Kim Kwang-seok Street Korean restaurant with kelp vinegar: Hyangtaek

While looking for a lunch spot near Kim Kwang-seok Street, I noticed Hyangtaek Daebong Branch seemed to have a lot of clean, no-fuss Korean dishes on the menu, so I went to check it out. Hyangtaek branches have been popping up everywhere lately, so I'd been wanting to try one!

This time I ordered the eggplant doenjang bowl and the yukhoe bibimbap, and it turned out to be a place where I could enjoy familiar Korean dishes with a bit of a twist. Let me walk you through it :)

Where is Hyangtaek Daebong Branch? Hours and parking

Hyangtaek Daebong Branch is at 17 Dalgubeol-daero 440-gil, Jung-gu, Daegu, ground floor. Hours are 11:00-20:00, break time is 15:30-17:00, and last order is at 15:00 / 19:30. There's parking for about 2 cars in front of the restaurant.

What the restaurant looks like, outside and in

It's not far from Kim Kwang-seok Street, so it's a good spot to stop for a meal while exploring the area. It's set inside an alley, so if it's your first visit I'd recommend checking a map to find it.

Overall, the tables weren't crammed too close together, and the interior was clean and tidy, so it was comfortable to eat in. It's not a rowdy, loud kind of place, so it would suit visiting with parents or days when you just want a quiet meal. Maybe because it's a Korean restaurant, there were a lot of older guests, and I also saw some small groups gathered together!

What's on the menu at Hyangtaek Daebong Branch

There's a nice range of distinctive Korean dishes! I personally prefer one-bowl meals over the kind of Korean meal with lots of side dishes, so Hyangtaek's menu really suited my taste. If you're coming with a group, ordering a few side dishes to share along with the mains seems like a good idea. Next time I want to try the Cheongsong-style chicken bulgogi and the mushroom hanpan too🤤

Eggplant doenjang bowl, ₩14,000, with kelp vinegar

This is the eggplant doenjang bowl (₩14,000). There were three big chunks of eggplant piled on top! The nutty flavor of the doenjang (soybean paste) paired well with the softly cooked eggplant. It wasn't heavy or spicy, more of a gentle, stomach-friendly kind of Korean food, so it was easy to eat for lunch without feeling weighed down. I generally like eggplant, so personally I was quite satisfied with this dish. The combination of eggplant and doenjang was better than I expected👍🏻

They also gave us kelp vinegar. I added a little partway through the bowl, and the tangy-sweet flavor was a nice change of pace, keeping it enjoyable to the very last bite without getting boring.

Yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef), ₩14,000, with gopchang gim and jeotgal

This is the yukhoe bibimbap (₩14,000, beef tartare mixed rice bowl). There was a generous amount of yukhoe on top, and mixing it with the lettuce gave it a nice texture too. The yukhoe was tender, and eating it with the vegetables made it feel fresh — a different but equally delicious experience from the eggplant doenjang bowl.

Putting rice on a piece of gopchang-style gim (seasoned seaweed) and adding some mixed jeotgal (seasoned seafood condiment) on top added a salty kick that made it noticeably more delicious👍🏻

It came with neat, well-prepared side dishes too🤤 The seasoning was just right, making them a perfect match with either the rice bowl or the yukhoe bibimbap.

The eggplant doenjang bowl and the yukhoe bibimbap went really well together!! If you're visiting as a pair, I'd recommend ordering one of each and sharing :)

They're also running a weekday-only review event, so if you're planning to visit, keep that in mind!

Final verdict on Hyangtaek Daebong Branch⭐️

Hyangtaek Daebong Branch was a great place to eat clean, well-prepared Korean food. Both the eggplant doenjang bowl and the yukhoe bibimbap were hearty without being heavy, and the restaurant was on the quieter side, so it also seems like a good spot for a family meal or a gathering. My stomach felt comfortable even after eating out👍🏻 If you're looking for a good restaurant near Kim Kwang-seok Street or a place to eat near Gyeongbuk Uni Hospital Station and you like Korean food, it's worth a visit!