Dongseong-ro, Daegu soup spot: muggy-day dogani-tang at Hanwoojang

Hanwoojang, where I went for a recovery meal in Dongseong-ro, Daegu

Hanwoojang (한우장) is an old-school gukbap (soup with rice) restaurant in Dongseong-ro, Daegu, serving seolleongtang (ox bone soup) and dogani-tang (beef knee cartilage soup). The weather has been sticky and I could feel my energy dropping, so I figured I needed a proper restorative meal.

So today I went to a Dongseong-ro place where even a single meal is done right.

A place with deep history, running since 1968 and now in its second generation,

and named in the Blue Ribbon Survey 12 years in a row. A real Dongseong-ro gukbap spot: Hanwoojang.

Where is Hanwoojang and what are the opening hours?

Hanwoojang is at 555 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu (1F), 207 m from Exit 4 of Jungangno Station. It is open 24 hours, every day of the year.

Since it never closes, you can drop in any time for a hearty hangover fix or a solo meal!

Where do you park for Hanwoojang?

Hanwoojang has no private parking lot, so I used the Taesan paid parking lot nearby.

• ₩1,000 per 30 minutes
• ₩2,000 per hour
• ₩10,000 for a full day

Inside Hanwoojang

Blue Ribbon stickers are plastered all over the entrance, which boosted my confidence in the food right away.

The inside has a warm, old-school feel but is kept very clean, so it's a comfortable place to eat.

A gukbap spot that many people have already vouched for.

How much are Hanwoojang's seolleongtang and dogani-tang?

Seolleongtang is ₩11,000 and dogani-tang is ₩15,000. We ordered the signature seolleongtang and the dogani-tang, which is great for regaining strength.

The open kitchen makes you trust the cleanliness even more.

Hanwoojang menu

Here come the seolleongtang and dogani-tang! True to Korea's fast-food spirit, they arrived super quickly along with the side dishes, kkakdugi and kimchi.

What does Hanwoojang's 12-hour seolleongtang taste like?

Hanwoojang's seolleongtang comes with milky broth, thinly sliced Korean beef brisket and a bundle of somyeon (thin wheat noodles) as standard. Seolleongtang first. Even the color of the broth, that milky white, is something special.

One spoonful and it doesn't taste artificial at all: you get the nutty, deep, clean flavor of Korean beef simmered for 12 hours.

Season it with salt and pepper to your taste.

The thin slices of brisket are really tender with no gamey smell, and with the noodles included by default, everything works well together.

It goes so well with the kkakdugi that comes as a side.

How much cartilage is in Hanwoojang's dogani-tang?

Hanwoojang's dogani-tang comes in an earthenware pot packed with big chunks of dogani (cartilage) and seonji (beef sinew). The other main dish, dogani-tang!

The crazy part is how huge the cartilage pieces are. You can feel the pot is generously filled to the brim with cartilage and sinew.

It's simmered so long that it isn't tough at all, and the chewy, springy texture really came through.

Hanwoojang's self-serve banchan bar

Hanwoojang has a generous self-serve bar of side dishes. The crunchy kkakdugi, which they say is made fresh by hand every day, is a perfect match. (Each side dish has its own separate bowl, which looks super tidy.)

Both the seolleongtang and dogani-tang warmed me up and gave me the feeling of a properly restorative meal.

They're total rice thieves, the kind that make you finish a whole bowl of rice in no time.

Hanwoojang verdict: restorative gukbap morning or night

Because Hanwoojang is open 24 hours every day, it works as a hearty early-morning breakfast,

or a steaming late-night hangover soup. That's Hanwoojang, a Dongseong-ro gukbap spot you can drop into any time.

If you want a proper restorative meal of Korean beef seolleongtang and dogani-tang in Jung-gu, Daegu, I recommend giving it a visit.