Daegu kalguksu dinner for two under ₩50,000: Donggok Jemyeon

If you work or study in Daegu, you probably wrestle with the same question every day: "What should I eat for lunch today?" I'm the same. My lunch choices are always vague, and I'm always hunting for something filling that costs about ₩10,000. The restaurant I visited recently was so good for the price that I wanted to show you. Shall we go take a look?!

Where is Donggok Jemyeon in Daegu, and where can you park?

Donggok Jemyeon (동곡제면) is a handmade-noodle kalguksu restaurant near Gyo-dong in Jung-gu, Daegu, across from 228 Memorial Park. You can't park in front of the restaurant, so I recommend the Dongseong-ro car park or the Gukchaebo Memorial public car park. It's right in the middle of downtown Dongseong-ro, so it's very easy to get to.

Donggok Jemyeon's interior and seating: easy for solo diners and groups

I made a reservation through Naver before visiting. The interior is spacious and pleasant, with comfy sofa seats plus 2-person and 4-person tables. You can come alone for a solo meal, or bring a group and enjoy a meal together.

What's on the menu at Donggok Jemyeon?

Besides the main noodle dishes, the menu had jeon (savory pancakes), suyuk (boiled pork slices), chicken muchim (seasoned chicken salad) and more to go with them, and there was a good range of alcohol too. The menu is quite wide, from a single bowl of kalguksu to food for drinking.

How do the wide-noodle Hanwoo bone broth kalguksu and chicken muchim taste?

The main dish we ordered at Donggok Jemyeon was the Hanwoo bone broth kalguksu (wide noodles). They make their own noodles, and you can choose wide or thin, so you can eat them the way you like. The chicken muchim, piled up like a mountain in the bowl, looked really appetizing too.

The chicken muchim is a little spicy, in a nicely spicy way, so even people who can't handle heat should be fine. The Hanwoo bone broth is simmered deeply from beef bones, and I loved that there was no MSG taste at all.

As for the chicken muchim, if you book through Naver there's a coupon for a free one in exchange for a Naver review. Just download it and show your review to the staff on the spot.

Four dishes for two, and the bill was still under ₩50,000

We ordered four dishes at Donggok Jemyeon, the seafood chive pancake, a small gabrisal suyuk, the Hanwoo bone broth kalguksu and the chicken muchim, and it still came to under ₩50,000! And that's not all. Just looking at the table, you could tell this is a great-value meal in Dongseong-ro.

Honestly, food prices these days are no exception in Daegu, but the pancake was wide and thin and they didn't skimp on toppings. The suyuk is gabrisal (pork neck ridge) and comes in small, medium and large, so it's easy to pick the amount you want.

Seafood chive pancake: light on flour, heavy on toppings

Look at the seafood chive pancake at Donggok Jemyeon and there's hardly any flour; it's made up of scallions, chili peppers and shrimp. There was chewy squid in it too. With so little flour it didn't feel heavy, and it was crispy and delicious!

Gabrisal suyuk (boiled pork) with salted seafood and kimchi

The gabrisal suyuk, which my husband loves, comes with jeotgal (salted fermented seafood) and kimchi on the side. The pork was cooked just right and so good eaten together!

Is Donggok Jemyeon worth a return visit in Dongseong-ro?

It was a satisfying dinner with generous portions and dishes. I've actually been to Donggok Jemyeon twice, and it feels like one of the best places I've been to. It's good for just a bowl of kalguksu on your own, and there's plenty of variety on the menu, so if you're stuck on what to have for lunch today, definitely give it a try!