Private rooms for 4–10 at a Gyeongsan Korean restaurant: Cafe Dongi

Lately, even when I eat out, I keep craving something less fancy — just a solid, satisfying bowl of Korean rice food. This time I went to Cafe Dongi at Yeungnam University's Cheonma Art Center in Gyeongsan. It's inside the Yeungnam University Art Center, so it's convenient if you're there for a performance or exhibition, and what caught my eye most was the ₩10,000-range menu plus a well-stocked self-bar. We ordered grilled stir-fried pork, grilled stir-fried baby octopus, and mini sweet and sour pork so we could try a bit of everything. Here's my honest review.

• 2F, Main Hall, Cheonma Art Center, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-ro, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea
• Hours: 10:30–20:30
• Break time: 15:00–16:30
• Last order: 20:00

Where is Cafe Dongi Yeungnam University Art Center Branch, and is there parking?

Cafe Dongi is located on the 2nd floor of the main hall at Yeungnam University's Cheonma Art Center, 280 Daehak-ro, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongbuk. Since it's inside the Art Center building, it was fairly easy to find even on a first visit. I drove there, and the parking area was fairly spacious, so I didn't worry too much about parking.

There's also an elevator inside the building, so it looked easy for elderly visitors or anyone who has trouble with stairs to get around. On days with performances or events, there could be a lot of visitors, so if you're planning to eat there too, it's worth giving yourself a bit of extra time.

Inside Cafe Dongi: private rooms for 4 to 10 people

Walking into Cafe Dongi, the space was bigger than I expected, which made a great first impression. Everything was neat and tidy overall, and the tables had comfortable spacing, making it a pleasant place to eat.

Cafe Dongi also has room spaces for group dining. There are various sizes from 4-person to 6-, 8-, and 10-person rooms, which looked great for family gatherings, group meals, or quieter get-togethers. Having separate rooms is a real advantage when you visit with a larger group — you can eat more comfortably.

I also noticed the rice they use — apparently it's Grade 1 geumssal (gold rice) grown in the pristine DMZ region of Gimpo. If you care about the quality of your rice, that's something worth noting.

Cafe Dongi menu and how tablet ordering works

Cafe Dongi's menu centers on Korean dishes. From grilled bulgogi to stir-fried pork and baby octopus, there was a good variety of dishes that go well with rice, so it was fun just choosing what to order.

You order and pay all at once using the tablet at the table. Since we wanted to try a bunch of dishes, we ordered grilled stir-fried pork, grilled stir-fried baby octopus, and mini sweet and sour pork.

What's on the self-bar: fried eggs, five-grain rice and barley crackers

And one thing you can't skip at Cafe Dongi — the self-bar! You can enjoy unlimited fried egg, five-grain rice, and barley crackers (bori-gangjeong). Making your own fried egg was surprisingly fun, haha. If you run out of rice, you can grab more five-grain rice, and after the meal you can even enjoy the barley crackers — a pretty generous setup for a meal in the ₩10,000s. There was also nutty hutgae (Hovenia dulcis) tea, which paired nicely with the meal.

One-person brazier sets: flame-grilled spicy pork, spicy baby octopus and mini tangsuyuk

The first dish we tried was the grilled stir-fried pork. Stir-fried pork really needs that hint of smoky char to be good, and since it's cooked over direct flame, there was a subtle smoky aroma, and the seasoning went really well with rice. The meat wasn't tough at all and had absorbed the seasoning well — total rice thief! A bowl of rice disappeared in no time, haha. And personally, what I liked most was that it came in an individual brazier, so the food stayed warm the whole time we were eating.

The second dish we tried was the grilled stir-fried baby octopus. Baby octopus has its own charm, different from pork. The springy octopus paired well with the spicy sauce, which went perfectly with rice. Being a grilled dish, it had that same subtle smoky aroma, which gave it more depth of flavor than a regular stir-fry. The pork had that hearty, meaty satisfaction, while the octopus had a springy texture and spicy kick, so eating both together let us enjoy two very different flavors.

Eating only grilled dishes back to back can get a bit spicy, but adding the sweet and sour pork in between made for a nice combination. Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and served with a sweet sauce, it's the kind of dish kids would enjoy too if you're visiting with family. It's a good pick when you want more than just the main dish, or when a group wants to add a side.

Verdict: is Cafe Dongi worth it for a Korean meal near Yeungnam University?

I tried the grilled stir-fried pork, grilled stir-fried baby octopus, and mini sweet and sour pork at Cafe Dongi at Yeungnam University's Cheonma Art Center in Gyeongsan. Overall, it felt like a place where you can have a filling meal without spending much. In particular, the grilled pork and octopus came in individual braziers so they stayed piping hot and delicious, and being able to freely help yourself to fried egg and five-grain rice at the self-bar was a nice touch. On top of that, the crispy barley crackers and nutty hutgae tea rounded out the meal nicely from start to finish.

If you're planning to catch a performance or event at the Yeungnam University Art Center, it's a solid choice for a meal before or after, and if you're near Yeungnam University looking for a good-value Korean meal, it's worth stopping by. Next time, I'd like to try some of the other grilled dishes.