Dongdaegu Station BBQ lunch with Mom, free 8-hour witch's soup: Modak

Why we picked Modak Texas Barbecue for lunch with Mom near Dongdaegu Station

Today was a get-together with my mom's group! I searched Naver for a meetup spot near Dongdaegu Station, saw the food photos at Modak Texas Barbecue (모닥텍사스바베큐), and they looked so good that I decided on the spot. Our group had never been out for barbecue, and the place is decorated like a trip to America, so I went in with high hopes.

They have steak, pasta, rice dishes, platter sets and lunch specials, so there's a variety of menu items to keep everyone happy.

Modak also has a branch at Palgongsan, but if I went there after finishing work at 1 p.m., lunch would be way too late, so I chose the Dongdaegu Station branch. I'll save Palgongsan for a weekend outing. It feels like a mountain lodge in the forest, so that should be a fresh experience.

Modak Texas Barbecue Dongdaegu Branch hours, parking and directions

Modak Texas Barbecue Dongdaegu Branch is open Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00–22:00, with a break from 15:30 to 17:00, and closed every Monday. If you order ₩50,000 or more, they cover the parking fee of ₩4,000 (1 hour 30 minutes) at the MD Building lot.

• Address: 5-1 Dongbu-ro 34-gil, Dong-gu, Daegu (1st floor)
• Subway: 3-minute walk from Dongdaegu Station on Line 1
• Bus: get off at the Dongdaegu Station Transfer Center (buses 55, 156, 399, 413, 425, 524, 651, 708, 818 and more)

The restaurant is near Dongdaegu Station, Shinsegae Department Store, the integrated transfer terminal, the Marriott hotel, the Dong-gu café street and the Dongdaegu Station food alley. Transport is easy and it's in a hot area, so it's a top-notch meetup spot near Dongdaegu Station.

Modak Texas Barbecue exterior: is there a wait?

Just seeing the MODAC BARBECUE TEXAS sign feels like being on a trip to America. The red exterior wall reminds me of passionate Texas. We came well after lunchtime, so there was no wait, but at mealtimes people line up here, so there's a waiting area too.

At the entrance there's a chalkboard where you can leave a note that you visited. We wrote that we'd been here and took a photo, which made for a fun, different kind of memory.

Inside Modak Texas Barbecue Dongdaegu Branch: atmosphere and seating

Step inside and it feels even more like a trip to America. The clean interior in wood and white, with a casual, comfortable mood, feels like a Texas barbecue joint transplanted here.

Tables with partitions are good for dates with a partner or friends, and the space is big, so it works for family gatherings and group dinners too. Being right in front of Dongdaegu Station, it would also suit business meals and wedding invitation meetups.

They sell beer, draft beer, dark beer, soju, non-alcoholic drinks and wine, and there's a wine bar. Next time I'll come in the evening and have dark beer with the premium barbecue.

Modak Texas Barbecue menu and prices

Modak changes its discount events every month. The June event: save the restaurant on Naver, leave a receipt review, and order ₩50,000 or more, and every pasta is ₩10,000.

Lunch special sets

• Brisket set ₩17,000
• Pulled pork set ₩15,000
• Whole pork belly bacon set ₩16,000
• Spare rib set ₩16,000
• Shrimp squid ink pasta ₩12,000
• Shrimp cream pasta ₩11,000
• Spicy shrimp tomato pasta ₩11,000
• Shrimp aglio e olio pasta ₩10,000
• Cheesy shrimp garlic rice ₩12,000

Platters

• Texas Platter set for 2, ₩57,000 (brisket 150g / pulled pork 150g / 3 buffalo wings / 3 barbecue sauces / salad / coleslaw / fries / pico de gallo / tortillas)
• Memphis Platter set for 2, ₩75,000
• Tennessee Fillet Platter set for 3, ₩127,000
• Carolina Platter set for 3, ₩127,000
• Tennessee Platter set for 3–4, ₩132,000
• Cowboy Fillet Platter set for 4, ₩187,000

Steaks and tomahawk

• Ribeye steak (1 person) ₩64,000
• Ghee butter fillet tenderloin steak (1 person) ₩75,000
• Ghee butter tenderloin steak + pasta (300g) ₩95,000
• Tomahawk steak course for 2, ₩220,000
• Tomahawk steak for 3, ₩260,000
• Tomahawk steak for 4, ₩280,000

