Gyeongju Korean restaurant with a grass-yard window seat: Dongyang

Today I visited Dongyang Baekban Hwangridan-gil Main Branch, a go-to Korean restaurant on Gyeongju's Hwangridan-gil!

If you want proper, neatly-set Korean food while exploring Hwangridan-gil — a must on any Gyeongju trip — this is a place you have to try. It's been standing its ground doing only Korean food for years on this street. From the spicy tomato dakdoritang to the tidy side dishes and delicious rice, I was thoroughly satisfied. Here's my review of this Hwangridan-gil favorite!

Dongyang Baekban Hwangridan-gil Main Branch — location & hours

• 📍Location - 1st floor, 1056-5 Poseok-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk, South Korea
• ⏰Hours - Daily 11:00–21:00 / break time 3–5pm / last order 20:00
• 🅿️Parking - Public parking near Hwangridan-gil or Bonghwangdae public parking lot

Tiled-roof exterior and a window seat facing the grass yard

Out front, two haetae statues stand proudly and greet you at the entrance. True to its status as a Hwangridan-gil landmark, the graceful tiled roof sets the mood before you even walk in.

Inside, the warm wood tones make you feel at ease the moment you step in. Through the huge window, a lush green yard comes into view — the compact, cozy atmosphere makes it feel like your own secret hideout.

Menu and what we ordered

🛎️Order - Sumi dakbokkeumtang (medium) ₩28,000 / mentaiko rice ₩5,500 / gondre rice ₩6,000. I went with the restaurant's signature dish, the unusual tomato-loaded sumi dakbokkeumtang (chicken stew).

As soon as I sat down, the barley tea water they served was already nutty and lovely — a good sign.

Before the sumi dakbokkeumtang arrived, the basic banchan (side dishes) neatly filled the table. The clean side dish lineup that pairs well with the main dish made the meal satisfying even before the main event.

Mentaiko rice — a rice-thief look

Isn't the mentaiko rice's look amazing? Haha. Piled high with mentaiko (seasoned pollock roe), the aroma comes through strongly and they give a generous amount of rice too. It came with gim (seaweed) flakes and sesame seeds for mixing. I couldn't resist and dug in before the main dish even arrived — the mentaiko bursts salty in your mouth with a great texture. Total rice thief, I could've kept eating rice with just this.

Gondre rice — even older folks would love it

The gondre rice (mountain herb rice) that came with it had fresh green gondre greens piled high on top — healthy and neat looking right off the bat. I took a big spoonful and the gondre wasn't tough at all, chewy in a good way, and blended perfectly with the savory rice. Nutty enough that I think older folks would really love it too.

Tomato-based sumi dakbokkeumtang (medium)

Ta-da! The dakbokkeumtang (spicy braised chicken stew) I ordered arrived. It's more generous than expected, so good value.

In the broth, glass noodles soaked in seasoning and tender boneless chicken were packed in generously, along with chewy enoki mushrooms and sweet carrots — plenty of vegetables too. On top, a soft-boiled egg added extra richness, so every last bite was varied and satisfying.

I tried the star of the show, the chicken, first — not dry at all, moist and tender boneless meat, so delicious. The spicy-sweet seasoning was deeply soaked in all the way through, no surface-only seasoning feel. Uniquely, the broth here is tomato-based, so there's a natural sweetness too.

The chunky potatoes were fully cooked through with a fluffy texture too. The real value of this dakbokkeumtang is in the broth — with triple the amount of tomato and minced garlic, it's thick and deeply savory. The subtle umami of tomato and the pungent, nutty flavor of garlic come together beautifully, so every spoonful draws out an admiring sigh — addictive stuff. Eating it with the mentaiko rice, I could've polished off two bowls of rice in no time, haha. No wonder this place is famous as a Korean restaurant on Gyeongju's Hwangridan-gil.

The glass noodles were well-seasoned and delicious too. Left today feeling full and happy.

Overall

From the graceful hanok atmosphere to the neat, deep-flavored menu lineup, it's easy to see why this is the standout restaurant people line up for on Hwangridan-gil.

It's not just a pretty hot spot — the depth in each dish really stood out, from the thick, rich dakbokkeumtang broth to the fragrant gondre rice.

If you want a proper, can't-go-wrong Korean meal on Gyeongju's Hwangridan-gil, I'd recommend visiting without hesitation.