Kid-friendly Japanese diner in Gwangalli Busan with coloring event

While looking for somewhere to have lunch with the kids in Gwangalli, we visited Daidokoro Gwangalli Main Branch (다이도코로 광안리본점), a Japanese home-style restaurant.

It's close enough to walk from Gwangalli Beach, and the moment we stepped in, it had this cute, Japan-like atmosphere.

Rather than just a place to eat and leave, there were cute little props tucked everywhere and various events going on, which made it especially fun to visit with kids.

We ordered the 2-person Set A with added mini tempura udon and egg rice for me and the two kids, and the portion was quite generous. Let me walk through the menu, parking, and the kid-friendly events we got to try.

Daidokoro Gwangalli Main Branch basics

• Hours 11:00 - 21:00, last order 20:00
• Weekday break time 15:00 - 17:00
• No break time on weekends, though a separate break may occur if items sell out
• Reservations, takeout, delivery, and group bookings available
• High chairs and a waiting area provided

Reservations are possible on weekdays but not accepted on weekends, so keep that in mind.

A location close to Gwangalli Beach

Daidokoro is about a 5-minute walk from Gwangalli Beach. You can also walk there from Geumnyeonsan Station, and it's easy to head to the beach after eating, making it a good stop to pair with a trip to Gwangalli.

Where to park at Daidokoro

Daidokoro doesn't have its own parking lot.

Instead, you'll need to use a nearby paid lot — we used the Golden Beach parking lot right across from the restaurant, which was convenient with kids since it's so close.

If you use the Golden Beach lot or the Namhae lot nearby and bring your receipt, you can get a ₩1,000 parking refund depending on conditions.

Japanese vibes the moment you walk in

Head up the stairs to the second floor and a charming little Japanese home-style restaurant appears.

Cute props are tucked everywhere, so there was fun just in looking around before we even ordered.

In particular, Daidokoro has an unusually large number of cat characters.

Cats on the paper cups, cats in the guestbook, cats even show up in the food — the kids had a lot of fun spotting them one by one, going "there's a cat here too!"

There are plenty of cute photo spots too, so if you like that kitschy style, browsing the space is part of the fun.

Ordering comfortably from the table

Orders are placed using the tablet set up at each table.

The menu of Japanese home-style dishes was fairly varied, from karaage to chicken nanban, curry, and tonkatsu, with well-organized sets for 1, 2, and 3 people. A quick look at the signature menu prices:

• Karaage set ₩14,900
• Chicken nanban set ₩14,500
• Kkanpunggi set ₩14,500
• Tonkatsu curry set ₩13,900
• King shrimp curry set ₩13,900

And if you want to try several dishes at once, ordering one of the set menus is a good option.

For those visiting with kids like us, or if it's hard to pick just one dish, the 2-person set that brings out several dishes together looked especially good.

The 2-person Set A we ordered

We ordered the 2-person Set A for ₩40,900.

It comes with a karaage set,

a tonkatsu curry set, mini udon, 4 pieces of menbosha (shrimp toast), and one drink — quite a generous spread.

On top of that, we added mini tempura udon and egg rice to share with the kids. With me and the two kids eating, to cut to the point, it was really a lot of food.

100-hour aged Japanese curry and tonkatsu

One of Daidokoro's signature dishes is its 100-hour aged Japanese curry.

The curry had that rich, smooth flavor typical of Japanese curry, and was great mixed into the rice.

The tonkatsu, fried crispy, had a crunchy outside and tender meat inside, and it went well dipped lightly in the curry.

It wasn't a spicy or intense curry but a mild, rich one, so it worked fine for sharing with the kids.

Karaage set

The karaage was crispy on the outside and juicy chicken inside with each bite.

It's an easy dish for kids to enjoy too, and alternating it with the curry worked well. It also came with a fried egg, croquette, and curry sauce, making it feel like a full set meal on its own.

Cat-face fried egg and egg rice

The moment the food arrived, what caught the kids' eyes right away was the fried egg! Using the yellow yolk as the center with ketchup drawn around it as a cat face — it was so cute.

Adding the egg to warm rice made a simple, easy dish that was great to have alongside for kids who don't eat curry well.

4 pieces of menbosha and udon

The 2-person set also comes with 4 pieces of menbosha (fried shrimp toast).

Fried crispy on the outside with a springy shrimp texture inside, they were great to pick at between the main dishes.

Eating just the curry and karaage could get a bit heavy, but having a side with a different texture let us enjoy a variety of flavors.

The udon included in the set was also good for the kids to eat. The warm, clean broth worked well between bites of fried food or curry. With so many kid-friendly dishes like curry, tonkatsu, karaage, and udon, this was a good spot to visit with children.

An event that made the wait fun too

Another reason Daidokoro was good to visit with kids was the variety of events prepared for different types of customers.

There were fun events tailored to categories ranging from birthday guests to solo diners, students, and office workers.

We received a coloring book as part of the kids' customer event.

It was great that the kids could spend time coloring while waiting for the food.

You can also join a draw event by adding the restaurant's KakaoTalk channel, so it felt like the kids came for a meal and got a little bit of play too, which they really enjoyed.

Having so many small events like this was one of the fun things unique to Daidokoro.

Check for Naver coupons too

Before visiting, check for Naver Place coupons as well. Depending on the timing, there are sometimes promotions like a free croquette, so grabbing a coupon beforehand can make your visit a bit more worthwhile. Coupons and promotions can change depending on the season, so it's best to check on the day of your visit.

The milk pudding I still remember

One more thing I have to mention is the milk pudding served for dessert. At first I thought it was just a complimentary dessert, but one bite completely changed my mind.

It was so smooth and nutty, melting in the mouth, that I kept reaching for it even after being full from the meal.

The kids liked it too, but honestly it was the dessert I personally loved the most.

I kept thinking about it after getting home, and it turns out they sell the milk pudding separately. Next time I visit Daidokoro, I'm planning to buy the milk pudding to take home. If you visit Daidokoro, be sure to try the milk pudding dessert.

Visiting Daidokoro with kids, in person

Gwangalli has so many great restaurants, but when visiting with kids, you have to think about wait times and atmosphere as much as the menu.

Daidokoro had plenty of dishes kids are relatively familiar with, like tonkatsu, curry, karaage, and udon, and with high chairs on hand, it worked well for a family meal out. Best of all, the kids genuinely enjoyed the meal itself thanks to the coloring book event, the draw event, and the cute cats hidden everywhere.

Adding a few extra dishes to our 2-person Set A gave us a pretty generous amount to share between the two kids and me. Since it's close to Gwangalli Beach, this is a good Japanese home-style restaurant to stop by for a hearty meal before or after an outing with the kids.

And one more time before I wrap up — really, try the milk pudding. I'm getting the milk pudding first thing on my next visit.