Gyeongju Korean restaurant Monday lunch wait, hanok charm: Dongyang

Today I'm sharing my meal at Dongyang Baekban (동양백반), a Korean restaurant in Gyeongju's Hwangridan-gil that I visited on a small but precious day off, during a Gyeongju day trip :)

Location and waiting at Dongyang Baekban Gyeongju Hwangridan-gil Main Branch

• ⏰ Hours: 11:00-21:00 / Break time 15:00-17:00 / Last order 20:00
• 🚙 No dedicated parking
• 🏠 Address: 1F, 1056-5 Poseok-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do

Tucked in an alley roughly in the middle of Hwangridan-gil, this Gyeongju Korean restaurant looked like this from outside — the entrance was actually around the back.

You could check some of the menu from outside on a standing signboard. Even though I came on a Monday lunch, arriving just a little after opening, there was already a wait — about 30 minutes.

Inside: the old house kept intact

The interior kept the feel of the old house nicely, so much that it almost felt like visiting grandma's place!

Further inside there were more tables, and the mood by the big sunlit window was so gooood.

The little decor pieces kept that Korean feel too, so it was fun to look around here and there..!

The restroom is near the entrance, out in the courtyard(?), and the courtyard atmosphere was so nice haha.

There's a baby chair on hand, and they'll bring you a disposable apron if you ask!

The menu at Dongyang Baekban

You could check the full Dongyang Baekban menu in detail on the tablet at each table, and some items were also introduced on the wall.

Starting with the main dishes: dakdoritang (spicy chicken stew), gopchang jeongol (beef tripe hot pot), pork kimchi dureuchigi, vegetable jjimdak, and even a nourishing eun-yi mushroom nurungji chicken hot pot — a wide range, plus set menus to check out.

Next up, the rice dishes and sides: yukhoebap (beef tartare rice), myeongnanbap (pollack roe rice), caviar-egg rice, ttaengchobap (spicy pepper rice), gyeranbap (egg rice), plus hanwoo mulhoe (raw beef in cold broth), yukjeon (beef pan-fried in egg), tteokgalbi (short rib patty), and grilled mackerel — menu choices for all ages.

Beer, soju, soft drinks, and even Dongyang sikhye (sweet rice punch) were all on offer, so it made for a proper full Korean meal.

There's a review event running too, and Wi-Fi info was posted for reference :)

What we ordered and the prices

• Sumi Dakbokkeumtang ₩28,000
• Yukhoebap (beef tartare rice) ₩6,000
• Gyeranbap (egg rice) ₩3,500
• Mini perilla oil-fried beef ₩9,000

You could feel the modern touch layered onto that traditional Korean feel just from the visuals, right?! Let me walk you through each dish.

First came water and side dishes, plus a bowl, seaweed flakes, tongs and a ladle for mixing the rice — all prepared thoughtfully.

Gyeranbap and yukhoebap

I picked gyeranbap (egg rice) — a soft-boiled egg soaked in soy sauce, that familiar, delicious taste, hehe. The rice bowl looked small at first but was deep, so there was actually quite a lot of rice.

This is the yukhoebap (beef tartare rice) — the visuals were amazing, piled generously and served with real heart. Not my dish, but the other person really enjoyed it!

Sumi Dakbokkeumtang

The main dish, 🔥Sumi Dakbokkeumtang🔥, was placed on a burner, and we were told to eat once the glass noodles and mushrooms were cooked through.

True to its name, it was loaded with big chunks of fluffy sumi potatoes, which I loved, plus plenty of vegetables like onion, green onion and carrot!

There was no choice of cut — it just came with boneless chicken, which made it easy to eat, and it wasn't dry at all, so I think it was thigh meat. The glass noodles were a nice bonus too.

Mixing the rice, seaweed, sauce, glass noodles and chicken all together, I demolished a bowl in no time lol.

Mini perilla oil-fried beef

Last was the yukjeon I ordered in mini size — just two pieces came out, perfect for two people to share lightly, and it arrived with 🧅my beloved onion🧅, which won me over before I even took a bite.

Golden, warm yukjeon, one bite together with the onion — ahhh so good.

A full, satisfying meal wrapped up once again. This Gyeongju Hwangridan-gil restaurant, with its cozy interior and that distinct Gyeongju feel, lets you enjoy healthy Korean food in a fresh way — I think it'd be a great pick for anyone hunting for good food in Gyeongju, including foreign visitors :)