Extra spicy thin-noodle yukgaejang kalguksu near 228 Park, Daegu

Hello everyone, this is Morae :3 It's still hot during the day, but the suffocating midsummer heat has finally let up a bit. So I went for a stroll around Dongseong-ro after a while and wandered over toward 228 Park. It happened to be mealtime, and the weather finally felt right for a bowl of hot soup, so I stopped by Donggok Jemyeon.

Across from 228 Park — location and parking

With "jemyeon" (noodle-making) right in the name, this place is serious about its noodles. Donggok Jemyeon in Daegu sits directly across from 228 Park.

There's no dedicated parking lot at Donggok Jemyeon, but using the "Dongseong-ro Parking Lot" gets you 30 minutes of parking support. One of my own parking tips: use the Daegu City Hall parking lot. It's free on weekends and holidays, so lines get long — go a little early.

Interior vibe and waiting

Business hours run from 11:30 am to 9 pm, with no regular closed day and no break time. The interior has a clean wood-tone design with soft lighting, giving off a cozy overall feel. When you think of a famous kalguksu place in Daegu, you might picture an old-school, decades-old joint, but Donggok Jemyeon is thoroughly modern and clean, and it was packed with young people.

Most of the customers were couples on a date around downtown Daegu, and since it was the weekend, there were also plenty of families. Solo dining is possible too, though this place tends to get a wait during the lunch peak, so if you want a relaxed meal, I'd recommend visiting a bit outside peak hours.

The menu and ordering — you can even choose noodle thickness and spice level

The menu includes several types of noodles — hanwoo sagol kalguksu (beef-bone knife-cut noodle soup), yukgaejang kalguksu, extra-concentrated chicken kalguksu, chogye bibim guksu — plus seoritae kongguksu, and Korean side dishes like suyuk (boiled meat), pajeon-style pancakes, and dak-muchim (spicy chicken salad).

When two people visit Donggok Jemyeon, they often order the 2-person set — one pancake plus two bowls of noodles. We originally wanted the seafood chive pancake set too, but you can't choose kongguksu as part of the set noodles, so we each picked our own noodle dish and ordered the seafood chive pancake separately.

• Yukgaejang kalguksu ₩12,000 (thin noodles, extra spicy)
• Seoritae kongguksu ₩11,000 (large size)
• Seafood chive pancake ₩15,000

What's fun about Donggok Jemyeon is that beyond choosing a large size, you can even pick the noodle thickness and spice level in detail. I love spicy broth and often get the Daegu yukgaejang kalguksu when I come here, and since I also needed something to cure a hangover that day, I went with the extra spicy option.

The side dish is seasoned soybean-paste peppers, and silbi kimchi is set out on the table for you to help yourself to as much as you like. I don't usually eat kimchi when I'm having red-broth soup, but the kimchi here was deliciously spicy, so I kept reaching for it.

About 10 minutes after ordering, everything arrived at once. The chive pancake was huge and the noodle portions generous, filling up the two-person table almost completely.

Yukgaejang kalguksu, "extra spicy," thin noodles

Starting with the yukgaejang kalguksu (yukkal) I ordered — the bright red broth looked spicy just from its color. Since I chose extra spicy, they even sliced in some cheongyang chili peppers for me.

The meat comes included as standard, but if you're a meat lover, feel free to add more. It wasn't chewy at all — nice and tender.

What's the thin house-made noodle like?

Unlike ordinary boiled store-bought kalguksu noodles, these are handmade in-house! That's why there's almost no flour smell, and you can choose your preferred thickness.

I chose thin noodles instead of the standard cut. "Thin" here doesn't mean thin like janchi guksu; the width is still wide like kalguksu, but the noodle itself is delicate and soft. That let the spicy broth soak in well, making it easy to slurp down.

Brisket, bean sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, and green onion were mixed in too, so the texture never got boring.

The broth had a proper spicy, tangy kick. Ordered extra spicy, it landed somewhere a bit hotter than Shin Ramyun but milder than Buldak — not just heat for heat's sake, though; it's a beef-bone base with spicy dadegi (chili paste) stirred in, so there's real depth. I wanted to mix in the free rice, but I'd ordered the pancake too and was already too full.

Seoritae kongguksu, and a letdown with the coarse salt

The seoritae kongguksu (black bean noodle soup) came neatly topped with egg, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber.

The soup wasn't too thick or too thin, making it easy to enjoy, and it had the deep, nutty richness特有 of black beans — anyone who likes kongguksu should find it solidly satisfying.

One thing that was a bit of a letdown, though: the salt set out on the table was coarse salt.

Added to the cold bean broth, it didn't dissolve well and clumped up — personally, I wish they'd had fine salt instead.

Seafood chive pancake — dipped in chojang is the only way to go

And then the seafood chive pancake we ordered alongside. I'm not usually a fan of thick pancakes, but Donggok Jemyeon's are all thin, so I love theirs.

The batter isn't laid on thick — it's mostly a dense bed of chives topped generously with shrimp and squid. Chili peppers come standard, so if you're eating with a child, ask them to leave those out when you order.

The edges of the pancake were fried golden and crispy, while the center, loaded with seafood, stayed slightly moist.

Dipping it in the onion soy sauce is fine, but as a Daegu native who firmly believes chojang (vinegared chili paste) is the only real way to eat pancake, I thought it tasted better dipped in chojang.

When we paid and were leaving, I noticed they had yogurt ready for dessert, so we finished off with something cool and sweet.

If you're looking for a hearty meal near 228 Park on Dongseong-ro, or a proper Daegu kalguksu spot made with real house-pulled noodles, why not try Donggok Jemyeon? I think I'll be craving that yukgaejang kalguksu again once the weather cools down a bit more.