Banwoldang Korean lunch: bulgogi and perilla seaweed soup, Cafe Dongi

I finally went back to Cafe Dongi Dongseong-ro Main Branch (카페동이 동성로본점), the famously good-value Korean lunch spot in Dongseong-ro, Daegu :)

Cafe Dongi Dongseong-ro Main Branch: hours and parking

Cafe Dongi Dongseong-ro Main Branch is open every day from 11:00 to 21:00, with a break from 15:00 to 16:30. Last order is 14:00 before the break, and for dinner 19:30 on weekdays and 20:00 on weekends. There's no dedicated parking.

• Hours: daily 11:00-21:00
• Break time: 15:00-16:30
• Last order: 14:00 (before break), 19:30 (weekdays) / 20:00 (weekends)
• Parking: no dedicated parking
• Address: 58-9 Dongseong-ro 3-gil, Jung-gu, Daegu

Location and exterior

This Dongseong-ro Korean restaurant sits right in the middle of downtown Daegu, and it's not far from Sparkland, so I got the feeling plenty of people searching for a meal near Sparkland end up here :)

Part of the menu is posted out front, and there's even a summer-only bibimbap (rice bowl mixed with vegetables) newly launched!

I checked the hours and break time out front, then headed straight up to the 2nd floor. There are both stairs and an elevator.

There's an intro to the two chefs behind the food, plus the "excellent" hygiene grade certificate~~

Inside and the waiting area

The interior is spick and span. I only photographed a few tables on the empty side~!

I avoided peak hours, but this is a Dongseong-ro place people queue for, so there's a waiting list and even a waiting area. Nice touch 👍🏻

What rice does Cafe Dongi use?

Cafe Dongi uses Gimpo Geumssal rice. After ordering I wandered around the shop and spotted the Gimpo rice introduction and a whole pile of rice sacks 📸 I remember the rice being good last time too, haha.

Office-worker lunch tickets and facilities

Lots of office workers come here for lunch, so they sell meal tickets just for them. You can pre-order by phone, and there's even a sign-up gift, so that's handy if you work nearby! There was also news of a Cafe Dongi opening near Yeungnam University~~

They have baby chairs and disposable aprons, there's a restroom inside, and I also checked off the origin-of-ingredients board and a QR code for Wi-Fi.

What can you eat unlimited at Cafe Dongi's self-bar?

At the self-bar you can help yourself to multigrain rice, seaweed snack, sesame oil, barley snacks for dessert, and even fried eggs, which cost a fortune these days. That's proof of a good-value Dongseong-ro Korean place. There are two kinds of water too, barley tea (heotgae-su) and filtered, plus scissors, tongs, and baby forks and spoons~!

Cafe Dongi's menu and events

The menu is on a tablet, with a wide range of Korean dishes like jeyuk (spicy stir-fried pork), bulgogi, curry, kimchi jjigae (stew) and bibimbap, plus kids' menus. A well-rounded Banwoldang Korean restaurant.

There's also a membership sign-up event with a free tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) coupon, and a receipt review event that gets you a lemonade, so keep that in mind!

Getting the spoons and water ready before the meal~ and frying the egg golden brown. Ready to eat!

What we ordered and the prices

• Hearty zucchini doenjang jjigae set ₩8,900
• Dongi grilled pork bulgogi set ₩9,900
• Nuruk-aged tangsuyuk, small ₩17,800
• Egg-battered meatballs ₩2,900

Oh, and this little robot brings the food. When it reaches your table, take the dishes off and send it on its way, haha.

How does the grilled pork bulgogi set (₩9,900) taste?

First up is my pick, the Dongi grilled pork bulgogi set, which came with three side dishes and seaweed soup.

Three kinds of sides came out like this. The seaweed soup wasn't a greasy beef version but a clear, savory perilla seaweed soup (deulkkae miyeokguk).

The meat had a subtle fire-grilled flavor and was stir-fried with enoki mushrooms, and I loved the heap of shredded cabbage alongside!

Summer new menu: zucchini doenjang jjigae set (₩8,900)

This is the new summer menu, Cafe Dongi's zucchini doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) set. The same basic sides came with it, and the stew looked generous :)

True to the name it's packed with zucchini, and the stew had real depth, so I enjoyed it.

What style is the nuruk-aged tangsuyuk, small (₩17,800)?

Cafe Dongi's nuruk-aged tangsuyuk is kkwabaroworu-style (crispy, chewy Chinese-style sweet and sour pork). Once again I couldn't skip it. It's a must-order, one of the best tangsuyuk in Daegu and Dongseong-ro, so I got the small size. It comes with nuruk salt, wasabi and whole-grain mustard.

It also has fried rice cake pieces in it, which makes it a nice treat~

Side: meatballs (₩2,900)

Last is the side dish, egg-battered meatballs. Under ₩3,000, so great value. They came out golden and grilled, and were full of meat.

After finishing everything, I munched on the barley snacks too. Nom nom.

Would you go back to Cafe Dongi Dongseong-ro Main Branch?

With such a variety of Korean dishes, a group can each eat what they like. Unlimited rice, seaweed, fried eggs and barley snacks is another plus, so it's worth a casual visit :)