Cauliflower potato soup and focaccia sandwich at Baut, Dongdaegu café

Looking for a good brunch spot near Dongdaegu Station? Then I recommend Baut, with its soups, various sandwiches, and drinks.

For some reason I always crave fresh brunch on Sunday mornings. Sliced bread sandwiches are good too, of course, but I love basic meal breads like sourdough focaccia and baguette so much that I always used to go to Sogeumjip in the Shinsegae Department Store basement, where they make sandwiches with all kinds of bread — but the basement level there is so crowded it was always a bit of a letdown. Then it turned out there's a totally on-vibe brunch place right at Dongdaegu Station!? So I went and checked it out.

Baut basic info

• 📍Address: 18 Dongbu-ro 26-gil, 1F, Dong-gu, Daegu, South Korea
• ⏰Hours: Weekdays 10:00-20:00 (closed every Tuesday) / Weekends 11:00-21:00
• 🅿️Parking available (alley beside the building)
• ✏️Takeout available, reservations available

1. Location and parking

Baut is one block behind the Dongdaegu Station food alley, right next to the Daegu Marriott Hotel. It's close to Shinsegae Department Store too, and easily accessible from Dongdaegu Station on Daegu Subway Line 1 and the KTX.

Right beside the building entrance there's this alley — that's the parking area! The area in front of Dongdaegu Station is honestly a bit of a free-for-all when it comes to alley parking, so having a café-only space is really nice. Lots of takeout customers too, parking, picking up, and pulling out while others pull in.

You can feel the owner's aesthetic from the entrance, right? Clean, black base, with color accents! Hip and just so on-vibe — I was happy to discover such a great place after a while^_^

2. Interior atmosphere

The café has three floors. The first floor has floor-to-ceiling windows, wall-side tables (great for solo café time), and 2-4 person seats. The second floor has cute square windows, color-accent tables, and a mint mood. The third floor has group-friendly tables and a wood mood. Each floor has a clearly distinct atmosphere and use. Let's go through them in order and pick a seat to relax >_<

1F — Glass blocks, floor-to-ceiling windows, solo seats

The highlight of the first floor has to be these glass blocks and the big windows. I've been thinking about doing a glass-block accent at home, and seeing this in person just confirmed — so pretty…🩵

I also thought it was thoughtful how they hung a curtain in front of the prep counter so it doesn't feel cramped, but also doesn't feel awkward for either side! There's solo seating too, so even if it's full you won't feel pressured to squeeze in. Recommended for solo café time near Dongdaegu Station!

Behind the bar table there are 2-4 person seats. Even if a table only has two chairs, there are extra chairs placed around, so I think if you ask, they'll bring you one! Glass blocks, big windows, and solo seating were the highlights of the first floor.

2F — Mint walls and yellow tables

Climbing to the second floor, you're greeted by stylish plants, extra stools, and a self-serve water station. Compared to the first floor, more pastel colors stand out here. The tables were a cute yellow.

Mint walls, yellow tables — the warm colors and slightly more comfortable chairs made me like the second floor even more. The gaps between tables were really wide too, which combined with the minimal interior made it feel very pleasant.

I coveted the sunny, green window seat. Of course, someone was already sitting there — the best spots always are! (Honestly all the seats were comfortable, so they're all the best spots.)

The lighting was pretty too, so I took photos. I kind of want to buy the same one and copy the whole setup at home; it hit my interior design taste exactly, so browsing was fun.

3F — 8-person group table

The third floor has a separated space with a long table, great for group visits. The lighting is gorgeous here too, isn't it?

It seats up to 8 people, so I thought it'd be great to book with coworkers for a lunch next time, or for moms getting together after dropping kids off at school or kindergarten!

Besides the 8-person space, there's also a round 4-person table, color-accent 2-person tables, and plenty of room overall, so you don't need to worry about not finding a seat even when it's crowded.

3. Menu and prices

As you'd expect from a well-known brunch spot, there was a huge variety on the menu. From coffee, tea, and drinks to hummus, sandwiches, soup, and desserts, it was a flashy lineup. The sandwiches weren't just one bread with different toppings either — the bread itself changed between baguette, focaccia, sourdough, and more, which was a nice touch!

