Late-night charcoal chicken in Daemyeong-dong, Daegu: Hyeongnim Dakgui

Hi, this is Maeryeok. Today I went out for charcoal grilling again after a while — I heard there's a charcoal-grilled chicken specialist just as good as beef or pork, so I headed to Hyeongnim Dakgui, a restaurant in Daemyeong-dong, Daegu.

It was my day off, but after a bowl of tteokguk (rice cake soup) at lunch and some housework, cleaning, and dog care, evening rolled around before I knew it, haha. I hadn't eaten much and had been moving around all day, so I was starving. But between the charcoal-scented chicken thigh grilled at the table and the 13-plus-item all-you-can-eat self-bar, I nearly burst from how much I ate, haha. Let's get into the Hyeongnim Dakgui Daemyeong-dong Gyeongdae branch post~

Where is Hyeongnim Dakgui Daemyeong-dong Gyeongdae branch, and where do you park?

Hyeongnim Dakgui Daemyeong-dong Gyeongdae branch sits right next to Keimyung University's stone steps. Do you know this spot? The Keimyung stone steps, haha. It's 50m from the Daemyeong Performance Street bus stop and 240m from Namsan Station (Keimyung intersection) Exit 2, so it's easy to reach by public transit too.

If you use the Keimyung University parking lot, you get 2 hours free, and the lot connects directly to the back of Hyeongnim Dakgui, so you don't even need to walk around.

Hyeongnim Dakgui, this Daemyeong-dong restaurant, also runs a meal-sharing program with a local welfare center for elderly residents.

Inside Hyeongnim Dakgui: a wide hall with private rooms and a kids' play room

I walked in starving, and Hyeongnim Dakgui Daemyeong-dong Gyeongdae branch surprised me — the self-bar right at the entrance, and the restaurant itself is huge.

With floor-to-ceiling windows in front, wood tones and bright lighting, the place feels lively for a grilled-meat restaurant.

Further inside there's space big enough for large groups, and quite a few private rooms too, so you can dine privately if you want.

There's also a spacious kids' play room, so you shouldn't have to worry about the kids getting restless while waiting.

What's on the free self-bar with more than 13 items?

Here comes the main event — the self-bar!!! Hyeongnim Dakgui's self-bar could pass for a lunch buffet~ From salads to side dishes, soup, ramyeon, and fried eggs, there was so much I wondered if anything was missing.

You can finish off with ice cream and coffee too

There's also a new menu item, slush draft beer, so keep that in mind.

Ordering grilled chicken half salt, half sauce with a bottle of soju

Here's the menu board at Hyeongnim Dakgui, this Daemyeong-dong restaurant. I went with the recommended half salt, half sauce grilled chicken, plus a bottle of soju — of course.

While waiting for the meat, I swept through the buffet, lol. Several kinds of kimchi, salad, namul, broccoli, anchovies, fish cake, lotus root, pickled radish, even pollack soup — enough to rival a proper set-meal restaurant. Since you can't leave leftovers, I took small portions of what I wanted and ate while the chicken cooked.

How to grill the charcoal chicken, and how it tastes

The salt and sauce grilled chicken from Hyeongnim Dakgui, this Daemyeong-dong restaurant, came out fast. Let's start grilling the salt version first~

As they put the first batch on the grill, staff gave a brief tip: don't overcook it, or it loses flavor — once the meat turns pale like boiled chicken (baeksuk), it's ready to eat.

There were two sauces, and pairing with green onion kimchi, onion sauce, and grilled green onion was great. The grilled rice cake was also chewy and delicious.

And two kinds of ssam (lettuce wraps), which I love~

I ordered doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) with rice, and grilled up some eggs — scrambled and fried, lol. There's a self-serve ramyeon corner right next to the egg station too, but I passed on the ramyeon today since I wanted to save room for the doenjang rice.

Finished it off with what I call the Korean dessert — doenjang rice~ The chicken comes pre-grilled, so it's fine even if your grilling skills aren't great. The tender chicken thigh is savory when salted, and sweet-and-spicy like seasoned fried chicken sauce when sauced — each has its own charm. The mayo dip is mild while the spicy sauce packs a punch, so alternating between the two was delicious~

Not just chicken — they also have beef and pork, plus a Korean-style buffet that's no joke, with self-serve ramyeon and eggs too! And it's all reasonably priced, which is pretty wild, right? How about a plate of grilled chicken with family at Hyeongnim Dakgui, this Daemyeong-dong restaurant, this Chuseok holiday?

Hours and visiting info for Hyeongnim Dakgui Daemyeong-dong Gyeongdae branch

• Hours: Mon-Thu 15:00-02:00, Fri-Sun 12:00-02:00 (Chuseok holiday Sept 24, 25, 26: 12:00-02:00)
• Address: 2139-11 Daemyeong-dong, Nam-gu, Daegu (104 Myeongdeok-ro), South Korea
• Group seating, takeout, reservations, Wi-Fi available
• Kids' facilities (play room), high chairs, waiting area
• Separate men's/women's restrooms, wheelchair-accessible entrance, disabled parking
• Pets welcome with advance notice