Gwangalli Japanese lunch: best-ever menbosha for big eaters, Daidokoro

Today I visited Daidokoro Gwangalli Main Branch (다이도코로), a Japanese home-style curry spot I'd recommend for lunch in Gwangalli.

Daidokoro Gwangalli Main Branch opening hours and parking

Daidokoro Gwangalli Main Branch is open from 11:00 to 21:00. There's a wait, so it's best to sort out a Catch Table reservation.

There's no private parking lot, but they say they cover the ₩1,000 parking fee if you use a designated lot!!

What's in Daidokoro's plum set for two, and how big is it?

The Daidokoro plum set for two is ₩39,500 and includes a karaage (Japanese fried chicken) set, katsu curry, menbosha (shrimp toast), and the seasonal plum soda drink. I ordered the famous plum set for two, and even two big eaters could barely finish it. It was a belly-bursting amount,,

Is Daidokoro's karaage good even without sauce?

The karaage is crispy outside and juicy inside, so it tasted great even with no sauce. Lots of reviews praise the karaage, and now I see why haha

It's good plain, but there are several sauces too, which makes it fun to mix. Dipped in the chili sauce, it was sweet with a slight kick, a whole different experience.

How does Daidokoro's 100-hour aged katsu curry taste?

Next was the katsu curry. The curry was really rich with deep flavor. It's a Japanese curry aged for 100 hours, and it had a savory depth I'd never tasted in ordinary curry. Loved it.

The pork cutlet was super crispy too, and eaten with the curry, the curry cut through the greasiness of the frying. They went well together.

The potato croquette served with every Daidokoro set

Every set at Daidokoro also comes with a potato croquette. Doesn't it look soft and fluffy even just from the photo?! 👍 I think it's the kind of dish everyone from adults to kids can enjoy, no hit-or-miss.

Why Daidokoro's menbosha is the best menbosha I've ever had

I hadn't expected much from the menbosha that comes alongside, but it was seriously delicious TT ❤️❤️

The menbosha is fried crispy outside, while inside the shrimp keeps that springy bite. If I weren't so full I would have ordered more T.T It's my life menbosha,,

Even the udon comes with tempura: Daidokoro's fried food

Turns out Daidokoro is a real fried-food place? It seemed like every menu item has something fried in it. Even the udon (thick wheat noodles)! The fried item inside was crispy and tasty, and the rich broth went well with the Japanese home-style set.

Seasonal plum soda and milk pudding for dessert

The seasonal drink in the plum set, plum soda, has plum pulp in it, so there's something to chew, and it's refreshing. Japanese home-style dishes are mostly hearty things like fried food and curry, so you need a little palate reset in between, right?? Every sip of the plum soda tasted fresh and tangy. There was also a little bear jelly inside, which I thought kids would love haha

When you finish, you get milk pudding for dessert, and the milk flavor was stronger than in ordinary pudding. It's on a totally different level from the Hokkaido milk pudding I recently had from CU. Very satisfied!!!

How much are Daidokoro's set menus?

Daidokoro's signature menus are the plum set, which includes a seasonal drink, and the Kirin set, which includes draft beer, each in 1 to 3 person sizes.

• Plum set (seasonal drink included) for 1 (karaage + menbosha): ₩25,500
• Plum set for 2 (karaage + katsu curry + menbosha): ₩39,500
• Plum set for 3 (karaage + nanban + curry + menbosha): ₩59,900
• Kirin set (draft beer included) for 1 (karaage + menbosha): ₩27,000
• Kirin set for 2 (karaage + katsu curry + menbosha): ₩41,000
• Kirin set for 3 (karaage + nanban + curry + menbosha): 63,000

Daidokoro really feels like a good-value place: with the 2-person set there was so much food that I felt ready to burst after finishing. For three people, I think a 2-person set plus a side dish would be just the right amount.

Daidokoro's interior, like a Japanese gift shop

Daidokoro Gwangalli Main Branch feels like a small Japanese eatery, packed with cute little trinkets.

The first thing I felt walking in was the vibe of a small Japanese restaurant.

It's less flashy and more about cute little trinkets and Japanese touches everywhere, so it was fun to look around while eating,

and the cat goods and small decorations were especially cute, so the roughly 10 minutes it takes for the food to come out never felt boring.

You can even write in a guestbook like this haha

Daidokoro isn't a very big space, but the tables weren't cramped and the mood was quiet and good for a calm meal. Totally a Japanese home-style curry shop feel!

How long is the weekday lunch wait at Daidokoro Gwangalli?

Even if you go around opening time on a weekday, a wait forms partway through the meal at Daidokoro Gwangalli Main Branch. Once it's full, reservations are taken through Catch Table.

I went almost right at weekday opening, and a wait formed while I was eating. It's a really famous restaurant in Gwangalli, so I heard people keep coming even though it's on the outskirts.

They take Catch Table reservations once it's full, so keep that in mind!!

Verdict: who is Daidokoro in Gwangalli best for?

• A Gwangalli lunch spot with a nice atmosphere
• A recommended Japanese home-style restaurant in Busan
• A Gwangalli meal that works with kids
• A place in Busan with tasty curry

As a total curry fanatic, I was so happy to find such a delicious curry place haha It turns out the curries I've eaten until now weren't proper curry.. If you're looking for a date, trip or lunch spot in Gwangalli, I recommend Daidokoro Gwangalli Main Branch, full of Japanese charm.