• Americano ₩4,800
• Baut Coffee ₩5,500
• Café Latte ₩5,300
• Vanilla Latte ₩5,500
• Cinnamon Latte ₩5,500
• Cream Mocha ₩5,500

• Matcha Cream Strawberry Latte ₩6,800
• Blueberry Matcha Latte ₩6,800
• Orange ₩5,500
• Apple & Peach ₩5,500

• Veggie Hummus ₩14,000
• Cauliflower Potato Soup ₩13,500
• Green Onion Jambon Sandwich ₩12,500
• Focaccia Sandwich ₩12,000
• Grilled Cheese Toast ₩11,500
• Ciabatta Sandwich ₩11,000

Usually a café is good at either desserts or brunch, rarely both — but here the desserts looked gorgeous too, with really nice colors💛

• Banana Pudding ₩6,000
• Blueberry Cheesecake ₩6,500
• Chocolate Gateau ₩6,500
• Cinnamon Bun ₩6,500

4. Honest taste review

I really deliberated over where to sit, and ended up under the pretty lighting in front of the mint wall on the second floor>_< I visited on a Sunday at 1pm, and it was almost full! Stylishly dressed girls, newlywed couples, elderly folks — it felt like the entire Dongdaegu neighborhood had gathered there.

Here's the brunch I ordered>_< Looks hearty, right?

I ordered the cauliflower potato soup, focaccia sandwich, Baut coffee, and an iced Americano. I love brunch so much that hummus, potato soup, focaccia bread, and jambon are all ingredients I especially love — and it turned out Baut uses all my favorite ingredients! I honestly wanted to try the whole menu, but I held back and ordered just two dishes!

Focaccia sandwich — salami and fresh cheese

The focaccia sandwich has tomato pesto, salami, red onion, arugula, and a thick layer of fresh cheese. The savory umami of the tomato and salami gets wrapped in nutty, fresh cheese, and then that distinct nutty, wheaty focaccia flavor covers the whole thing like a blanket… honestly the best sandwich I've had in a while! Jambon or other sandwiches are common at other cafés, but places using salami and focaccia together are rare, so if you visit Baut, this is the dish I'd recommend the most.

They give you a knife and fork too, so you can cut into it elegantly while eating ㅎ_ㅎ You know how it's not easy to eat a sandwich neatly, right? I think it's because the focaccia is moist and not chewy, so it cuts cleanly!

Cauliflower potato soup — the reason for this post

And the moment of truth, the potato soup… this thing… this thing was genuinely delicious. I already love nutty potato soup in general, but there was something crunchy in it — cauliflower, I think — that made the texture fun too. Plus the bread that comes with it has a nicely chewy bite, so dunking it into the soup was an amazing combo!

The soup's thickness was exactly right — great for soaking bread in, great for spreading on top, great for just spooning up straight. It was seriously fantastic, and honestly I'm now a regular reservation just for this potato soup — I'm going back again this Sunday. (Firm decision.) Return visit intention: 10000000000000%

Is Baut coffee sweet? Turns out no

The coffee was good too. An iced Americano — essential for cleansing the palate during brunch. I was worried Baut coffee would be too sweet, but not at all! It wasn't sweet, but had a rich, concentrated milk flavor and nutty depth, with a strong espresso base. It was less sweet than expected, which I really appreciated. This place is a latte spot, so definitely order Baut coffee.

There's a thin layer of cream on top of Baut coffee, and it's not sweet at all — it just adds a nutty layer on top. That thick latte layer underneath was no joke… (highly recommend) I know I keep recommending everything, kind of embarrassing.. ^^ But seriously, seriously, I loved it!

It looked like this, and then it looked like this ^_^ I really came home and did the dishes ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Final thoughts

As a self-appointed guardian of Dongdaegu Station, how did a great restaurant like this slip past me..^^.. I was a bit annoyed, but it was fun discovering one more spot to love.

• ✔️ 200% return visit intention — a Dongdaegu Station brunch favorite
• ✔️ Minimal design with color-accent interior, a Sincheon-dong café
• ✔️ Definitely order the potato soup
• ✔️ Definitely order the focaccia sandwich
• ✔️ Definitely order the Baut coffee

Just grab a crowd of friends, go, and order everything^_^ Honest review. The end.