Gyeongju walnut pastry café with 50-a-day almond praline: Buja Hodu

Buja Hodu

Location and hours

📍Location and info Location - 48-8 Sajeong-dong, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk Hours - Daily 09:30–20:00

Hi, this is Rimju, sharing little everyday moments. Today, being the biggest foodie I know, I went to try Buja Hodu on Hwangnidan-gil, a place famous for packing a ton of walnuts into their pastries!!! It's popular for gifts and thank-you presents, so I'd been curious about it — after visiting in person, I'll give you the honest taste and info! Since it's not a chain and everything is made by hand, I could really feel the care put into it. The owner's pride in the shop was so cool haha. Buja Hodu uses easily digestible rice flour instead of wheat flour and good-quality walnuts, aiming to make a snack that's both a joy to eat and good for you — a 'health-rich' treat.

What I ordered and the prices

📝What I ordered 24-piece original (red bean x24) — ₩23,000 10-piece mix (pea cream cheese + red bean) — ₩11,000

You can pay with Toss Pay! And if you write a receipt review, they give you 2 walnut pastries or 1 americano, so it's worth doing ‼️

Almond praline, limited to 50 a day

As soon as you order, they pack it right into the box for you. Each color is a different flavor haha, so cute ..... I really wanted to try the almond praline, but since it's limited to 50 a day, I couldn't get one. Next time for sure ,, !! If you want to try the almond praline too, I definitely recommend going early.

I bought one 24-piece box for my parents, and packed a 10-piece box to eat in the car with my boyfriend on the drive. I don't actually like matcha, but I have this habit of always wanting to try new flavors. The thoughtful owner swapped one for matcha for me! Hahaha.

A 24-piece gift box — good for a thank-you present?

Isn't the 24-piece gift box just so classy and clean-looking? I think anyone would be so happy to receive this as a gift ,,,, It seems perfect for a parents' gift or a thank-you present. With Chuseok coming up, I highly recommend it as a gift for your parents! But you know taste matters too, right ^^?^^ So I dug right in.

Tasted straight from the car — a whole walnut inside each one

After packing them up, I took a bite right in the car — the red bean filling was seriously packed full, and it had the biggest walnut I've ever seen in a walnut pastry. There's literally a whole one inside. So that's why you're called Buja Hodu (rich walnut) ..... I bet it'd be even better fresh out of the oven!!!!

Red bean

[ One-line review ] Maybe because it's low-sugar red bean, it wasn't too sweet, and with a whole walnut inside it was nutty and delicious.

Matcha

[ One-line review ] Even though I don't like matcha flavor, the bitter-sweet balance worked really well 👍

Pea cream cheese — my top favorite pick

⭐️My absolute favorite pick!⭐️ Pea paste with cream cheese, what is this ..? They go so well together. Sweet paste + savory cream cheese combo, I'm at a loss for words ......... All three flavors were really packed full of filling, and with a nutty whole walnut inside each one, the texture was just wild .. I'd never had a walnut pastry this stuffed before .... I'm not usually a huge walnut pastry person, but I ate these so happily. I kept reaching for more and ended up eating all 10 by myself ㅠ ...

How to store walnut pastries

🍪Storage Except for what you'll eat that day, put them in a zipper bag and freeze them. Before eating, let them thaw naturally or heat them in an air fryer (180°C, 5 minutes) to enjoy them just like the first bite.

If you're looking for a thoughtfully made, delicious dessert in Gyeongju, make sure to visit Buja Hodu!