Yukhoe and raw beef set with friends in Buk-gu, Daegu: Bonghwa

Hi, this is Esther. I went with friends who love raw beef and yukhoe (Korean-style beef tartare) after hearing there's a place in Chilgok that really does it right. One friend in particular, who knows her raw beef, tried it and raved that this place is genuinely different. I was curious just how good it could be to earn that kind of praise, and after eating it myself, I got it. Today I'm introducing Bonghwa Saenggogi Bonjeom, where you can properly taste cow raw beef and mungtigi in Guam-dong, Chilgok.

Location and parking at Bonghwa Saenggogi Bonjeom

Bonghwa Saenggogi Bonjeom sits just off the hill next to Dolgorae Hoetjip, if you keep heading toward Guam Cathedral from Unamji. Walk up the hill and you'll spot the restaurant. Parking was easy since you can park freely right in front of the place.

• Bonghwa Saenggogi Bonjeom
• Address: 62 Guam-ro 60-gil, Buk-gu, Daegu, South Korea
• Hours: 5:00 PM–11:00 PM, closed Sundays
• Parking: Free parking available in front of the restaurant

Atmosphere and private room seating

Walking into this Guam-dong restaurant, the first thing I noticed was the calm wood-toned interior. There was even a slight traditional tavern vibe overall, which made it feel like the perfect spot for raw beef and a drink. Rooms were set up throughout the restaurant too, which seemed great for family meals, friend gatherings, or company dinners. Sure enough, when we visited, plenty of reservation guests had already settled into the various rooms — clearly a popular spot for group gatherings.

The menu: a cow raw beef and mungtigi specialty

Looking at the menu, true to being a raw cow beef specialty restaurant, you could try raw beef, yukhoe, and a variety of other beef dishes. Notably, this place follows a same-day butchering policy to serve fresh raw beef, which builds trust for raw beef lovers. And here's the nice part: raw beef is available even on Saturdays! Some places skip it on weekends, so this is great news for raw beef fans.

The generous side dish spread, raw liver and beef tripe

The basic side dish spread at this Guam-dong restaurant came out incredibly generous from the start. A table full of various banchan to pair with raw beef — seasoned raw fish salad, pickles, and more. Tasting each one, they weren't just numerous but well-made and delicious, so chopsticks were already busy before the main dishes even arrived. I loved that even the basic spread was this hearty and tasty.

Fresh raw liver and beef tripe also came out. Raw liver especially depends on freshness, and this one looked fresh just from the color. I remembered being anemic before and hearing that raw liver is good for that, so it had been a while since I'd had it. It was savory with a clean, mild flavor, which raw liver fans will appreciate.

Yukhoe and raw beef set for 3, ₩89,000 — yukhoe first

We ordered the yukhoe and raw beef set for 3 people at ₩89,000. Yukhoe arrived first. Wow, even the look of it was different — unlike typical yukhoe, this one was tossed with scallions and garlic, and it looked appetizing at a glance. One bite in, the pungent flavor of scallion and garlic added a kick that made the yukhoe's clean, savory taste explode. Best of all, the beef was so tender it practically melted in my mouth. Starting with the yukhoe, I was already beginning to understand why my raw-beef-loving friend praised this place so highly.

Before the raw beef came out, we thoroughly enjoyed the yukhoe piece by piece. The beef had a clean, tender texture with no gamey smell, and the more you chewed, the more a subtle savory beefy flavor and clean taste came through. The pungent scallion and garlic paired beautifully with the yukhoe, so there was no heaviness at all — just a savory, clean flavor that kept calling chopsticks back. If the yukhoe alone was this good before the raw beef even arrived, our expectations for the raw beef shot way up.

Chewy cow raw beef — what's the texture like?

Finally, the long-awaited raw beef arrived. I noticed a staff member off to the side carefully trimming the raw beef by hand, piece by piece. The meticulous, careful way it was prepared made the whole process feel special. The raw beef that arrived had a vivid color and an unmistakable freshness. What really stood out was how uniquely it was sliced and arranged — layered like natural basalt columns, with distinct grain running through it. Just looking at it, you could tell it would be chewy. Truly the mark of a raw beef specialty restaurant.

At raw beef restaurants, there's usually the fun test of flipping the plate over to see if the meat stays put. But we decided that instead of spending time flipping plates, we'd rather spend it eating one more bite! So we picked up our chopsticks right away. One bite in, the chewy yet tender texture was really good. The more you chewed, the more the beef's distinctive savory aroma and clean flavor came through subtly, with no gamey smell at all, so I kept reaching for more. In particular, that springy, chewy texture unique to raw beef really came through with every bite. Eating just one piece, I immediately understood why my friend had praised it so much. In the end, we set aside the plate-flipping and focused on eating well instead.

The story behind ordering beer and getting cabbage pancake

While enjoying the raw beef, we wanted a beer to go with it, so we said, "One bottle of beer, please." The staff member replied very naturally, "The cabbage pancake will be right out~" The three of us looked at each other and burst out laughing. We ordered beer and suddenly cabbage pancake?! We laughed about it for a while, and shortly after, the infamous cabbage pancake arrived, fried up crispy just as promised. It was crispy and golden brown on the outside, perfect to pair with the raw beef. Thanks to that, we ended up with a funny episode of ordering a beer and getting cabbage pancake along with it.

Would I go back? Final thoughts

Thanks to a friend who loves raw beef and yukhoe, we found our way to Bonghwa Saenggogi Bonjeom in Guam-dong, Chilgok! With its same-day butchering policy, both the raw beef and yukhoe were fresh and delicious, making for a truly satisfying meal. Between the chewy, tender raw beef and the savory yukhoe with its kick of scallion and garlic, this is a place worth trying if you love raw beef. The private rooms also seemed great for gatherings or company dinners, and with the generous basic spread plus the cabbage pancake bonus, it was an even more enjoyable time. Most of all, the friend who joined us had called this place genuinely different, and after eating it myself, I understood exactly what she meant. I'd love to come back with my family next time.