Gyeongju 6:30pm walnut pastries, purple bojagi 24-box: Buja Hodu

Buja Hodu • Dessert spot on Hwangnidan-gil, Gyeongju • Original 24-piece bojagi gift set

Why Buja Hodu became the parents' gift on our last day in Gyeongju

Hello!!🤭 Today I want to introduce Buja Hodu on Hwangnidan-gil in Gyeongju, which my husband and I visited back in mid-September. On a weekday in mid-September, we'd just wrapped up a full day of sightseeing in Gyeongju and were slowly heading home when I started worrying about a gift for my parents🤔

Usually when we come back from a Gyeongju trip, we bring chapssal-bori-ppang (glutinous barley bread) or Hwangnam-ppang, but this time I wanted something a little more novel and heartfelt!! While walking through the Hwangnidan-gil alleys, I happened to spot a special walnut pastry shop called Buja Hodu that claims to fit an entire whole walnut into each pastry👐 They also make them honestly with 100% domestic rice dough instead of flour, which sounded easy on the stomach and perfect for my parents' snack, so I walked in without a second thought!!

Buja Hodu location on Hwangnidan-gil: parking and opening hours

Buja Hodu is located at 38 Poseok-ro 1095beon-gil, B-dong 105-ho, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk, and is open daily from 09:30 to 20:00. There's no on-site parking, but you can park at the nearby Hwangnidan-gil public parking lot, about a 10-minute walk away🅿️

Arriving in front of the shop, I noticed the warm, wood-toned interior that fit perfectly with the Hwangnidan-gil atmosphere!!

The showcase out front had individually wrapped walnut pastries and gift boxes wrapped in bojagi neatly displayed👏

What's left at 6:30pm on a weekday? Only the original flavor

We arrived at Buja Hodu around 6:30pm on a weekday evening!! Maybe because we came a bit late, the showcase was already fairly empty😭

Looking closely at the menu, the options were neatly divided from a simple 10-piece instant pack to 15-piece and 24-piece gift boxes✨️ Besides the basic low-sugar original, there were also pea cream cheese, matcha, and almond praline flavors, and they said the mixed set letting you try a bit of everything was especially popular!!

The 24-piece original box plus 3,000 won purple bojagi wrap

By the time we got there, all the other flavors were already sold out, leaving only the basic original, so unfortunately we couldn't get the mix. But the basic original low-sugar red bean is the true classic anyway, and since we wanted plenty to share with my parents, we decided to go with a hearty 24-piece original box😋 Since Chuseok holiday wasn't far off, I wanted to present it more nicely to my parents, so I paid an extra ₩3,000 for bojagi wrapping.

One whole walnut inside: the cross-section the owner cut open

While we waited for the wrapping, the owner kindly smiled and handed us a pastry cut neatly in half as a sample🙏 Looking at the cross-section, my husband and I were both surprised — just as the name suggests, a large whole walnut was packed in without any gaps!!

Taking a bite, the low-sugar red bean filling wasn't artificially oversweet, and as I chewed, the chewiness of the rice dough and the nutty walnut flavor lingered🤤 There was no sharp sweetness at all, so I thought it would suit older palates well and immediately wanted to bring it to my parents!!

After a short wait, the owner brought out the finished bojagi wrapping made with such care — a calm purple fabric neatly tied with a flower-shaped knot. The owner was kind from start to finish, which warmed my mood, and carrying it out felt as satisfying as holding a fancy holiday gift🫶

Opening the 24-piece box: how my parents reacted

As soon as we got home from Gyeongju, I went straight to my parents' place with the well-wrapped Buja Hodu box and handed it over as a light travel gift😙 Untying the pretty bojagi knot and opening the box, the packaging inside was clean and fuss-free too.

The 24 individually wrapped pastries were neatly arranged in their compartments without any mess, and my parents were delighted the moment they saw it✨️

We unwrapped them one by one and tasted them together right there🤍 My parents took a bite and said the crunchy whole-walnut texture was great, and that it wasn't too sweet so it sat easy on the stomach — hearing them say it was delicious and thank me made all the effort of carrying it home feel worthwhile!!

Reheating Buja Hodu walnut pastries in the air fryer with coffee

Eating them plain on the same day was already delicious thanks to the chewy rice dough and nutty filling, but the next day my parents and I tried warming them briefly in the air fryer and pairing them with coffee😆

Air-frying brought the outer rice dough back to a crisp texture, giving it a crisp-outside, soft-inside charm that was completely different from before✨️

How to enjoy Buja Hodu walnut pastries at their best

• With milk or coffee🥛☕️
• With ice cream🍦
• If they've hardened, sprinkle a little milk or water and warm in the microwave🔌
• If frozen, bake in an air fryer at 180–200℃ for 5–10 minutes⚡️

Besides buying in person, they also offer courier delivery and Smart Store online orders, so it's worth considering for a Gyeongju trip souvenir or a holiday gift set!!

Buja Hodu, the Hwangnidan-gil dessert spot in Gyeongju that won over even my parents' tastes with its domestic rice dough and generous whole walnuts — highly recommended😉