Daegu Western restaurant, pregnant couple's lunch: bulgogi pizza, Dana

My husband and I went shopping downtown and also dropped by Dana, a Dongseong-ro pasta place with a great atmosphere. The interior with its floor-to-ceiling windows is so charming that I especially recommend it to anyone searching for date spots.

Dana Dongseong-ro Main Branch: location, hours and parking

Dana Dongseong-ro Main Branch (다나 동성로본점) is a Western restaurant near Banwoldang Station and the Dongseong-ro Rodeo Street. It is open 11:30–22:00, with break time from 15:30 to 17:00 and last order at 21:00. If you finish ordering before 15:30, you can eat during break time too. There is no parking lot, and high chairs are available.

• Location: near Banwoldang Station and Dongseong-ro Rodeo Street, 2nd floor
• Hours 11:30–22:00
• Break time 15:30–17:00
• Last order 21:00
• If you finish ordering before 15:30, you can eat during break time
• No parking lot
• High chairs available

Dana in Dongseong-ro, Daegu, is a Western restaurant on the 2nd and 3rd floors, with a two-level layout and standout glass walls. The reviews say good food at a kind price.

Weekend waits and Naver booking tips at Dana Dongseong-ro

There can be a wait at peak weekend times, and you sign up using the tablet at the entrance. There seem to be plenty of tables, but if you're going on a weekend, booking ahead through Naver would probably be easier.

There may be coupons or events for Naver bookings, so it's worth checking in advance. Right now they're giving a free drink coupon.

What are the seating and atmosphere like at Dana Dongseong-ro?

The downstairs has 3 tables, and the overall clean white tone made the place feel bright. High chairs are available too.

When I sat down, I could see lush green trees through the window behind me, which made the interior feel even more refreshing.

Upstairs seating: low ceiling, but cozy thanks to the big windows

I went up to the second level of the restaurant to take a look.

The ceiling upstairs is on the low side, but the continuous windows meant it didn't feel stuffy at all. If anything, it had a cozy, snug feel that I liked. I think it would look even prettier in the evening when the lights are on.

The mirror selfie spot and free hair ties at the counter

TMI: I'm five months pregnant now and my belly has really popped! Haha. I put on some weight while we were trying to conceive, so I hadn't taken a selfie in ages, but Dana has a mirror-shot photo spot, so I'm leaving one here as a keepsake.

There are hair ties at the counter, so they'll help if your hair gets in the way while you eat :)

What we ordered for lunch at Dana Dongseong-ro

You order and prepay at the counter downstairs. This day we chose chili bacon truffle cream pasta, beef flap steak, a half-and-half pizza of bulgogi (marinated beef) and Hawaiian, and a blueberry ade.

Dana makes its own sauces and broths, and apparently uses olive oil rather than palm oil in everything except the fryer, which made me trust it even more. They use natural butter and mozzarella cheese, so you can feel the care put into the ingredients.

I was curious about the Shanghai jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) pasta too, but I was told the chili bacon truffle cream pasta is the best-selling menu item, so I chose that.

The beef flap steak looked delicious in the reviews I read before visiting, so I picked that as well.

I debated between risotto and pizza and went with pizza. We ordered half-and-half: bulgogi plus Hawaiian. I also ordered a blueberry ade, and you can get extra refills with a carbonated drink.

If you order as a set, the meal comes out a little cheaper, so keep that in mind :)

We're not exactly gourmets, but we're a couple who take food seriously, so even the waiting is so much fun. What will it taste like? My heart is pounding.

I also liked that all the food came out at the same time. I don't know how it is at peak time, but it was a weekday lunch, so it came out relatively quickly. Just looking at it, it already looks delicious.

• Chili bacon truffle cream pasta
• Beef flap steak
• Half-and-half pizza (bulgogi & Hawaiian)

How does the bulgogi and Hawaiian half-and-half pizza taste?

The half-and-half pizza at Dana had cheese that stretched and stretched, with a mild, savory flavor filling your mouth. It was loaded with toppings too, so every bite felt satisfying!

Is the Cheongyang chili bacon truffle cream pasta too rich?

Dana's chili bacon truffle cream pasta combines spicy Cheongyang chili (a hot Korean pepper) with savory cream, so it never felt heavy to the end. My husband said the pizza was the best, while I thought the pasta was the best.

Cream pasta can get heavy as you keep eating, but this one was quite spicy, so I never got tired of it and kept reaching for more. Usually I let my husband have the last bite, but this pasta was so good that I said, "I'm eating it!" and scraped up the very last of the sauce 😆 It's a dish I definitely want to eat again.

What is the sous vide beef flap steak like?

Dana's beef flap steak is flap meat cooked sous vide (vacuum-sealed, at low temperature), then seared once more with butter. Because it's cooked first and then grilled, it's served medium and you can't choose the doneness.

For the side dish, you can pick one: French fries or salad (yogurt or balsamic).

Flap meat can have tough sinew and a poor texture, but at Dana, perhaps because it's grilled after sous vide, it had a wonderfully soft texture that practically melted as I chewed. On the other hand, it wasn't a familiar texture, so it also felt a bit different. It wasn't bursting with juice, but I enjoyed its moist, tender taste.

Is Dana Dongseong-ro Main Branch worth a return visit?

Dana's prices are on the low side, yet the food gave more satisfaction than the price suggests, and it's a Western restaurant I'd want to recommend to people around me.