Beef soup restaurant in Jung-gu, Daegu with a mild option: Hanwoojang

The weather's been turning and I've been craving something warm and deeply savory! To lift my spirits and get some proper nourishment, I zipped over to Hanwoojang, a local restaurant known all over Daegu for its seolleongtang (ox bone soup).

Hanwoojang sits right by Jungangno Station — come out exit 1 or exit 4 and you'll spot it immediately.

Hanwoojang in Jung-gu, Daegu: a seolleongtang specialist with 12 Blue Ribbons

Hanwoojang has earned a whopping 12 Blue Ribbons! Twelve consecutive years of Blue Ribbon certification — I walked in with sky-high expectations haha. This is the kind of place that regulars already know well, a truly old-school seolleongtang specialist. It always shows up on Daegu travel lists and food-tour lists, so I'd been wanting to come for ages.

Hanwoojang menu and prices

Starting with the signature basic seolleongtang (₩11,000) and ttaro-gukbap (₩11,000), there's also a special seolleongtang (₩13,000) loaded with brisket and thin noodles, and a special ttaro-gukbap (₩12,000) with double the sundae (blood sausage/ox blood curd) and noodles added. For meat lovers, there's also hanwoo ox head gomtang (₩14,000), dogani-tang (₩15,000), yang-tang (₩15,000), and kkori gomtang (₩17,000) — the soup lineup here is seriously packed.

There's also plenty to share, from beef suyuk, dogani suyuk, and yang suyuk (₩40,000 each) to assorted suyuk and oxtail suyuk (₩60,000 each) — perfect for pairing with a drink at dinner.

Old-school dining room for solo meals and family tables

The inside of Hanwoojang really has that old-school restaurant feel. Sure, there are plenty of flashy restaurants these days, but doesn't a place with this kind of long-standing depth carry the real mark of a great restaurant? The tables were spaced comfortably and everything felt tidy, making it perfect for eating alone or coming with family!

The staff greeted me warmly the moment I walked in and kindly showed me to my seat, which put me in a great mood before I'd even eaten.

Kimchi and kkakdugi at Hanwoojang

At a seolleongtang restaurant, what matters most, no question, is the kimchi and kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi). Hanwoojang's kimchi had that perfectly ripened, mouth-watering red color — it passed the test before I even took a bite haha.

Is Hanwoojang's ttaro-gukbap spicy? Why the seolleongtang is the safer pick

I ordered one seolleongtang and one ttaro-gukbap (separate soup and rice) — the ttaro-gukbap was a bit spicy by spice-wimp standards, so if you can't handle heat, I'd recommend the seolleongtang.

Season it to taste with salt and pepper.

Seolleongtang: fish out the somyeon noodles, then add the rice

Scoop out the thin noodles first, then swirl a bowl of warm rice into the broth, top it off with a well-ripened crunchy piece of kkakdugi, and take a bite — pure happiness, honestly^^. The cool kkakdugi paired so perfectly with the savory broth that I couldn't put my spoon down! A pure, deep savoriness that's clean yet clings gently to your lips, real rich stuff haha.

Ttaro-gukbap: springy seonji with no gamy smell

I had high hopes for the ttaro-gukbap, a Daegu specialty, and the sundae was plump, tender, and completely free of any gamy smell — anyone who usually loves sundae-gukbap will absolutely fall for this haha. The red, tangy broth was packed with hefty chunks of sundae, scallions, and beef, so the visuals alone got my appetite going haha.

I scraped the stone bowl clean down to the last drop of broth, and afterward I felt so full and at ease! It wasn't just a quick meal — it felt like I'd properly nourished myself with real boyangsik (health-restoring food).

Warm atmosphere, friendly service, and a deep, rich life-changing seolleongtang plus a spicy ttaro-gukbap — Hanwoojang in Daegu has it all. If you love gukbap, you really should visit. Next time I'm going back to try the hanwoo ox head gomtang or the assorted suyuk platter.