly!

If you're visiting with kids in particular, being able to eat not just shabu-shabu but also fried chicken and various side dishes makes it a solid family outing.

To make the shabu-shabu even tastier, there are various dipping sauces prepared so you can choose according to your taste.

Both beef sirloin and pork belly are available.

Since it's all-you-can-eat, sticking to three plates at a time keeps the table from getting cluttered and makes for a more comfortable meal.

The Vietnamese roll vegetable corner and dessert fruit

I also checked out the Vietnamese rice paper wrap vegetable corner, an essential part of the self-bar.

There was a good variety of vegetables prepared to go with the rice paper for wraps, so I could pick and choose ingredients to my taste.

Sweet, refreshing fruit and chewy rice cakes were also on hand for a light treat after the meal.

The self-bar also had a range of drinks, from coffee to fruit juice and soda.

It was nice to pair the meal with a cold soda, or use a refreshing fruit drink to cleanse the palate.

The rice paper tip: dip it in the broth for a second

Boiling fresh vegetables and meat in the broth naturally stretches out the meal, and with so many varieties to choose from there's fun in picking a bit of this and that.

Since it's induction, I remember it not feeling too hot even in summer, haha. The meat cooked fast too, so I quickly grabbed a bite.

I don't bother bringing over water to soak the rice paper — I just dip it briefly in the broth and pull it out. That way you don't need to keep hot water on the table, which frees up more table space and means you don't have to bother swapping out the water either.

(This worked because I was there with family, so just to be safe, do mind your table manners, haha.)

Wrapping crunchy vegetables generously around meat cooked in the shabu-shabu broth, rolling it up and dipping it in sauce made for something clean-tasting with great texture — I kept reaching for more.

I like dipping mine in chili sauce so that's all I scooped up, but the self-bar has all kinds of sauces prepared, so pick whatever suits your taste.

Draft beer, sweet fried chicken and pad thai

The draft beer machine caught my eye.

It's set up so you can enjoy unlimited cold draft beer alongside your shabu-shabu.

With a regular draft beer tap I'm not great at handling it and sometimes it overflows, but with this one you just set your cup down and it automatically pours off the foam too — super convenient.

You can keep topping up the broth from the self-bar as needed.

I ate my fill of meat, haha. I don't think I'll be craving meat again for a while.

Since it's all-you-can-eat, I could eat without holding back, and the staff kept coming around to clear the empty plates, which made things easy.

Finishing with kalguksu noodles, porridge and affogato

After enjoying the shabu-shabu for a while, I went ahead and made kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) and porridge myself.

Adding kalguksu noodles to the shabu-shabu broth deepened the soup's flavor thanks to everything the meat and vegetables had infused into it, and finishing with rice and remaining ingredients simmered into porridge in the leftover broth made for a hearty finish to the meal.

Tip: adding a bit of fresh broth keeps it from getting too salty.

After the meal, I made sure to save room for dessert.

Using the coffee and ice cream on hand, I ended up making my own affogato.

Adding ice cream to warm coffee made for a clean finish after the shabu-shabu meal.

With shabu-shabu, various side dishes, draft beer and dessert all available in one place, it felt like a spot where a group could each pick what suits their own taste, even with several people.

Open through Chuseok at Shabu20 Daegu Bokhyeon branch

Shabu20 Daegu Bokhyeon branch is said to stay open during the Chuseok holiday, so it could be a good spot for a family meal over the holiday.

Especially during Chuseok, when family members gather and everyone's tastes differ, being able to enjoy unlimited shabu-shabu and various salad bar dishes means adults and kids alike can each pick what they want to eat.

Overall, Shabu20 Daegu Bokhyeon branch is spacious with plenty of parking, making it an easy pick when looking for a place for a family gathering or group meal.

If you're looking for good restaurants near Daegu Airport, near Kyungpook National University's Bukmun gate, or in Daegu Isiapolis, this is a place where you can enjoy shabu-shabu and a wide range of dishes all in one visit, worth keeping in mind for a family meal.