Pasta and more

• Squid ink cream pasta ₩16,000
• Shrimp cream pasta ₩15,000
• Shrimp aglio e olio ₩13,000
• Spicy tomato shrimp pasta ₩14,000
• Shrimp squid ink pasta ₩16,000
• Cheese garlic shrimp rice ₩15,000
• Melted french fries ₩13,000
• Texas witch's soup ₩11,000

Lunch boxes and meal kits

• Brisket barbecue lunch box ₩17,000
• Spare rib barbecue lunch box ₩16,000
• Pulled pork barbecue lunch box ₩15,000
• Whole pork belly bacon barbecue lunch box ₩16,000
• Meal kit for home parties

What we ordered for lunch with Mom

• Brisket set
• Pulled pork set
• Spare rib set
• Shrimp squid ink pasta
• Shrimp aglio e olio pasta

How were Modak's free welcome witch's soup and nachos?

Modak gives you witch's soup (a hearty meat-and-tomato stew) and nachos for free as welcome food. It was seriously delicious. They hand out a main-menu-level soup as a freebie, and they say it's simmered for 8 hours.

It was the best witch's soup I've ever had. Packed with meat and a deep savory richness, we finished it in a flash. The nachos are plain, with no seasoning at all, so no calorie worries, and they went amazingly with the soup.

I love how fast the food comes out at Modak. We were still eating the witch's soup when the whole table was suddenly full. Even a big group meeting near Dongdaegu Station would be happy with the quick setup. The plating is pretty too, so it's a treat for the eyes.

Spare rib lunch special set

The Modak spare rib set (lunch special ₩16,000) comes on a warm stone plate with spare ribs, buffalo wings and cute fries. I cut the ribs with a knife, but they were so tender I only needed it at the start and ate the rest with a fork.

It's the pork rib cut, but I've never had ribs this tender. The fat is just right, so they're juicy. The nutty, sweet barbecue sauce soaks in as you chew, so the flavor is rich. A slight fire-grilled smoky aroma fills your mouth, making it even better.

Pulled pork lunch special set

Here comes the Modak pulled pork set (lunch special ₩15,000)! Pulled pork is shredded pork shoulder, rich in marbling, with great juiciness and savoriness. The soft, moist strands spread in your mouth with deep umami. It's so tender even a baby could eat it.

Brisket lunch special set

Here comes the Modak brisket set (lunch special ₩17,000)! Brisket is the beef chest cut; the longer and slower it's cooked, the more you get a rich meaty broth flavor and a tender texture. The meat's own flavor is deep, so the more you chew, the nuttier yet cleaner it tastes. Smoky aroma and a lightly sweet seasoning give it a premium taste.

Three barbecue sauces and side dishes

The barbecue comes with 3 sauces, and the sauces are the kicker. It was tasty on its own, but with the sauces the flavor gets much richer. I like spicy food, so I got a refill of the spicy sauce.

You can put meat and veggies in a tortilla to make tacos, or make little burgers with the dinner rolls, which is fun.

The lettuce salad is topped with a special sauce and cheese. Many places make you order salad separately, but at Modak it's included in the basic set.

The homemade tomato-onion pickles were so good I scraped the bowl clean. Every side dish was so tasty that I kept exclaiming as I ate.

Shrimp squid ink pasta and shrimp aglio e olio

Here comes the Modak shrimp squid ink pasta (lunch special ₩12,000)! I've never seen a pasta this completely black. It's the darkest squid ink dish I've ever had, which must mean they didn't skimp on ingredients. Thick squid ink cream topped with plenty of nutty cheese and plump shrimp: a perfect pasta.

Here comes the Modak shrimp aglio e olio pasta (lunch special ₩10,000)! The garlic and the noodle doneness were so good. The noodles stayed springy and tasty to the end, and the olive oil aroma was so lovely that I even spooned up the oil.

The face-shaped potatoes surprised me. I figured they'd be floury store-bought fries, but they're made from real potato and were really good!

Honest review of Modak Texas Barbecue Dongdaegu Branch

• We held our mom's group meetup near Dongdaegu Station at Modak Texas Barbecue.
• With red brick and wood, the casual atmosphere feels like a trip to America.
• It's in Daegu hot spots like Shinsegae Department Store, Dongdaegu Station, the Dongdaegu Station food alley and the Dong-gu café street, so it's perfect for a meetup near Dongdaegu Station.
• Great-value lunch specials and high-quality barbecue make it ideal group food.
• Next time I'll take the family to the Palgongsan branch of Modak Texas Barbecue.