Couple's weekday raw makchang and bokbunja highball: Bongja Makchang

A while back, my husband went to a gathering at Bongja Makchang and came back saying it was so good we had to go together sometime. So, wanting some late-night food, we headed out to Jongno. Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch is located in Jongno, Daegu — a place well-known enough that you usually have to wait even on a normal day.

Bongja Makchang has also been featured on quite a few TV shows, so I was really looking forward to seeing how good it actually was.

Weekday late-night wait and the vibe of the place

Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch had a lot of waiting seats set up out front, which alone tells you how long the wait usually gets.

They take waiting through the Table-ing app, but since we came on a weekday late in the evening, we lucked out and got in without much of a wait.

The place itself isn't huge, so there aren't a ton of seats, but there's a group table toward the back, so it could easily handle a bigger gathering too.

There are also separate restrooms for men and women inside, and free Wi-Fi in the store!

Unlimited patbingsu, ramen, and steamed egg

One of Bongja Makchang's biggest draws is the unlimited refills — patbingsu (shaved ice dessert), 7 kinds of ramen (excluding doenjang ramen), and steamed egg are all bottomless. What a deal!

The menu is posted on the wall, but actual ordering is done through the table order system.

Bongja Makchang is also running a review event — you can get pork skin, self-fried rice, a drink, or mango bingsu as a reward, so definitely take part if you can!

Instead of doenjang ramen, you can pick from 7 different kinds of ramen with unlimited refills, and the self-service bar was easy to use too. Next to it were wet wipes, hand grips, toothpicks, dental floss, and hair ties — such a thoughtful touch!

Two plates of raw makchang from the Bongja set

The Bongja set (one plate + one plate, each plate = 2 servings) lets you pick one item per plate from six options: raw makchang, seasoned makchang, raw pork belly, raw pork neck, frozen pork belly, or beef brisket. Since our whole reason for coming was makchang, we chose raw makchang for both plates. Along with the makchang, mushrooms, bracken fern, and rice cake strips also go on the grill. The staff pours everything on for you, and then you grill it yourselves.

The full spread comes together with fresh kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, chili-garlic paste, ssamjang, curry powder, pickled onions, kimchi, and steamed egg.

And the dipping sauce for the makchang tastes way better loaded up with chili.

Bokbunja highball

My husband went with soju, so I went a little lighter with a bokbunja (Korean raspberry wine) highball. It's so sweet that it goes down way too easily, but after one sip I could already feel a little buzz coming on, so I made myself sip it slowly. I'm a lightweight, so I have to be careful even with highballs like this. Anyway, it was really tasty — sweet through and through. I'd recommend it to anyone who doesn't like a strong alcohol taste.

Unlimited ramen: how to make the jjambbong

I wanted the spicy buldak fire noodles out of the 7 ramen options, but out of consideration for my husband's low spice tolerance, we went with jjambbong (spicy seafood noodle soup) instead.

You grab a pot from the ramen shelf, set it on the burner built into the table, boil the water, and cook the ramen yourself. For soup-style ramen you just cook it as is; for stir-fried styles you need to bring over the water-dumping bucket to drain the water first. Not really a hassle at all.

Yeah... my husband left way too much water in it. The jjambbong ended up a little watery because of that. So I only had a few bites and let him finish the rest, haha.

How was the raw makchang?

While we were busy cooking the ramen, the makchang kept grilling away too, turning a nice golden brown and looking delicious.

Before digging into the makchang, I tried a bite of the bracken fern that had been sautéed in the drippings — so good!!! Nutty and savory, honestly a hidden gem. Even people who usually don't like bracken fern side dishes might like this one, though of course that's a matter of taste. I personally loved it.

And then, finally, a bite of the well-grilled raw makchang. Even before dipping it in the sauce, I was surprised at how tender it was to chew — not chewy at all — and the more I chewed, the more that nutty makchang flavor came through, so good. Then a bite dipped in the sauce with a bit of chili — also amazing. That nutty, fatty flavor is just so good.

It's great on its own, but wrapping it in napa cabbage or lettuce with a bunch of side dishes piled on is also a real treat. Grab some water kimchi and pickled radish from the self-service bar to wrap it up with, and you can keep eating without ever getting tired of it. Wraps never fail.

Finishing up with rice and doenjang jjigae

My husband insisted he needed rice to finish the meal, so we ordered a bowl of rice and doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew). It comes out cold, so you have to boil it up on the burner yourself. It's a pretty basic doenjang jjigae with zucchini and scallions in a soybean paste broth. Still, mixed with rice, it goes down easy.

Palate cleanser: patbingsu

The unlimited patbingsu. Once you're done with the main food and want something to cleanse your palate, you order it through the table order system and they bring it out. I wanted extra red bean, so I asked for one more scoop. Patbingsu really does need plenty of red bean to be delicious! Even with the basic ingredients — ice, cereal, red bean, condensed milk — I ended up enjoying it a lot. It reminded me of the homemade patbingsu we used to shave ice for at home. Really nice.

After eating a full spread like that, I felt like I was going to burst. It was such a delicious late-night meal. A total success ⭐

After we paid and stepped outside, a staff member followed us out, sprayed some fabric deodorizer around, and even handed us candy. So thoughtful and kind — really touched me ⭐

Would I go back to Bongja Makchang for a Jongno night out?

Bongja Makchang was our pick for a late-night meal after a while, and since it was also the first time my husband and I had eaten together in Jongno, it felt like a meaningful moment that will stay with us as a nice memory. If you find yourself in bustling Jongno on a cool evening perfect for a drink these days, why not spend some time at the nutty, delicious Bongja Makchang? I say go for it 👍