Gyeongju walnut pastry shop with a window counter at 8pm: Buja Hodu

Walking along Hwangnidan-gil, you'll notice there are quite a few walnut pastry shops around. This time I visited Buja Hodu! It's not a place to eat in-store — it's mostly takeout — but since I was in Gyeongju I wanted to pick up some gifts, so I stopped by!

Where Buja Hodu is, opening hours and parking

Buja Hodu is located at 38 Poseok-ro 1095beon-gil, Building B, Unit 105, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, tucked inside a backstreet off Hwangnidan-gil. It's open daily from 09:30 to 20:00.

• 📍 Address: 38 Poseok-ro 1095beon-gil, Building B, Unit 105, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea
• ⏰ Hours: Daily 09:30–20:00
• 🚘 Parking: No parking at the shop; use the Hwangnidan-gil public parking lot 470m away (175-2 Sajeong-dong, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk)
• 📦 Takeout only / no seating inside, gift wrapping available (including bojagi wrapping for holidays)
• 🛒 Orders available via Naver Smart Store

How to find Buja Hodu on Hwangnidan-gil

It's tucked in a backstreet off Hwangnidan-gil, right in front of a signpost at a fork in the alley.

The black sign has "Buja Hodu" written large in white letters, and a round yellow logo light glows under the wooden counter. It's a window-style counter that folds open, so it was easy to order right as I walked by. The owner was at the counter and explained the storage tips in detail.

Inside and out: can you sit and eat at Buja Hodu?

Buja Hodu isn't set up for eating inside, so the highlight isn't the interior but the scene in front of the counter.

A wooden tray was piled high with walnut pastries individually wrapped in paper, each flavor wrapped in a different colored paper so you could tell them apart just by looking. Next to it sat a sample of the gift packaging tied with a purple bojagi.

Buja Hodu menu and prices

(Unit: thousand won)

• 🌰 Walnut pastries, 10-piece original: 9.5
• 10-piece mix: 11
• 15-piece mix (BEST): 17
• 24-piece mix: 27
• ※ Almond praline is limited to 50/day, +3.0 to choose
• ☕ Americano 3.9 / Café latte 4.5 / Passionfruit ade 3.9 / Bundaberg grapefruit 4.5

🍨 The walnut ice cream affogato — walnut pastry topped with ice cream and coffee — is apparently a menu item this shop first developed (you can order it without the coffee too). There are four flavors in total: low-sugar red bean, pea cream cheese, matcha, and almond praline.

I visited late in the evening, so unfortunately I couldn't get the almond praline ㅠㅠ

Tasting the three walnut pastry flavors

Low-sugar red bean walnut pastries

This is the most basic, original flavor. I thought "low-sugar" might mean less sweet, but it was actually sweeter and tastier than expected! It's packed with red bean, and you can taste bits of walnut crunching through, adding a nutty note.

Pea cream cheese walnut pastries

This is the signature menu item, and my favorite of the three! Green pea paste layers with white cream cheese. The soft, slightly tangy cream cheese on top of the sweet pea filling was way more appealing than the red bean one.

Matcha walnut pastries

The distinct bitterness of matcha cuts through the sweetness, so this would especially suit people who can't handle too much sugar. The dough is apparently 100% domestic rice, and maybe because of that it was soft and moist, sitting easy on the stomach afterward. A whole walnut was tucked inside, so the walnut aroma burst out with every bite.

How should you store walnut pastries?

Here's the storage advice the Buja Hodu owner shared!

• Freezer storage → can be kept for a long time
• Room temperature → about 3–4 days
• Fridge storage → the owner said to avoid this

Since the weather's been getting cooler, I think room temperature storage might hold up a bit longer than that haha (but still, please follow the official guidance!)

Why Buja Hodu makes a good Gyeongju souvenir gift set

The packaging is neat and tidy, making it perfect to bring home as a Gyeongju souvenir. Since bojagi wrapping is also available, it would make an especially nice gift for parents. Walnut pastries suit older palates well too, and being low-sugar makes them feel a bit less indulgent.

Chuseok gift set orders are open now, through September 26.

Oh, and there's an event where leaving a receipt review gets you 2 walnut pastries or 1 americano — worth keeping in mind!

Final thoughts on Buja Hodu

Buja Hodu isn't a spot to eat in, but it's great for grabbing a bag to snack on while walking around, or to buy as gifts. Buying just 10 to nibble on slowly at your lodging works well solo, and splitting a mix box works well for two. Between the low-sugar red bean and the clean gift packaging, I'd recommend this to anyone trying to figure out what Gyeongju souvenir to get 🌰