Daegu Korean restaurant with a stroller: 2:45pm last order, Banwoldang

What kind of place is Banwoldang Bujasikdang?

Banwoldang Bujasikdang is a long-running Korean restaurant located near Banwoldang, right across from The Hyundai Daegu department store.

It's been on my list ever since we moved here, and my husband and I finally made it in. They fire-grill buja stone-grilled rib, jeyuk bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork), and squid stir-fry right in front of you. Here's my review of the buja stone-grilled rib, ordered for two.

Parking at Banwoldang Bujasikdang and first impressions

Parking at Banwoldang Bujasikdang is available in front of the restaurant, about 3 spots. It was so nice having a parking lot at all. Of course it'd probably be full during busy hours, but we always time our visits for quiet hours.

Walking in, the walls were absolutely covered in autographs — athletes, celebrities, the works — clearly a certified local favorite. We ordered and waited, expecting good things.

What side dishes come with the meal?

The side dishes were miyeok julgi (seaweed stem salad), a green salad, pickled onions, bean sprouts, and radish-carrot muchim (seasoned salad) — all refillable, and all delicious.

The reason the side dishes are so good and the vegetables so fresh is probably the restaurant's turnover — it's clearly not the kind of place that lets ingredients sit around. You could tell just from being there.

Buja stone-grilled rib starts at two servings: what can solo diners order?

We debated between the fire-grilled jeyuk bokkeum and the buja stone-grilled rib, and ended up going with the rib. It requires a minimum order of 2 servings. Solo diners can get bibimbap or doenjang stew instead — sadly you can't get the signature dish if you're eating alone.

But hey, nothing's stopping a solo diner from ordering 2 servings for themselves! 😎

Break time and last order at Banwoldang Bujasikdang

Break time runs 3pm–5pm, so last order before that is 2:45pm. We got there around 2:40pm and were, thankfully, able to order. A customer who arrived at 2:50pm wasn't so lucky. Don't think '5 minutes should be fine' — come early, haha.

Baby chairs, strollers and the 16-seat group room

Sure enough, avoiding the lunch rush meant it was quiet. When we arrived, a wave of diners who'd just finished were heading out, and we got to eat in peace. There are baby chairs too. We'd brought the stroller along since we were headed to the department store afterward, and our little one slept soundly through the whole meal — such a relief, haha.

There's also a group room that seats 16, but you need to reserve in advance. It looked like other guests had already booked it — the air conditioning was on and the spoons were already set out for them.

At the self-serve bar, you can refill ssam vegetables, cheongyang chili peppers, and doenjang. If wrapping your own ssam sounds like too much effort, feel free to skip it.

Buja stone-grilled rib for two: how much comes out, and how does it taste?

And here comes the stone-grilled rib we ordered 😇❤️

So this is what they mean by mountain-high. The portion really did look enormous. Soft, seasoned rib meat — not heavy or greasy, but moist. Maybe that's the restaurant's secret?

Cheonggukjang doenjang stew comes free with a two-serving order

The cheonggukjang doenjang stew is about ₩5,800 if you order it separately, but it comes included with a 2-serving order. Savory and wholesome-tasting.

My husband is extremely sensitive to meaty smells — so much so that even at restaurants people rave about, we rarely go back a second time. But Banwoldang Bujasikdang passed the hardest test!! I think we'll be coming back a lot on days I don't feel like cooking. (Only if he approves, of course, haha.)

It's light-tasting yet very tender, probably from being well-marinated, and above all, generous in portion. Wrapping it in ssam definitely fills you up fast. I'd had makgeolli (rice wine) that day, and the buja stone-grilled rib turned out to be great hangover food, haha.

It all comes back to the cheongyang chili: would we go again?

There was one more thing I loved. The meat was good, the side dishes were good, the staff were kind and the place was clean, and then — the cheongyang chili peppers!!!! Not just cheongyang-shaped, but genuinely cheongyang. Crunchy and spicy, with white seeds inside — proof of freshness, haha.

All roads lead to the cheongyang chili, but anyway, I was glad to find a place where I could eat a hearty, homestyle meal for a good price after a while. If you're looking for a Korean restaurant near Banwoldang Station, this one's worth a visit.