Daegu pork BBQ restaurant for makchang and samgyeopsal: Bongja

The atmosphere and self-service bar at Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch

One evening when I was having dinner with a friend on Jongno in Daegu, I visited Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch, where you can enjoy makchang (grilled beef intestines) and lots of meat! Along with makchang, you can choose a platter of different meats, including samgyeopsal (pork belly), pork neck, and beef brisket.

Outside and inside the restaurant

The entrance area is wide, almost like a courtyard. I love the retro vibe!

Ramen, steamed egg, and patbingsu (shaved ice with sweet red beans) are unlimited.

You can take unlimited ramen and side dishes from the self-service bar. There are lots of ramen varieties too 👍🏻

They even had hair ties, floss, and pot-handle holders.

There was a great variety of alcohol and drinks too! They have both Pepsi Zero and Coca-Cola Zero 🫢

Including the space farther inside, it looked like there were around 10 tables. For a BBQ restaurant, the floor was completely non-sticky and so clean!

The Bongja Platter: choose makchang and samgyeopsal together

Menu

These are the main meat options. With the Bongja Platter, you can try two kinds of meat at once. I loved having such a wide choice when you get both types for ₩43,000 😏

They also have half-platter options. Next time, I want to try the spicy grilled makchang!

I ordered a mixed platter of samgyeopsal and makchang. It came with gosari (bracken fern) too!

You can grill kimchi and bean sprouts alongside the meat. I’m a huge bean-sprout lover, so I love BBQ restaurants that serve them 🤤

I added lots of scallions to the makjang (savory soybean dipping sauce). ✨ It was nice that there were plenty of sauces too, including sesame oil sauce and makjang.

Unlimited ramen cooked on a table burner

Each table has a small burner. I loved being able to cook ramen right at the table whenever we wanted.

We waited for the meat to cook while eating ramen. 🐷 Unlimited ramen—what amazing value, seriously.

Doesn’t the meat look so delicious? 🥹 Once it was nicely browned, the samgyeopsal was lightly crisp outside and moist inside, which made it even better. Grilling the makchang until the outside was well seared really brought out its nutty flavor, and having it with grilled kimchi and bean sprouts meant we could enjoy it deliciously to the very end without it feeling too rich.

Having the two kinds together kept it from getting tiresome, so we enjoyed every bite to the end. The gosari and rice cakes that came with it were also surprisingly good grilled on the pan with the meat. 🫢

At the end, we cooked one more ramen. It was sooo good with kimchi! 🤤

The steamed egg is complimentary too. Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch really seems like such great value ✨

The doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew) is cooked on the burner at your table too. I liked that it stayed hot and delicious until the end. It was a tasty stew packed with zucchini and onion 🤤

We even finished with free patbingsu for dessert 🐷

A generous dinner without the price burden

Overall, it was a great place to enjoy plenty of makchang and samgyeopsal without breaking the bank! The chewy makchang and delicious samgyeopsal were satisfying on their own, and above all, the unlimited ramen and steamed egg made it truly great value 👍🏻 The restaurant was clean and the staff were kind, so it was an easy, comfortable place to eat.