Daegu Jongno makchang restaurant with kiosk ordering: Bongja Makchang

Bang—! Another day of grinding away like a worker ant at the office! It happened to be a day when both my husband and I clocked out a little earlier than usual. Days when we both manage to pull off the leave-on-time skill are rare, so it felt like too much of a waste to just head straight home, right? Haha.

And my husband and I are none other than a couple obsessed with makchang, aren't we?

That day I was really craving makchang with its savory fat and a drink on the side, so we sped, at the speed of light, to Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch, which is close to home and easy to get to! We filled up on makchang fat, followed it with ramyeon from the self-bar, and put a clean, sweet full stop on the meal with patbingsu for dessert — here's the full, satisfying review!

Where is Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch, and what is it like inside?

Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch sits right at the entrance to Jongno, on the way from Manggyeonggwan toward Hyundai Department Store, so it's easy to find! It's a great spot for a dinner after a movie, for a work dinner or various gatherings, or for a spontaneous meetup with your husband or a friend on the way home from work.

Since it's such a popular place, we had a bit of a wait, but there were plenty of chairs set up in the shop's front yard so we could wait without our legs getting tired! Aren't those pink chairs just so cute?

The moment we stepped inside, the dining hall turned out to be quite spacious with plenty of seating! I thought what I saw from outside was all there was, but once we went further in, there were even more tables available for seating. Haha. We settled into a table further inside, a spot that was nice for chatting away.

How the raw and seasoned makchang half-and-half arrives at Bongja Makchang

Bongja Makchang's Jongno branch takes orders by kiosk, which made picking the menu easy. We're a couple obsessed with makchang, so of course we wanted to try a variety of flavors!

How convenient the kiosk ordering system at Bongja Makchang Jongno branch is! After diligently reading through the menu, we completed our order: raw makchang + seasoned makchang, half-and-half. When you can't decide, isn't the half-and-half option always the truth? Haha.

As soon as the stone pot burner heated up, we started grilling the raw makchang until it turned golden brown! Grilled thoroughly and dipped in the sauce, it was crispy outside and chewy inside, with no off-smell at all and juices bursting out, ahh~

At first I thought the seasoned makchang would also be stir-fried together with the raw makchang on the stone pot burner. But it turned out the seasoned makchang comes fully cooked from the kitchen and is served separately in its own bowl! With spicy sauce carrying a smoky char and a touch of sweetness, I think anyone who likes yangnyeom chicken (seasoned fried chicken) would love this seasoned makchang too!

The unlimited ramyeon self-bar: broth ramyeon and stir-fried ramyeon

Bongja Makchang's real, truly insane point of differentiation is this 'unlimited ramyeon self-bar'!

If you go to the self-bar out in the outer hall, you'll find yellow pots all set up alongside a row of ramyeon packets. And it's not just the usual broth ramyeon — there are plenty of stir-fried ramyeon packets too!

Right around when the meat starts to feel a bit greasy, you fill up a yellow pot with water and boil yourself a bowl of ramyeon... you already know how this goes, don't you? Adding a spoonful of that spicy ramyeon broth on top of the makchang fat resets your stomach completely, and you'll find yourself saying, 'should we boil up another one?' — otherwise known as pig sounds.

Free patbingsu for dessert at Bongja Makchang

After thoroughly grilling and eating the meat, and stuffing ourselves with ramyeon to the point of 'ah, I really can't breathe anymore...' — there was still one course left!

It's Bongja Makchang's signature dessert, the free patbingsu service! A classic patbingsu with sweet red beans and cereal piled on top of sweet shaved ice, coating your mouth — full of greasy meat residue — in something cold and sweet all at once...

Honestly, where did that person who said they were full go? I couldn't stop spooning it up. Haha. Once again I realized that a Korean person's dessert stomach is as vast as outer space.

Bbanghui's three-line summary

A great-value Jongno, Daegu restaurant where you can polish off a full course from makchang to ramyeon to patbingsu!

If you're craving makchang and want to fill up on side dishes too, don't hesitate — head straight to Bongja Makchang Jongno branch!