Suseong-gu, Daegu Korean restaurant with an egg self-bar: Cafe Dongyi

I actually came to do some grocery shopping at Homeplus, but wouldn't you know it, the store was closed that day. 😅

Since I was already there, I figured I'd just grab dinner nearby — and Cafe Dongyi Branch 1 immediately came to mind! I've been here a few times so I roughly know the menu, and it's a place I come back to whenever I want a home-cooked-style meal.

Despite the name "café," this isn't a coffee shop haha. It's a Korean restaurant for things like stir-fried pork (jeyuk bokkeum), bulgogi, and stews.

Where is Cafe Dongyi Branch 1 in Suseong-gu, and where do you park?

Cafe Dongyi Branch 1 is on the first floor of Suseong SK Leaders View in Suseong-gu, Daegu. I usually park at the Homeplus lot and walk up — it's right there once you come up, so it's easy to find.

It's a popular spot, so there can be a bit of a wait during meal times, but tables turn over fairly quickly for a restaurant like this.

What are the first- and second-floor seats like at Cafe Dongyi?

There are tables on the first floor too. But we usually head up to the second floor first to eat.

We came here to eat, so straight to ordering!

Cafe Dongyi menu and how to order from the table tablet

Cafe Dongyi has everything from simple rice-table menus for around ₩10,000 to fuller set-meal (hanjeongsik) spreads. Familiar dishes like stir-fried pork, pork bulgogi, and kimchi stew make it easy to just pick whatever you're craving that day.

We went with the grilled pork set (jikhwa jeyuk hanjeongsik) for 12,900 won and the grandma-style octopus stir-fry set (halmeoni jjukkumi hanjeongsik) for 16,900 won!

You just order right on the tablet at the table, and after picking your menu you can add extra items too. We finished ordering the grilled pork set! Now off to the self-serve corner to fry an egg. 🍳

There was also a separate notice about Dongyi membership benefits. If you come often, it might be worth signing up. There was also a notice for a prepaid meal pass just for office workers. They run various events, so it's worth checking what fits your needs~

Egg self-serve bar, plus unlimited rice and barley candy refills

At the self-serve bar you can fry your own egg, and refill five-grain rice and barley candy (bori gangjeong) as much as you like. 🍳

I do it a little better at home 😂

Grandma-style baby octopus stir-fry set meal, 16,900 won

It's not just octopus on its own — it comes with the stir-fried octopus alongside a doenjang stew.

The octopus was pretty plump, and the spice level was, by my standards, just a touch milder than Shin Ramyun! There were big chunks of cabbage and green onion mixed in too, so I'd grab a piece of octopus along with some veggies. It's not the tongue-burning kind of spicy, so it hit the spot exactly when I was craving something spicy haha.

Can you see how plump it is? Haha

Grilled pork set meal, 12,900 won

It's nice that it comes out on its own little grill, so it stays warm while you eat. There's a regular grilled pork rice table too, but what we ordered was the set version that comes with doenjang stew and side dishes. No matter how many times I come, I still end up ordering the grilled pork without fail haha. Polished off two bowls of rice 😋

Parking registration and free lemonade on the way out

On your way out, register your parking

and grab a piece of candy too

and you can also get a cup of lemonade. Little touches like this are nice haha

Is Cafe Dongyi Branch 1 worth a visit?

Cafe Dongyi sounds like a café from the name, but for me it's a Korean restaurant I come back to whenever I want a home-cooked-style meal haha. This time we had the octopus stir-fry and the grilled pork, and since each menu comes out as its own separate set, it was easy for each of us to pick what we wanted.

You can fry your own egg, and refill rice and barley candy as much as you want, so it's totally filling! There can be a wait during meal times, but tables turn over fairly quickly, and if you're looking for somewhere for a home-cooked-style meal, it's worth stopping by. It's a place we keep coming back to whenever we're craving that home-cooked feeling. 😊