Gyeongju Bomun breakfast at 9:30am: Tobagi Sikdang cutlassfish

So many of us have to have breakfast every single day, right? I'm one of those travelers who always makes sure to get a proper breakfast in. Here's my review after visiting Tobagi Sikdang, a 30-year-old restaurant located across from Donggungwon in Bomun.

Where Tobagi Sikdang is in Gyeongju, and what it looks like outside

Tobagi Sikdang sits at the entrance of the Bukgun-dong pension complex in Bomun, right at the entrance of the restaurant cluster across from Donggungwon. The address is 21 Bukgun-gil, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk.

• 🚩 Address: 21 Bukgun-dong, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk
• ⏰ Hours 09:30–21:00 / break time 15:30–17:00
• Open year-round according to the restaurant's info
• Can seat groups up to 105 people
• 🅿️ Private parking lot available

The restroom was outside, to the right of the building. There wasn't one inside.

Don't worry though — the AC is blasting and there's even a bidet.

Inside Tobagi Sikdang, a Korean restaurant of 30 years

There were signs saying it was selected as a World Food Restaurant, one of Korea's top 5 hanjeongsik (Korean set meal) you must try in your lifetime, a 30-year cutlassfish craftsman's house in Gyeongju, with a 4.89/5 satisfaction rating from locals and tourists alike.

It's a house of philosophy from the owner who's kept this cutlassfish craftsman's shop running in Bomun for 30 years, apparently. Let's head inside.

There's self-serve coffee for dessert afterward.

Kids' chairs, all set. There's also a free seaweed soup service for children ages 3 to 5. This place would be great for a Gyeongju family meal or gathering.

I visited with a 1pm reservation, and check out the seat we got — pretty fancy, right? There were only three of us, but we got an 8-seat table by the window. The group seating further in also looked like it had a nice atmosphere. It felt more like an upscale restaurant than a casual eatery, maybe because of the quiet music playing in the background. The tables were spaced generously apart, and the kitchen was visible way off in the distance.

Tobagi Sikdang menu and prices

• Cutlassfish stew + stone pot rice, minimum 2 people, ₩29,000
• Boneless braised cutlassfish, minimum 2 people, ₩18,000
• Premium grilled set with stone pot rice, minimum 2 people, ₩41,000
• Whole grilled Jeju cutlassfish set (small/2 people) ₩75,000, medium 3 people ₩140,000, large 4 people ₩200,000, extra large 5 people ₩250,000
• Braised abalone set, minimum 2 people, ₩20,000
• Abalone soft tofu stew, ₩13,000
• Grilled cutlassfish + stone pot rice, minimum 2 people, ₩29,000
• Premium braised cutlassfish + stone pot rice, ₩41,000
• Abalone porridge, ₩16,000
• Buckwheat pancake, ₩10,000
• Seafood pancake, ₩15,000
• Tteokgalbi (grilled rice cake patties), ₩2,000

What we ordered: boneless braised cutlassfish with stone pot rice for three

Since the boneless braised cutlassfish and stone pot rice start cooking the moment you order, the dishes came out in sequence, almost like a course meal. Fellow readers, don't wait to eat everything until it's all out on the table at once — you'll regret it 🤭

Buckwheat pancake — everything I've had up until now must've been Chinese-made? Acorn jelly — why is this so chewy?! I think I've been eating the fake stuff all along. Make sure you eat the buckwheat jelly and pancake while they're warm.

Tteokgalbi and somyeon (thin wheat noodles) — as they served each dish, they kept explaining how much better it tastes eaten together. Kindness clearly comes naturally to them. The tteokgalbi is on the milder, less-seasoned side. Eaten with the sweet-and-tangy noodles, it really did taste great.

How were the side dishes at Tobagi Sikdang?

Braised small anchovies — I wanted to take some home. Soybean pulp stew — brought back memories of my grandmother's cooking. Cucumber salad — a familiar taste. Kimchi — the refreshing kind that makes you crave kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) or ramyeon. Marinated gungchae (aster greens) — a familiar taste. Napa cabbage namul (seasoned greens) — the hardest namul side dish to get right. This place is a banchan (side dish) champion.

Apparently the braised sauce isn't store-bought — it's their own homemade gochujang and doenjang. They take real pride in saying there's not a single thing about their ingredients they'd be ashamed of. The well-cooked radish, squash, and napa cabbage carry a solidly spicy base seasoning. Cutlassfish, cut-and-spicy — get it? 😅 We kept cracking dad jokes while enjoying every bite. Total rice thief. Even though the bones had all been removed for easy eating, one particularly sensitive member of our group still kept finding stray little bones.

Once the stone pot rice lid comes off and you scoop the rice out, pour in water to make sungnyung (scorched rice tea) and let it sit. It made me a little sad watching the rice level keep dropping the whole meal 😊

I got so caught up eating that I missed the review event — a ₩5,000 juice giveaway. Everyone, make sure you do it! We finished the meal leaving behind just two pieces of kimchi and the onions from the cucumber salad.

Why Tobagi Sikdang works for breakfast in Gyeongju

• Open for meals starting at 9:30am
• Spacious parking lot
• Menu items suitable for kids
• Bones are removed, making it easy for adults to eat too