Gyeongju café holiday walnut pastry gifts: Buja Hodu

On my trip to Gyeongju, I visited Buja Hodu, a great dessert spot on Hwangridan-gil for souvenirs and gifts. Chuseok is just around the corner, too! They offer pretty bojagi (traditional wrapping cloth) packaging, making these hodu-gwaja (walnut pastries) gift sets perfect for Chuseok presents, souvenirs, or thank-you gifts. Let’s take a detailed look at the price, selection, and flavors.

Where is Buja Hodu, and where can I park?

It is right there as soon as you enter the main street opposite Korea Semiconductor Meister High School, so it was easy to find and very accessible! There is no dedicated parking, so I recommend using a public parking lot.

There are also tables in front of the shop where you can sit briefly and enjoy walnut pastries with coffee or other drinks.

Walnut pastry and drink menu

This Hwangridan-gil dessert spot makes proper walnut pastries packed generously with good ingredients!

Along with walnut pastries, they have seasonal fresh watermelon juice, coffee, walnut ice cream, affogato, and more.

There are four walnut pastry flavors in all: original low-sugar red bean paste, pea cream cheese, matcha, and almond praline. Gift boxes come in 10-, 15-, and 24-piece sizes. Drinks include Americano, café latte, passion fruit ade, Gold Medal apple juice, Bundaberg, watermelon juice, walnut ice cream, and affogato!

A holiday gift wrapped in bojagi

They also offer such pretty bojagi wrapping for Chuseok and other holiday gift sets. It looks wonderful for gifts for parents or as a souvenir, too.

I visited in the morning and got to see freshly baked walnut pastries being packed!

I tried one right away, and it was seriously, seriously delicious. It just melted in my mouth! The Americano was less bitter and less burnt-tasting, and they filled the cup right to the brim. The owner was so kind and generous, too!

I ordered the 24-piece mixed box!

What comes in the 24-piece mixed set?

ORDER 24-piece mix ₩27,000 (12 red bean, 6 pea cream cheese, 6 matcha)

For the mixed box, you can have six pieces each of three flavors and choose one of the remaining flavors for the rest. Almond praline is a limited menu item, with only the first 50 pieces available each day.

These Hwangridan-gil walnut pastries are the real deal, made with batter using 100% Korean rice and filled with one whole walnut! The best ways to enjoy Buja Hodu are with milk or coffee, with ice cream for something extra special, or lightly warmed in the microwave. For frozen pastries, bake them in an air fryer at 180–200°C for 5–10 minutes.

The packaging looks so clean and premium, too!

They are divided by flavor in groups of six, and each one is neatly individually wrapped.

Every piece is nice and big. They are great to keep in the fridge and take out one at a time.

The taste of rice batter, filling, and walnuts

Paired with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee, they were also wonderfully filling as a breakfast substitute.

The original has low-sugar red bean paste with a gently sweet flavor and chewy rice batter, so I think even people who do not like red beans could enjoy it without much hesitation. The matcha filling had such a lovely subtle matcha flavor, too. Its bitterness was mild, which made it even easier to eat. The pea cream cheese was my favorite! Seriously so delicious!! The combination of generous New Zealand cream cheese and sweet pea filling was incredible. Best of all, each pastry contains a whole walnut, making it wonderfully crisp and nutty!

Because the batter is made with rice rather than flour, it digested easily and felt light on my stomach. There is more filling and walnut than batter, so the flavor is fantastic and you can really taste what walnut pastries are all about! Reasonably priced, neatly packaged, and full of flavor—these are great for gifting, so I recommend this Hwangridan-gil dessert spot for Gyeongju souvenirs!