Daegu Korean restaurant to take parents for grilled deodeok: Hyangtaek

Today I visited the Daebong Branch of Hyangtaek, a famous Korean restaurant in Daegu 🏃🏻‍♀️ It's a clean, satisfying meal near Kim Kwang-seok Street, and I'd recommend it for taking your parents out too. Here's my review after trying the eggplant doenjang bowl, mackerel gondre rice, and grilled deodeok mushroom side.

Where is Hyangtaek Daebong Branch, and is there parking?

📍17 Dalgubeol-daero 440-gil, Jung-gu, Daegu, South Korea. Hyangtaek Daebong Branch is near Kim Kwang-seok Street and Gyeongbuk Uni Hospital Station, so it's worth remembering next time you're looking for lunch or dinner in the area. Parking is available for 2 cars in front of the restaurant.

The interior is clean and has a nice atmosphere. There are wide tables too, so group visits shouldn't be a problem. Since the menu is made up of tidy, single-bowl Korean dishes, I thought it would be a good place to bring your parents — and sure enough, I saw quite a few people doing exactly that.

Hyangtaek Daebong Branch menu and prices

Hyangtaek's menu is centered around rice bowls made for a single meal.

• Mackerel gondre rice (samchi gondre bap) — ₩14,000
• Eggplant doenjang rice bowl (gaji doenjang deopbap) — ₩13,000
• Yukhoe bibimbap — ₩14,000
• Chamnamul squid rice bowl (chamnamul ojingeo deopbap) — ₩13,000
• Herring roe bibim noodles (cheongeoal bibimmyeon) — ₩13,000

Alongside the mains, there are side dishes too — grilled mushroom and deodeok (bellflower root), a mushroom platter, a galbi platter, and Cheongsong-style chicken bulgogi.

There was also a mushroom pancake platter offered free with a Naver review — definitely try to get in on this!! The mushroom pancake is way, way more delicious than you'd expect ㅠㅠ🍄‍🟫 Sadly it's not available on weekends, so I ordered the grilled deodeok mushroom side I'd been wanting to try, hoho.

What side dishes come with the meal?

The neat banchan (side dishes), doenjang soup, and the dishes I ordered came out quickly. Everything's made with healthy ingredients, so you might think, 'wait, is this going to be bland and virtuous-tasting?' — absolutely not. It's genuinely delicious!

Mackerel gondre rice, 14,000 won

Hyangtaek's signature dish, mackerel gondre rice, comes with a whole, generous piece of mackerel on top. The flesh is already fully deboned, so you just lightly mash it and mix it into the rice.

The mackerel itself is thick and tender, so the fish's clean flavor pairs really well with gondre's (Korean thistle) fragrant, distinctive taste.

I liked it even more wrapped in gim (dried seaweed) with a bit of salted seafood on top. A bowl packed with fresh, clean mackerel mixed into gondre rice! The portion is quite hearty for an adult too, so it's satisfying serving-size-wise.

Eggplant doenjang rice bowl, 13,000 won

And the eggplant doenjang bowl, which was even more delicious than expected 🍆 If mackerel gondre rice is the kind of delicious you'd expect, the eggplant doenjang bowl is the one that'll win you over once you actually try it.

You tear the eggplant into strips and mix it lightly — the eggplant's juices spill out, and it's grilled so moist and perfectly 🥹 Even if you're not an eggplant person, I'd strongly recommend giving this a try.

The ground meat, the well-balanced savory doenjang sauce, and the eggplant's umami all come together beautifully 👍🏻 This one's seasoned a bit more savory-salty than expected, so there's zero sense of 'too bland, too healthy' — it just tastes great and satisfying. I actually enjoyed this one even more than the mackerel dish. (I went back again the very next week just for the eggplant.)

The side order: grilled deodeok and mushrooms

The side I'd strongly recommend is the grilled deodeok (bellflower root) and mushroom. There's a subtle, distinctive deodeok aroma along with plenty of smoky char, and the sauce is mildly spicy — it pairs perfectly with Hyangtaek's main rice bowls.

The deodeok and mushrooms are cut to the same size and alternated on the skewer, and of course, it tastes best when you pick up both together. Smoky, moist mushrooms and chewy deodeok — if you're deciding on a side dish, I highly recommend this one! (And the mushroom pancake too!)

Verdict after sharing three dishes at Hyangtaek Daebong Branch

Hyangtaek is a place most Daegu locals already know for a clean, satisfying meal. It lived up to its reputation — the eggplant doenjang bowl was savory and mellow, the mackerel gondre rice was clean and fragrant, and the grilled deodeok mushroom side had aroma and chewy spiciness. All three felt completely different, which made sharing them between three people really enjoyable. If you're in Daebong-dong looking for a healthy, clean meal that isn't too heavy, I'd highly recommend this place 🤍