Pork neck BBQ in Jongno, Daegu with grilled angelica wraps: Hubaldae

Hubaldae Daegu Jongno Branch: wrapping meat in potato?

Hubaldae Daegu Jongno Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant in Jongno, Daegu, where you wrap your meat in potato instead of lettuce. Meat in potato...? 😲 When I first heard it, I doubted it: what kind of weird combo is that? But one bite and I instantly understood why people line up here every day!

So let me give you my honest story of visiting Hubaldae, the much-talked-about Jongno, Daegu BBQ spot where you can enjoy both pork and yangdaechang (beef intestines) at once, and which is also seriously into baseball!

Waiting in line and the entrance waiting chairs

Every time I passed by on a weekend or at dinner peak, there was a long wait, so I'd always wondered how it tasted! From far away, the bright, fresh orange waiting chairs at the entrance caught my eye. You can feel the warm, thoughtful touch for waiting customers from the doorway.

Hubaldae is a very special BBQ place, almost one of a kind, where you can enjoy two great things, pork and yangdaechang, at the same table! Above all, its signature sweet and nutty 'honey potato wrap', which you can't even see at other BBQ restaurants, is already the talk of Instagram and blogs.

What is the atmosphere inside Hubaldae Jongno?

The inside of Hubaldae Daegu Jongno Branch is clean and tidy, with a retro yet homey feel. Stepping in with a fluttering heart, I found everything well kept, and the cozy, snug mood makes you want a drink (?) right away! It's a perfect space to have a happy drink with friends or a partner after work.

Basic table setup: honey potato wraps, angelica, fresh basil, myeongi pickles

Once you order, Hubaldae Daegu Jongno Branch brings honey potato wraps, angelica (danggwi), fresh basil, myeongi (pickled wild garlic leaves), mushrooms and sundae (Korean blood sausage) as the basic side dishes. After we were seated and ordered, a neat and generous spread arrived! The house's pride, the honey potato wrap, plus fragrant angelica, fresh basil, tangy myeongi, mushrooms and sundae all came as basic sides. A fresh combination you won't see at other BBQ places, and a feast for the eyes.

Ordering 2 servings of pork neck and 1 of pork belly, plus corkage-free

This visit we ordered 2 servings of pork neck and 1 serving of pork belly, and the menu showed that Hubaldae Daegu Jongno Branch even offers a corkage-free service. I checked the menu on the table once more, and surprisingly there was a corkage-free service too! We finished ordering neatly with 2 servings of pork neck plus 1 of pork belly.

Clothes storage bin and cover

Hubaldae Daegu Jongno Branch provides a storage bin for coats and bags, plus a towel (cover) to put over it. While waiting for the delicious meat, I was touched again by the shop's thoughtfulness. Not only is there a bin to safely put your precious coat or bag in, they also let you carefully cover it with a towel so your clothes don't soak up meat smell or get splattered with oil!

Staff service that starts with grilled angelica

Once the grill heats up, the Hubaldae staff start by cutting and grilling the angelica. What impressed me most was how kindly the staff looked after guests from start to finish. When the grill was just right, they first cut the fragrant angelica into bite-size pieces and sizzled it on the grill.

Iced dongchimi and kimchi jjageuli

The dongchimi (radish water kimchi) broth, with ice floating in it, was a real treat too! The cool broth was so tangy and refreshing down to my chest. Sipping it between bites of meat wiped my greasy mouth clean, and it was so good.

And another appetite-boosting cheat code is the brothy kimchi jjageuli (a spicy kimchi stew)! Made with well-fermented kimchi and other ingredients, boiled until spicy, it has a deep, rich savoriness, and it was a perfectly good side for rice or a drinking snack before the meat finished cooking on the grill.

Does Hubaldae grill the meat for you?

Yes, at Hubaldae Daegu Jongno Branch the staff handle everything from setting out the side ingredients to grilling and cutting the pork neck and belly. The very kind staff set the side ingredients on the grill one by one. Potato wraps, nutty mushrooms, chewy sundae, spicy peppers and garlic were lined up neatly around the edge of the grill, and the sight alone made my mouth water.

Finally, the star of the day we'd been waiting for! Premium Korean pork neck and pork belly, vivid pink and thick-cut, arrived on the grill 🥩 You could tell how fresh the meat was just by looking at it.

I never had to touch the tongs or scissors. As befits a famous Jongno, Daegu BBQ place, a skilled grilling staff member handled the grilling perfectly from start to finish! At the best temperature, they grilled everything crispy outside and juicy inside. I was so happy.

The way they cut the meat into evenly browned bite-size pieces had real veteran-pro energy! Sitting there comfortably (?) watching the meat cook, I felt like I was being treated like a VIP, and I was happy the whole meal.

How do you eat Hubaldae's signature honey potato wrap?

Hubaldae's signature wrap goes like this: on a honey potato chip, you stack myeongi, kimchi jjageuli, wasabi and grilled angelica, then top it with meat dipped in the special sauce. As the meat was nicely browned, the staff made Hubaldae's one-of-a-kind signature wrap for us! On a sweet, crispy honey potato chip they put salty myeongi, kimchi jjageuli, wasabi and grilled angelica, then added juicy meat dipped in the special sauce... wow, the umami exploding in my mouth made my eyes pop open!

Alternating angelica, basil and myeongi wraps

After the first wrap, we kept alternating potato wraps, oil dip, special sauce, grilled angelica, fresh basil, grilled basil and myeongi. From that first bite, a frantic, full-on eating spree began! Wrapped in crispy potato, dipped in nutty oil, dipped in the zingy special sauce, and mixed with bitter grilled angelica, fragrant fresh basil, grilled basil and tangy myeongi, I never got sick of it and could keep eating endlessly.

Finishing with special fried rice

The finale at Hubaldae Daegu Jongno Branch is the special fried rice, stir-fried on an iron plate. After fully enjoying the meat, leaving without the special fried rice, the must-have Korean finishing course, would be such a shame! The fluffy rice fried on the iron plate was soaked through with the deep savoriness of the special seasoning, so even though I was already stuffed with meat, I scraped up every last spoonful. A real treat.

Is it okay to go with a child?

I visited Hubaldae this time with my child, and the child ate the tender meat and honey potato wraps very well. The meat was so tender, and the sweet, crispy honey potato wrap combo seemed novel and fun, so my child ate much more heartily than usual. As a parent, watching that made me proud and warmed my heart 👶

A glass of Terra beer with the meat

With such rich, delicious meat dishes and a special combo in front of us, it would be a shame to skip a cold beer, right? Without a second thought, we ordered a Terra beer that blasts right through your chest and happily clinked glasses 🍺 The fizzy bubbles with nutty, fatty meat are simply the best!

Overall review of Hubaldae Daegu Jongno Branch

From the kind grilling service to the honey potato wrap you can't taste anywhere else, the one-of-a-kind harmony of angelica and basil, the neat special fried rice finish and the cold Terra beer, everything made for a perfect evening! If you're looking for a truly delicious, can't-miss Jongno, Daegu BBQ place, I strongly recommend stopping by Hubaldae 🧡