Gyeongju Korean restaurant for a seven-dish dinner: Hwangnam Dukkebi

While traveling around Gyeongju, we visited Cheomseongdae, Daereungwon, and Cheonmachong, then slowly wandered around Hwangridan-gil. There are all kinds of restaurants here, from Korean, Western, and Japanese food to fusion cuisine, and that day we chose Hwangnam Dukkebi Restaurant because we could try lots of things on one table. Hwangnam Dukkebi Restaurant is a Korean restaurant known for its braised pork back ribs with aged kimchi and Cheomseongdae seven-dish set! With unusual dishes inspired by Cheomseongdae, the symbol of Gyeongju, it made a fitting final dinner stop on our Gyeongju itinerary :D

Finding Hwangnam Dukkebi Restaurant on Hwangridan-gil

Hwangnam Dukkebi Restaurant was in a great spot to visit while looking around Hwangridan-gil. It is close to Hwangnam Public Parking Lot, so it is easy to park and come by. I heard the weekend wait is huge, but we visited on a weekday and reserved ahead.

The inside felt a bit like an old grandma’s house? The retro vibe was fun. There were lots of international tourists around too, and I think they would enjoy the atmosphere as well, haha.

Braised aged-kimchi ribs and the Cheomseongdae seven-dish set

Hwangnam Dukkebi Restaurant’s signature dish is braised pork back ribs with aged kimchi. Apparently it has been featured on TV several times. The menu I saw on tables most often, though, was definitely the Cheomseongdae seven-dish set. If we had come as a group, we would have ordered the ribs alongside the set, but since there were only two of us and we wanted to taste many things, we ordered the seven-dish set. There are individual dishes on the menu too, for reference.

What comes in the Cheomseongdae seven-dish set?

This is why it gets included on so many Gyeongju itineraries: the Cheomseongdae seven-dish set. Our order arrived much faster than I expected. Looking at the other tables, the braised ribs, other dishes, and drinks all came out quickly too—the staff were seriously speedy, haha.

Flying-fish-roe perilla-leaf wraps, roasted seaweed, and three side dishes. The aged kimchi was tangy, and I personally liked the braised quail eggs.

A mild seaweed soup came too, which was nice to have whenever we wanted some broth.

The plating was truly striking from the first look. Cheomseongdae-shaped crab-marinated fried rice was stacked high in the middle, with yukhoe (Korean beef tartare), fire-grilled bulgogi, charcoal-grilled chicken skewers, seasoned cockles, scrambled eggs, and more around it. With so many things included, it was perfect when we wanted to share a bit of everything.

Crab-marinated fried rice

First, the main crab-marinated fried rice. I had seen many reviews saying the crab-marinated flavor was not very noticeable. It was not intense, but I could still taste it to some extent, and there were bits of crab meat throughout.

Gochujang yukhoe and seasoned cockles

The spicy gochujang (Korean chili paste) yukhoe was a real treat. This is exactly the kind of thing you want as an anju, a dish for drinking with soju... Too bad we were about to leave, so the two of us could not have a drink. The seasoned cockles topped with flying-fish roe felt made for mixing straight into rice. They went nicely with the crab-marinated fried rice too.

Fire-grilled bulgogi, charcoal chicken skewers, and scrambled eggs

The fire-grilled bulgogi tasted exactly as you would expect! Haha, it was great for a meal, and we each picked up a charcoal-grilled chicken skewer in spicy sauce to eat. The soft scrambled eggs went especially well with the crab-marinated fried rice.

Cheomseongdae tteokgalbi

Tteokgalbi (grilled minced beef patty) made in the patented shape of Cheomseongdae, National Treasure No. 31, haha. It is also available à la carte, and it seemed like quite a few people ordered it with the kimchi braised ribs.

Dinner with makgeolli and sikhye

It felt a little sad to only eat, so we had a bottle of Gyeongju Beopju rice makgeolli (Korean rice wine). It was clean and not overly sweet, so it went down very easily. They also sold makgeolli by the glass, but being greedy, we ordered the bottle, hehe '3' Adding makgeolli really did make it feel more like a Gyeongju trip!

My companion had to drive, so he chose sikhye (sweet rice punch). It was full of little ice crystals and nicely sweet—just right after the meal.

For some reason, the charcoal-grilled chicken skewers made me think of Vietnam. The sauce was very Korean, though, haha.

We wrapped the fire-grilled bulgogi in flying-fish-roe perilla leaves, and wrapped the cockle bibimbap in them too—yum.

It was nice to be able to taste such a variety, including tteokgalbi and yukhoe.

Final thoughts on the Cheomseongdae seven-dish set for two

Starting with us, all sorts of guests kept coming in. Most pairs seemed to order the seven-dish set, while groups of four or five ordered it with the braised pork ribs. Maybe we were craving something spicy? I kept sneaking glances, and the aged-kimchi braised ribs looked incredibly good. If I come back, I want to try them, haha.

The Cheomseongdae seven-dish set was great because it included so many different things. If you are looking for a meal while visiting Daereungwon, Cheonmachong, Cheomseongdae, and Hwangridan-gil on a Gyeongju itinerary, Hwangnam Dukkebi Restaurant’s menu and set might be worth considering.