Coworker reunion dinner with samgyeopsal and makchang: Bongja Makchang

I met up with a former coworker in Daegu after a long while~ We were starving and looking around for what to eat when we found Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch! I didn't know it, but apparently it's a famous chain~ I wanted both makchang and samgyeopsal, so after browsing the menu, we settled on this place haha. I'd heard it's where a lot of people go when they're looking for makchang restaurants in Jongno, Daegu, so I was curious!!

Location and business info for Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch

• 📍Address: 49-1 Jongno, Jung-gu, Daegu, South Korea
• 🕐 Hours: Mon-Thu 17:00-02:00, Fri-Sun 18:00-02:00
• 🚘 Parking: Not available
• 💡Notes: Corkage allowed, Naver reservation coupon, review-writing coupon

You can get there quickly on foot from Exit 1 of Jungangno Station~ It's about a 4-minute walk!

This is right in front of the store entrance! There was also a separate waiting area set up outside~

Inside the restaurant and seating

The place wasn't huge — about 8 tables of 4~ It seems like there could be some waiting on weekends or in the evenings~ Luckily there was a table free so we could sit right away!

Kiosk ordering: what two of us ordered

Ordering is done through a kiosk~ It was convenient because you can take your time browsing the menu and order what you like!

• One plate (raw samgyeopsal) + half plate (raw pork neck) - ₩36,000
• Raw makchang, 1 serving (250g) - ₩12,000
• Kimchi noodle soup - ₩7,000
• Rice, 2 servings - ₩2,000
• Zero-sugar cola - ₩2,000
• Steamed egg - Free
• Patbingsu - Free

It's quite a lot for two women to eat.. but since we hadn't met in a while, I wanted to try a bunch of things hahaha

Basic side dishes and free steamed egg

After we ordered, the staff brought out the basic side dishes~ We got jaeraegi (young radish kimchi), bean sprouts, kimchi, pickled onions, garlic, chili peppers, and doenjang (soybean paste)! If you run out of anything, you can grab more from the self-serve bar~~

And get this — the steamed egg came free!! We'd shown up starving, so we filled up a bit on the steamed egg before the meat came out haha. A warm steamed egg made me feel a lot better lol

The samgyeopsal, pork neck, and makchang we ordered all came out~~ On the grill, along with the meat, they'd also placed bracken fern, king oyster mushrooms, and rice cake for grilling! There was also kkaljeot (a fermented fish sauce dip) to dip the meat in~ Kkaljeot is similar to fermented shrimp sauce, but it's Bongja Makchang's special sauce that doesn't have much of a fishy smell

Seeing the table completely packed made me so happy lol. But it wasn't all out yet.. gasp..

Doenjang jjigae and kimchi noodle soup

Doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) came out too~ There's a separate gas burner at the table, so it was nice being able to eat it hot~~

The kimchi noodle soup was way more than I expected!! The bowl was so huge that my coworker and I were like, are we really supposed to finish this all?... lol. As you keep eating meat it can start to feel greasy, but the cold kimchi noodle soup cleansed our palates in between bites, so it paired really well!

Grilling the samgyeopsal, pork neck, and makchang, and the taste of kkaljeot

Now for the real grilling~~~ Can't skip the kimchi and bean sprouts grilled alongside the meat on the pan haha. The staff told us bean sprouts taste great grilled on the pan too, so we added those in~~

Eating the grilled kimchi and bean sprouts alongside the meat was great because it cut through the greasiness!! The bracken fern soaking up a bit of the meat's oil made it even more savory~

We tried the samgyeopsal first, and honestly there's no other way to say it.. golden brown, savory, and delicious!!

It's tasty dipped in doenjang or sesame oil too, but I loved dipping it in the kkaljeot — so savory and delicious..!!

Next up is the pork neck~ Rather than cooking it too well-done, grilling it just right keeps the juices in and makes it much more tender! It has its own charm compared to samgyeopsal, and we enjoyed it a lot~~

And since the restaurant is literally named Bongja Makchang, we couldn't skip the makchang~ Grilled until golden brown, it was crispy outside and chewy inside — such a good texture~~ The savory makchang dipped in makjang (the seasoned dipping sauce) kept us reaching for more! After eating our way through the meat and all the sides, we were pretty full — but nope, that wasn't the end....

Free bottomless ramen and finishing patbingsu

At Bongja Makchang, ramen is also free, and it's bottomless!! You can boil pot ramen right at your table, and there were apparently 7 kinds available! We wanted to try one too, but we were so unbelievably full that we couldn't even think about it.. such a shame.. I'll definitely try the ramen next time I visit..ㅠㅠ

And finally, the true finale!! Patbingsu (shaved ice dessert with red beans) comes out free~~ Filling up on meat and then finishing with a cool patbingsu was just perfect! We were so full, but dessert stomach is a separate thing, right haha. It was great not having to go to a separate dessert café since everything could be handled in one place!

Final thoughts

We got to try a variety of meats, and there were so many side menu options that ordering felt like a happy dilemma! And I loved that so many things — steamed egg, ramen, patbingsu — were provided free!! We got to enjoy a really satisfying meal, and I'd definitely go back~ It's close to both downtown Dongseongno and Jungangno Station, so if you're looking for a good Korean BBQ restaurant in Daegu, I highly recommend Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch!!