Guam-dong raw beef restaurant in Daegu: A-course for two, ₩65,000

Does everyone love raw beef?

I never liked raw food as a kid, but experience really matters... the older I get, the fewer things I can't eat (seriously... my appetite is getting serious too haha). Once you fall for the charm of raw beef, it's hard to escape.

My dining companions this time were the men of the house — my dad and brother, whose eyes light up the moment they see fresh raw beef. So I made a reservation and visited Bonghwa Saenggogi Bonjeom, the most famous spot in Chilgok's Guam-dong. It's already a well-known name among people in Daegu who really know their raw beef, so I went in with high expectations. Here's my review!

Where is Bonghwa Saenggogi Bonjeom, and what is it like inside?

Bonghwa Saenggogi Bonjeom is located in Guam-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu, really close to Chilgok District 3. It also seems like a good stop after hiking down from Unamji Reservoir. I'd been to the Bokhyeon branch before, and the entrance here gives a completely different vibe — this being the original branch made me even more excited!

Even though we went on a weekday early evening, customers kept pouring in nonstop. The private rooms in particular are super popular. Watching tables fill up the whole time we ate, I really felt like I'd found the right place. True to its reputation as a go-to meat restaurant in Chilgok's Guam-dong, the foot traffic never let up — it felt like a place with a lot of regulars.

Bonghwa Saenggogi Bonjeom menu: which combination is famous?

Here's the menu. The two famous combos are raw beef + yukhoe, and raw beef + charcoal-grilled chadol odregi, and on Saturdays you can even order a full plate of raw beef. They must be slaughtering that day... pray for the cow.

Wanting to try a bit of everything, we ordered the A-course for two (small). At this point I definitely had drinking plans — the reason they disappeared is...

Banchan at Bonghwa Saenggogi Bonjeom: a course in itself

The banchan (side dishes) were so plentiful, honestly;; The moment we ordered, the basic side dishes started lining up on the table one after another — and that wasn't even the end of it.

Egg soy sauce, cucumber salad, bean sprouts, cabbage wraps, muk (jelly), liver, cheonyeop (beef tripe), kimchi, cabbage salad, rolled egg, gimbap (seaweed rice roll) and more — the sheer variety and volume of banchan already put me in a great mood before the main dish even arrived.

A warm seaweed soup also came out, soothing our stomachs first like a Korean-style appetizer,

followed by canned yellow peaches to cleanse the palate.

A-course for two (small), ₩65,000: 130g raw beef + 120g yukhoe

A-course for two (small), ₩65,000 — 130g raw beef and 120g yukhoe. And finally, today's star arrived. Even though the side dishes alone had already half-filled us up, seeing this reset my appetite completely.

Mungtigi, the raw beef Daegu is proud of

First, let's look at raw beef, known as mungtigi — Daegu's pride. The deep crimson color alone screamed freshness, and when I picked it up with chopsticks, the chewy, elastic stretchiness was genuinely amazing.

The yukhoe was thicker than at other places too, which felt like it would have a great bite. Since it looked pre-seasoned, I tried the raw beef first.

The chewiness of the meat itself was so alive that I felt like it wouldn't fall off even if I did the plate-flip trick every Daegu local knows. (Couldn't try it though, with the yukhoe right next to it, haha.)

There was also this diced version — nice touch. I tried a bite of the plain raw beef first with nothing on it, and there was zero gaminess or fishy taste, just the clean, nutty flavor of Korean beef filling my mouth.

Next I dipped the raw beef generously in the special sauce made of garlic, gochujang and sesame oil, and the sharp garlic aroma combined with the savory seasoning exploded the beef's umami — I genuinely gasped.

The chewy texture that stuck satisfyingly to the mouth had my dad and brother giving thumbs up nonstop. The meat was sliced neither too thin nor too thick, just right for enjoying the texture — you could feel both the chew and the nutty flavor at once. The moment you take a bite, you understand exactly why Bonghwa Saenggogi is considered top-tier mungtigi in Chilgok's Guam-dong.

Thick-cut yukhoe (Korean beef tartare)

The yukhoe served alongside held its own just as strongly as the raw beef — plumper than what you'd get elsewhere, I'd say. Each thick bite burst with juice and had a chewy texture, and the seasoning wasn't too sweet or overdone, just right to let the meat's natural flavor shine — that was the key point.

Tteokbokki and cabbage pancake to finish the meal

By the way, this place is also a tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) champion. Eating it felt like receiving a bonus gift... I ended up finishing the whole plate myself.

But it wasn't over yet — we finished with cabbage pancake. Fresh off the pan, crispy and nutty, and I ate that whole thing too. A carb monster, that's me.

When we paid, they asked us to beat the drum, but getting older made me too shy, so I quietly went and beat it myself... Two years ago I would've really gone for it. These days I feel like I'm maturing right along with the aged beef...

Why Bonghwa Saenggogi Bonjeom suits first-time raw beef eaters

Taking a bite of the chewy, clean-tasting raw beef, then a bite of the umami-packed yukhoe, there was never a moment I got tired of it. The two go together so well that I'd recommend this course to anyone who enjoys yukhoe but is new to raw beef. If you're looking for a mungtigi restaurant in Daegu, or a truly solid raw beef spot in Chilgok's Guam-dong, definitely stop by Bonghwa Saenggogi Bonjeom!

Bonghwa Saenggogi Bonjeom hours, closing days and parking

• Address: 62 Guam-ro 60-gil, Buk-gu, Daegu, South Korea (봉화생고기 본점)
• Hours: Mon–Sat 17:00–23:00 (last order 22:30)
• Closed every Sunday
• Parking: lot in front of the restaurant or roadside below
• Daegu Pay accepted
• Reservations, groups, and takeout available