Walnut ice cream affogato and 24-piece box at Buja Hodu, Gyeongju

Walnut pastry (hodu-gwaja) is one of those snacks you can't skip when traveling. I found Buja Hodu while I was out exploring Gyeongju.

The walnut pastries here range from the traditional red-bean-only version to pea cream cheese, matcha, and almond praline. True to its name, this is a place where you can really taste the walnut itself, which made it a good pick both as a travel snack and as a gift.

Walnut pastries with a whole walnut inside

They put in a whole walnut so you get the full walnut flavor in every bite, and they say they use domestic rice dough and honest ingredients.

Domestic rice dough, low-sugar red bean paste, four flavors

Buja Hodu's walnut pastries stand out for using domestic rice dough and low-sugar red bean paste. There are four flavors: red bean, pea cream cheese, matcha, and almond praline. After some deliberation I went with the classic red bean and the trendier pea cream cheese, half and half, in a box of 24.

Taking a bite, the first thing I noticed was just how big the walnut was. It's not just crushed walnut bits mixed in — there's a whole walnut in there, so you really feel the nutty flavor and texture when you chew. There's also a generous amount of filling inside.

Pea cream cheese

The red bean walnut pastry is a mild, familiar flavor that anyone can enjoy without hesitation, but what I'd really recommend is the pea cream cheese. The subtle sweetness of the pea paste combined with the soft, savory taste of cream cheese worked better than I expected. If you come in expecting only the traditional version, this flavor might be the fun surprise.

The almond praline sells out by morning

One menu item worth remembering at Buja Hodu is the almond praline. It's sold in a limit of 50 pieces a day, and by the time I visited it was already sold out, so I didn't get to try it. When I asked the owner, they said it often sells out in the morning.

If your goal is the almond praline, it's better to come in the morning rather than later in the day. Seeing this kind of limited-run item made me think the owner really has a good sense for menu design and how to sell things.

A quirky must-try in Gyeongju: walnut affogato

I went in for the walnut pastries and ended up discovering the Affogato!

It's walnut ice cream with espresso poured over it, and apparently the owner came up with it themselves. It was a great combination for when you're out exploring Gyeongju and craving something sweet with coffee.

Eating it alongside the walnut pastries gave a totally different vibe from a typical café dessert, which I found fun. I personally really liked the owner's creativity in coming up with this menu.

Bojagi wrapping, good for a Gyeongju gift

If you're buying it as a gift, you can add ₩3,000 for bojagi cloth wrapping. If you're looking for a snack to bring home to family or friends from your Gyeongju trip, it's a neat, presentable way to package it.

It's also not something you can only buy in-store — courier delivery and orders through the Naver Smart Store are available too, so you can reorder even after you're back from Gyeongju. When I visited, it wasn't just tourists — plenty of local residents were stopping by from early in the day, which gave me the impression this isn't just a tourist spot but somewhere the neighborhood keeps coming back to.

Who this is for

If you're looking for something a bit different from the usual Gyeongju souvenirs, I'd recommend Buja Hodu. It's especially good for anyone who likes walnut pastries with a big, whole walnut inside, or who wants to try something new alongside the traditional red bean version.

This time I went with red bean plus pea cream cheese, but next time I definitely want to try the almond praline I missed out on. It's a solid quick snack while traveling in Gyeongju, and worth keeping in mind if you're looking for Gyeongju gift ideas.