Bokhyeon-dong shabu-shabu dinner with a soba and coffee bar: Shabu20

I was looking for somewhere to eat dinner near Daegu Airport and had a craving for shabu-shabu, so I went to Shabu20 Daegu Bokhyeon branch :) Shabu-shabu is one of my secret favorites for eating out — you get to eat plenty of vegetables and as much meat as you want haha. But Shabu20 isn't just a shabu-shabu spot; the self-bar has all kinds of other food too, so I ended up eating way more than I expected!

Where is Shabu20 Daegu Bokhyeon branch? Minutes from Daegu Airport and the KNU north gate

Shabu20 Daegu Bokhyeon branch is located in Bokhyeon-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu. It's a great spot whether you're looking for a place to eat near Daegu Airport or around KNU's north gate, so I stopped by for dinner.

The restaurant is fairly spacious too, so it looked good for a family meal or a hangout with friends.

Choosing both broths at Shabu20: katsuobushi and hotpot, half and half

Once you sit down, you choose your broth first. We picked two kinds!

• Katsuobushi broth
• Hotpot (mala-style) broth

Getting to try two flavors at once meant we could switch back and forth depending on our mood, which was fun haha.

I liked the clean, familiar taste of the katsuobushi broth, and the hotpot broth had a spicier, more intense kick that paired really well with the dipping sauces for meat and vegetables. Shabu-shabu changes character quite a bit depending on the broth, so being able to choose both was great.

What's on the Shabu20 self-bar?

What I liked more than expected at Shabu20 Daegu Bokhyeon branch was the self-bar! From vegetables to go in the shabu-shabu to rice paper wrap ingredients, there's a wide variety on offer.

The vegetable counter at Shabu20

You can grab as much napa cabbage, bok choy and other vegetables as you want for the shabu-shabu. Loading up on vegetables instead of just eating meat the whole time made the meal feel a lot lighter.

The rice paper wrap counter

There are also rice paper wraps available, so you can wrap the shabu-shabu meat and vegetables together and eat them that way.

Shabu-shabu → rice paper wrap → back to shabu-shabu — going through that cycle, I kept eating way more than I meant to lol.

Fried chicken, soup, tteokbokki and soba: more than shabu-shabu at Shabu20

Honestly, at first I thought, "it's an all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu place, so it'll probably just be shabu-shabu." But the self-bar had a surprising variety of other food too. Chicken, soup, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), soba noodles — there were dishes to pair with the shabu-shabu, so it was nice to break things up with something different in between rounds. Especially if you're visiting with a group, everyone can pick whatever they're craving from the self-bar, which felt like a real plus.

Unlimited shabu-shabu meat refills too

And of course, the heart of shabu-shabu is the meat lol. At Shabu20, the shabu-shabu meat is also all-you-can-eat, so you can grab as much as you want. Add vegetables, add meat, wrap it in rice paper, and if you run low, just go get more!

For anyone who loves meat, this place would definitely score high. With shabu-shabu, it can be a letdown when the meat portion feels stingy, but here you don't have to worry about that since it's unlimited.

Drinks, coffee and dessert without leaving Shabu20

The self-bar has a separate drinks corner besides the food, and after the meal you can even enjoy coffee and dessert, so there's no need to head to a café for round two — you can wrap up the whole meal in one place. Getting full on shabu-shabu and then having a cup of coffee right after is just perfect haha.

Is Shabu20 Bokhyeon worth it for a filling dinner near Daegu Airport?

Coming for dinner this time, the shabu-shabu itself was generous, but what I liked most was being able to enjoy meat + vegetables + rice paper wraps + a variety of self-bar food + dessert all in one go. Being able to eat as much meat as you want especially makes this a solid choice for shabu-shabu lovers! If you're looking for a good restaurant near Daegu Airport or somewhere filling around KNU's north gate, give Shabu20 Daegu Bokhyeon branch a try :) Next time I'll have to work my way through the self-bar dishes I didn't get to try this round lol.