Chimsan-dong, Daegu beef grill lunch with Mom and sibling: Gogi 9dan

Why I picked Gogi 9dan Chimsan Direct Branch for a family lunch

I was hunting for a spot to meet up with Mom, and my younger sister said she wanted beef. So, to give ourselves a proper health boost, we went to Gogi 9dan Chimsan Direct Branch (고기9단 침산직영점), a good-value beef place in Chimsan-dong, Daegu.

I heard a chef with 30 years of experience honestly selects every ingredient, then trims and ages the meat, so you get top-quality beef. It's the kind of Daegu beef restaurant that earns you praise for choosing it for a gathering. There's also the good-value Gogi 9dan set, so you can eat beef without worrying about the bill.

Gogi 9dan Chimsan Direct Branch hours and parking

Gogi 9dan Chimsan Direct Branch is open every day from 11 a.m. to 9:50 p.m., with a break time from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The address is 197 Chimsannam-ro, Buk-gu, Daegu.

The restaurant is on the 2nd floor, and there's a large parking lot on the 1st floor, so no parking worries. It's a Daegu beef restaurant that works well for family gatherings, company dinners and group get-togethers.

The waiting zone and the atmosphere inside

Head up to the 2nd floor and you'll find stylish waiting sofas and a welcome snack bar. A waiting zone this pleasant and spacious means you could wait and wait. Just a warning: with rice crackers, plum tea, drip coffee and even cups of ice, you might get full while you wait!

And right in front is the area where the meat is trimmed. With spotless white cutting boards and a dedicated meat fridge behind, it's no wonder this place has a reputation as a Daegu beef hotspot.

Inside, every seating area is private but not stuffy, thanks to striped wooden-framed windows. The interior and mood feel upscale, so it's a great Daegu restaurant for treating parents or friends.

Gogi 9dan menu and prices

The Gogi 9dan set is ₩17,000 and comes with hanwoo (Korean beef) yukhoe (raw seasoned beef), kimchi stew, jjolmyeon (chewy wheat noodles) and sushi. The signature menu can also be ordered as a half platter.

Signature menu (half platter available)

• Anchangsal (skirt steak), full platter (500g) ₩98,000
• Flower galbi, full platter (500g) ₩90,000
• Emperor galbisal, full platter (500g) ₩72,000
• Seokcheong galbi, full platter (700g) ₩86,000
• Instant marinated galbi, full platter (600g) ₩74,000
• Fresh samgyeopsal (pork belly), full platter (500g) ₩52,000
• Fresh moksal (pork neck), full platter (500g) ₩52,000

Sides

• Fresh wasabi and sushi ₩3,000
• Spicy jjolmyeon ₩5,000
• Gorgonzola pizza ₩7,000
• Hanwoo yukhoe (160g) ₩19,000
• Pork kimchi stew ₩10,000

Lunch menu (choose 1 finisher: white charcoal rice / bibim naengmyeon / mul naengmyeon)

• Emperor galbisal ₩20,000
• Instant marinated galbisal ₩21,000
• Flower galbisal ₩24,000
• Anchangsal ₩26,000

Soups

• Kimchi/doenjang (soybean paste) stew set ₩10,000
• Shabu kalguksu (noodle soup) ₩12,000
• Hanwoo metnari shabu kalguksu ₩15,000
• Shabu kalguksu + neopdegi yukjeon (pan-fried beef slices) ₩14,000
• Hanwoo kalguksu + yukjeon ₩17,000

Banchan to take home

• Pickles, 1 pack ₩5,000
• Kimchi stew/doenjang stew ₩10,000
• Seasoned raw crab ₩17,000
• Barley white kimchi ₩10,000

Drinks

• Iljum Jinro (oak), Jim Beam, Hwayo, bokbunja (black raspberry wine), Baekseju, Bingtanbok, Sipsul 12, Simsul 7, highballs
• Cheongha, Byeolbit Cheongha, Hallasan ₩6,000
• Soju/beer/makgeolli ₩5,000

What we ordered that day

• One platter of flower galbisal
• Gogi 9dan set
• Gorgonzola pizza
• Soju

How are the side dishes at Gogi 9dan?

Gogi 9dan fills the whole table with side dishes: moist japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), garlic chive shoots sprinkled with sesame, a fresh salad, broccoli and shrimp salad, fragrant gondeure namul (thistle greens), crunchy mul kimchi (water kimchi) and seasoned raw crab~

None of them are too salty, and they have a great savory depth, so I guess that's why this place is famous in Daegu. The basic spread alone is plenty delicious.

Flower galbisal grilled over fist-sized charcoal, with nuruk salt

The charcoal here is something special too. It's not small charcoal but fist-sized chunks, and there's no flying ash at all. Maybe the top-grade charcoal is why the beef tastes even better.

Put the beef on the grill and the sizzle alone makes me happy.

Over the strong charcoal heat, flip it twice, tsk, tsk, and one bite gave me the strength to work hard again this week. Even the songi mushrooms (pine mushrooms) had a chewy, meaty flavor.

The juicy beef is delicious on its own, but dipped in Gogi 9dan's premium nuruk salt (salt made with Korean fermentation starter), the flavor explodes. Eaten with the side dishes that pair perfectly with beef, it just keeps going down. I was amazed all over again that beef of this quality is available at this price.

It was lunch, but with such good-value, top-notch beef, how could I not have a beer? This gathering was a success too.

The ₩17,000 Gogi 9dan set and the ₩7,000 gorgonzola pizza

The Gogi 9dan set comes with hanwoo yukhoe, kimchi stew, jjolmyeon and sushi. All of this for ₩17,000. The lineup is great and pairs perfectly with beef, so you have to order it.

We also added the gorgonzola pizza, which is ₩7,000. At other places it's in the ₩10,000 range, but at Gogi 9dan a cheese-loaded gorgonzola pizza is ₩7,000. Eating it together with the patbingsu was even better.

Patbingsu for dessert, so no second-round café needed

The patbingsu (shaved ice with sweet red beans) that comes as dessert at Gogi 9dan is love. I'd planned to go to a café for round two after lunch, but with drip coffee, snacks and patbingsu right here, there's no need.

Honest review of Gogi 9dan Chimsan Direct Branch

• Gogi 9dan is the Daegu beef restaurant that got me endless praise for choosing the venue.
• Besides a full, hanjeongsik-style spread, I got a health boost from good-value beef.
• It's a spacious, upscale place, so it's a great Daegu restaurant for friends, couples and families, as well as company dinners and group gatherings.
• Mom immediately booked another get-together with her friends.
• Next time I'll come for the moist marinated galbi.