Gyodong, Daegu kalguksu spread for a chilly autumn day: Donggok

Donggok Jemyeon hours and info

Donggok Jemyeon Daegu Dongseong-ro Main Branch is open 11:30–21:00, with last order at 20:30. Group seating, Wi-Fi, reservations, high chairs and takeout are all available, and there is parking support too.

As the weather got chillier with autumn, I was craving hot kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), so I visited Donggok Jemyeon in Gyodong, Daegu! I'd walked past a few times and thought it looked like it'd be good, so I'd been meaning to try it haha.

How do you park near Donggok Jemyeon in Dongseong-ro?

Apparently if you use the Dongseong-ro parking lot, about 3 minutes away, they cover 30 minutes of parking! Being downtown, parking is kind of a problem.. but this is pretty decent.

Inside Donggok Jemyeon

The inside isn't huge, but there were more seats than I expected and it was clean! Cozy but a bit retro, haha.

What are Donggok Jemyeon's fresh noodles made of?

According to the notes on the wall, they use house-made fresh noodles with nothing but flour, water and salt, no other additives. If you read the writing posted around the walls carefully, there are also explanations about the doenjang (soybean paste), bone broth and minari (water dropwort), not just the noodles. You could really feel their pride in the ingredients and the food.

Donggok Jemyeon menu and prices

The menu runs from set meals to kalguksu, suyuk (boiled pork), jeon (savory pancakes) and chicken muchim (seasoned chicken). They also have Cheongdo Donggok makgeolli (rice wine), so it'd be nice to try it alongside haha. You can choose the noodle thickness for the kalguksu, and steamed rice is free and unlimited, so after finishing the noodles you can just put rice in the broth!

• Hanwoo bone broth kalguksu ₩11,000
• Seafood chive pancake ₩15,000
• Gabrisal suyuk half plate ₩10,900
• Donggok makgeolli ₩5,000

They're also running a receipt review event, so if you want to try the chicken muchim, give it a go..

Donggok Jemyeon side dishes: is the kimchi spicy?

If you order only kalguksu at Donggok Jemyeon, the side dishes are kimchi and doenjang-seasoned pickled chili peppers! The kimchi looked delicious at first glance, but it was spicier than it looked, hahaha. Spicy but tasty kimchi!

If you order a pancake too, it comes with a dipping sauce.

Donggok Jemyeon's Hanwoo bone broth kalguksu

About 7 minutes after ordering? The kalguksu, pancake and suyuk came out one after another! Everything looked appetizing from the first glance.

The Hanwoo bone broth kalguksu had a rich broth that tasted great, and the noodles were chewy and delicious. We went with the default noodle thickness and it was just right. It's fine as a regular meal and I think it'd work as a hangover soup too haha. Tastier kalguksu than I expected!

Is the seafood chive pancake good with makgeolli?

The seafood chive pancake (₩15,000) was generous-looking right from the start. It was packed with shrimp and squid, which I was happy about, and the crispiness was just right, so I enjoyed it. Honestly, for the price this chive pancake is really good,, and it went especially well with the Donggok makgeolli, lol.

How big is the half plate of gabrisal suyuk?

The half plate of gabrisal suyuk (boiled pork from the rib-cap cut) was exactly 1–2 servings and went well alongside the kalguksu. The pork was thin and tender, and it was tasty with the radish kimchi(?) that comes with it.

I thought rice in the hot broth would be good, so I put in a bowl of the free rice haha.

To finish, you can even have a Yakult-style yogurt drink! Donggok Jemyeon is a place that works for lunch or dinner, and also for a makgeolli stop haha. If you're looking for a house-made-noodle kalguksu spot in Gyodong, Daegu, I recommend giving it a visit!