Two-person makchang platter set near Jongno, Daegu: Bongja Makchang

So many great barbecue spots have been popping up in Jongno lately that I've been checking them off one by one, and this time I visited Bongja Makchang, tucked in a Jongno alley in Daegu! Great value and generous portions made this one seriously satisfying — here's my review of Bongja Makchang, a Daegu makchang favorite.

Location and parking at Bongja Makchang

Bongja Makchang sits in an alley in Jongno packed with good restaurants. Being close to Jungangno Station made it super accessible! For parking, you can use Hanseong Parking Lot (548-1 Gukchebosang-ro) or the San Francisco Cafe parking lot (47 Jongno). First 20 minutes ₩1,000 / 21–40 minutes ₩2,000 / 41–60 minutes ₩3,000.

Great for group gatherings or company dinners too, Bongja Makchang — a Daegu makchang favorite — really catches your eye even from a distance with its exterior.

Raw makchang and seasoned makchang are the signature menu items and super popular, but aged raw pork belly and raw pork neck are apparently big hits too...!!!

What's the atmosphere like inside

The interior was clean and comfortable. There's a relatively private space in the back too, which seemed great for group gatherings. Even though I visited early on a weekday evening, Bongja Makchang — a Daegu Jongno favorite — was already packed with people.

How to order the Bongja set for two

They serve everything from raw makchang to cold pork belly...!! Ordering items separately to try them one by one is nice, but if it's your first visit or you're stuck deciding, I recommend the Bongja set, which lets you enjoy two menu items at once!

Maybe that's why most people order the Bongja set first. There's a one plate + one plate set, and also a one plate + half plate option that's great when two people visit.

I loved that you can add meat one serving at a time without feeling like you're committing to too much. It's great value for a Jung-gu, Daegu restaurant, and with side dishes like kimchi noodle soup, braised pork belly, and tteokbokki, it's a good spot to eat meat and have a full meal.

There's a good variety of side dishes too, and I loved that steamed egg (included as standard), ramen, and patbingsu are all unlimited refills.

The self bar and ramen selection

At the self bar you could grab extra side dishes as needed — garlic, seasoned onion, chili peppers, chives salad, and more!

And check out the ramen selection here — this was the first place I've seen with such a wide variety of ramen haha. They had Buldak (fire chicken ramen), everything from Yeol Ramen to jjamppong flavor, really an impressive range.

The basic table setting was made up of clean, tasty side dishes!

How was the raw makchang and pork belly

The two of us ordered one plate + one plate. I was going to go with one plate + half plate, but we went with two full plates to be safe, and the portion turned out just right.

We ordered raw pork belly and raw makchang! The portions were really generous, and with bracken fern, mushrooms, and rice cake slices on the plate too, it was a combination that really got the appetite going ><

The staff put the first batch of meat on for us, and since the meat was cut into big chunks, you can trim it down to your liking as you grill!

The makchang got more savory the more you chewed it, and the pork belly, being raw pork belly, was thick and full of juice!! The meat quality was excellent, which made this Daegu Jongno restaurant really satisfying.

The pork belly was tasty, but the makchang was especially delicious. Dipping it into the seasoned sauce mixed with chili made for a genuinely great combination! True to its name, Bongja Makchang is a spot I'd recommend as a Daegu makchang favorite.

Finishing with ramen and patbingsu

There's even a dedicated burner for boiling the ramen, which made it super convenient. Even though the meat portions were so generous I was already full, hearing that ramen and patbingsu are unlimited refills too meant there was no way I could skip them haha.

And the true final dessert — patbingsu. The portion was bigger than I expected, and it made me think this is the place to go for family dinners or friend gatherings.

The cold draft beer is great value too, so if you're looking for a makchang restaurant in Jongno, Daegu, or a Jung-gu barbecue favorite with generous portions and good value, I recommend Bongja Makchang :)