Daegu shabu-shabu buffet with chili relish (gochu dadaegi): Shabu20

If you're looking for a good restaurant near Daegu Airport, Shabu20 Bokhyeon branch is worth keeping an eye on. I was a bit surprised at first that everything — meat, vegetables, salad bar, even draft beer — is all-you-can-eat. But after eating there, what stayed with me wasn't the word "unlimited" so much as how well the food was managed and its quality.

Why I finally tried Shabu20 on the Gonghanggyo walking path

I often go walking with Ari and Dal near Gonghanggyo (Gonghang Bridge). Passing by so often, I naturally kept noticing Shabu20 Daegu Bokhyeon branch — and this time I got a good chance to visit as part of a press trip. Since it was somewhere I'd been curious about, I was happy to finally walk in.

At the entrance there was a CatchTable kiosk set up for registering your wait.

Inside Shabu20 Daegu Bokhyeon: dining room and group seating

Going inside, the restaurant was bigger than I expected.

It was decorated in wood tones, giving it a comfortable overall feel, and the tables were spaced generously. There was also a separate space set up for groups. But what I really noticed was how well the restaurant and the salad bar were being kept.

Whenever something ran low, it was refilled right away, and the interior was kept clean the whole time I was there.

Self-serve beef and pork: how it works at Shabu20

Compared with other shabu-shabu places, the meat was what I liked most. At a lot of all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu restaurants, you still have to ask a staff member for more meat. Here, though, both beef and pork are set up for you to grab yourself, as much as you want.

With it being all-you-can-eat, you might wonder about the quality of the meat, but what I ate had a decent amount of marbling and was fairly tender.

There was no off smell either.

Being able to enjoy shabu-shabu with pork as well as beef was a nice change. The vegetables were pretty fresh too, so loading up on both meat and vegetables and simmering them together felt like a proper meal.

What's on the Shabu20 salad bar, and how clean it was kept

Everything from the vegetables you add to the shabu-shabu to the salad bar dishes was set out in a wide variety.

What I liked was that it wasn't just a lot of variety for show — whenever something ran out, it was refilled right away.

The salad bar dishes all suited my taste too.

The sauce corner and a heaping mound of wasabi

There was a wide variety of sauces set out, along with tips on how to enjoy the meal.

That mound of wasabi looked impressively fresh, but also gave off a vibe of "eat me more elegantly than that," haha.

The best combination: gochu dadaegi (spicy chili relish) on meat

Out of everything, there was one thing that really won me over — the gochu dadaegi (spicy minced chili paste)!

I scooped up some shabu-shabu meat and vegetables and topped them with a bit of gochu dadaegi... and this combination, I genuinely loved it.

That slight kick of spice made the shabu-shabu taste completely different. Personally, compared to other shabu-shabu places, this was the part that stuck with me the most. If you're looking for good restaurants near Kyungpook National University's north gate, this is a great one to visit too.

Unlimited draft beer at Shabu20: I had two glasses

And that wasn't the end. One of the things that surprised me most was the unlimited draft beer. Enjoying cold draft beer as much as you want while eating shabu-shabu! I had two glasses myself, haha.

After the meat, a sip of cold draft beer paired perfectly.

Ice cream and coffee you can take away

After finishing the meal, I grabbed some ice cream too. And then coffee.

Coffee can be taken to go as well.

By the counter there were takeaway cups, lids, and everything else ready to go. The young manager was kind enough to explain everything, so we took two coffees to go on our way out. If you often walk near Gonghanggyo like I do, or are heading toward Palgongsan or Isiapolis and looking for good restaurants around Isiapolis in Daegu, this place is worth checking out too. Walking with a coffee in hand after the meal was pretty nice as well.

Shabu20 prices: 22,900 won lunch, 26,900 won dinner

When I visited, the lunch price was ₩22,900 per person.

That gets you beef, pork, fresh vegetables, salad bar dishes, draft beer, ice cream, and coffee. When I visited, the vegetables were in good condition, the meat was tender, and the salad bar was kept consistently stocked — all things I liked. And personally, it's still the gochu dadaegi! The unlimited draft beer was impressive, but for some reason it's the gochu dadaegi that keeps coming back to mind, haha.

Using it myself, being able to freely grab even the meat was convenient, and I liked how well the vegetables and salad bar were kept.

Being able to enjoy pork shabu-shabu in addition to beef, plus unlimited draft beer —