Daegu yukgaejang restaurant, four dishes under ₩40,000: Yukbanjang

I was craving spicy soup in Daegu and ended up at Yukbanjang Gwangjanggakoa Gwangko Branch ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა. This place sends out a ton of delivery and takeout orders, so I'd been curious walking past it — and once I actually ate here, I got why they're so busy haha.

Inside Yukbanjang: a roomy dining room for solo diners and groups alike

First off, the space was bigger than I expected. When I think of a yukgaejang place I usually picture a small spot with just a few tables,

but this place has plenty of seating with decent spacing between tables, so it seemed good for groups eating together haha. It also felt like a spot plenty of people would come to eat solo ദ്ദി◍•ᴗ•◍)♡

Side dishes at Yukbanjang are self-serve, refill as you like

There's also a separate self-serve side dish corner off to one side. The side dishes come out neat and simple, and it was convenient being able to grab more myself if I ran out.

But honestly the main dishes here are so strong that the sides feel more like an accompaniment haha. After one spoonful of the soup, you barely think about the side dishes anymore ૮₍ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ₎ა

Four dishes for under 40,000 won: what we ordered at Yukbanjang

That day we ordered yukgaejang kalguksu, red yukgaejang, mini mandu (dumplings), and charcoal-grilled bulgogi! Even with this much ordered, it didn't go over ₩40,000, which felt like great value for the lineup!!

Grilled bulgogi with a big hit of charcoal smoke, old-school Daegu style

The charcoal-grilled bulgogi came out first, and wow — the charcoal smoke aroma just hits you hard haha. Even the photos give off that smoky vibe, and eating it, it was exactly the old-school charcoal bulgogi feel I picture in my head.

Of all the charcoal bulgogi I've had recently, this one had real old-timer diner vibes ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧ The moment you take a bite the smoky aroma spreads, and the seasoning goes great with rice, so I kept picking at it while waiting for the yukgaejang ㅠㅠ

If you love that true old-school charcoal bulgogi style, you'll really love this place!!

Yukgaejang kalguksu: the standard bowl is already a double portion

Then the yukgaejang kalguksu (spicy beef soup with knife-cut noodles). The portion is massive from the start haha. The bowl itself is pretty big, and it's loaded with ingredients plus the kalguksu noodles, so just one bowl fills you right up.

The broth is spicy but also clears your head, so even without drinking, it felt oddly like a hangover cure haha.

The portion was so big we ended up leaving a little, so if you love large portions you'll be very satisfied ദ്ദി◍•ᴗ•◍)♡ We didn't even order the large size and the regular is already basically a large!!!

Mini mandu: bite-sized dumplings worth adding as a side

We also ordered mini mandu (dumplings), which were true to their name — bite-sized and great to pair alongside the yukgaejang.

The dumpling skin was chewy and the filling was generous, so a spoonful of soup followed by one dumpling was the perfect combo haha. A great side to add on!

Red yukgaejang: even a friend who dislikes yukgaejang finished the broth

And last, the red yukgaejang. This one's also a huge portion haha. A friend who doesn't usually like yukgaejang came with me, and she said it was better than expected and ate it right up — I was surprised too. The broth is spicy and sharp, and eating it makes heat rise from inside, but it's the kind of flavor that keeps you coming back for more haha.

Haha, seriously, even without drinking, eating this felt like it was curing a hangover the whole time, so it would work well for anyone looking for hangover food in Daegu ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᔔ˶ ა Time to mix in some rice!!!! >_<

Modest sides, powerful mains — and a steady stream of takeout and delivery

Overall the side dishes are on the modest side, but the mains are so strong that it wasn't a big letdown for me. If anything, the generous yukgaejang portions plus the properly smoky bulgogi made it easy to just focus on the mains haha.

And while we were eating that day, takeout and delivery orders kept coming in. If I were local, I'd probably order from here myself sometimes when I wanted to eat comfortably at home ㅠㅠㅠ The price isn't a burden and the portions are generous, so Yukbanjang Gwangjanggakoa Gwangko Branch felt like the kind of place that'd come to mind whenever I wanted a hearty, filling meal ദ്ദി◍•ᴗ•◍)♡