Daejeon Daeheung-dong Korean restaurant: five-dish Sunday lunch, Usul

I went as a sponsored visit, but I was genuinely so satisfied — you really should go once!!!

Hi, this is Density of Everyday Life. There are quite a few good-atmosphere restaurants in Daeheung-dong, Daejeon, but lately I've found it surprisingly hard to find a place that actually does Korean food properly.

This time I visited Usul, a fusion Korean restaurant in Daeheung-dong. It's rooted in Korean food but the menu pairs familiar ingredients and flavors in new combinations, and the interior atmosphere was really nice too. I could immediately see why it's famous as a fusion Korean spot near Jungang-ro Station, Daejeon.

For reference, this visit was sponsored, but both the food and the atmosphere were genuinely satisfying to me personally. To cut to the conclusion: out of all the restaurants I've been to in the last three months, this is one of the few that really stood out.

Where is Usul, what are its hours, and what is the space like?

Usul is a fusion Korean restaurant tucked into an alley in Daeheung-dong, on Jungang-ro 138beon-gil in Jung-gu, Daejeon. It's open Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00–21:00, with last order at 20:00, and closed every Monday.

Tue–Sun 11:00 – 21:00 Last order 20:00 Closed every Monday

Overall Usul had a calm yet stylish atmosphere. You might picture a fusion Korean restaurant as somewhere casual or a bit chaotic, but the space felt spacious and the table spacing was wide, which I liked. Good for eating with friends, good for a slow-talking date too. There were quite a lot of women in the restaurant. Between the good food and the good vibe, it seems really popular.

Above all, the staff were so kind that I felt good the entire meal. And true to being a fusion Korean place, they also sell traditional Korean liquor (uriju), which would go nicely alongside the food.

Sunday lunch at Usul: the wait and what five of us ordered

On a Sunday lunch, there was no wait, but every table except reservations was full. It's a space that fits about 20 people, and being fusion Korean, there were plenty of dishes you can't normally find elsewhere.

First, they set out white kimchi and pickled garlic scapes as banchan. Already such a neat, tidy feel. This day we tried a good variety of dishes.

Spicy peanut chogye bibimmyeon, 13,900 won

Adding the nuttiness of peanuts and a spicy kick to chogye (a chilled poultry-and-noodle Korean dish) made this feel different from a regular bibimmyeon. I personally love peanut butter, so this tasted really good to me. The spicy-nutty sauce really wakes up your appetite, and the soft-cooked chicken breast gives you a protein boost — perfect summer specialty! Other restaurants stingily give you barely 50g of chicken breast, but Usul clearly gave over 100g at a glance. Also, Usul seems to put those green leaves in a lot of dishes — looks like Angelica leaf... the subtle aroma was really nice.

Sweet corn soft tofu gomtang, 12,900 won

A dish that's not overpowering and warm, good for wrapping up a meal. If you're ordering several dishes together, I'd recommend adding a soup dish like this one. The broth was refreshing and spicy, almost as good as a proper gukbap specialist's, like it could cure a hangover. It was also plated so neatly it was a pleasure just to look at.

Crispy fried peppers, 9,900 won

Peppers stuffed full of meat and deep-fried whole. The red sauce and soy sauce served alongside were so tasty. That red sauce is basically like the marbling sauce you get when you order the spicy fried chicken from Goobne Chicken — you know the one? Tasted just like that. But it wasn't too intense, so I kept going. Cut open, the portion was pretty generous too!

Shiitake squid-ink fritters, 9,900 won

A pretty fun kick of a dish, the shiitake ink fritters. Stuffed with shrimp meat and fried, so you get the mushroom texture and shrimp texture at the same time — really fun. I'm definitely ordering this again next time.

Basil doenjang cream sujebi, 14,900 won

One of the dishes that personally stuck with me most was the basil doenjang cream sujebi (hand-torn dough soup). Combining doenjang, a traditional Korean fermented soybean paste, with cream and basil sounded odd but worked way better than I expected. It tasted both familiar and completely new at once, and really showed the direction Usul is taking with its fusion Korean cooking. The doenjang aroma came through subtly, and the basil wrapped around doenjang's characteristic funky smell in a way that complemented it perfectly.

Five guys literally had our faces down in the bowls, licking up every last bit of sauce... truly amazing.

Three things Usul gets right

A fusion Korean restaurant that's hard to find: a ray of sunshine discovered in a dull Daeheung-dong alley Great for both dates and group gatherings: table spacing is generous and the vibe is great Uriju pairing and above-average taste: the prices are decent so it's easy to pair with traditional Korean liquor

The honest downside: dishes sold out by lunchtime

Honestly, it was hard to find much to complain about with the food or atmosphere. But visiting during lunch, a few menu items had already sold out, which was a bit disappointing. I wanted to try Usul's signature gochujang yukhoe (raw beef) and yubu-mari (fried tofu skin rolls), but they were sold out that day so we couldn't order them. On top of that, the group who came in after us couldn't eat at all because ingredients had run out. It's probably a natural result of being popular, but a small sign out front showing which menu items are available or sold out that day would be helpful for visiting guests.

Who Usul is best for

• Anyone looking for a good-atmosphere restaurant in Daeheung-dong, Daejeon
• Anyone in Daeheung-dong who wants something more unusual than the usual Korean menu
• Anyone looking for a group or date spot in Daeheung-dong

Final thoughts on lunch at Usul

There are plenty of good-atmosphere restaurants in Daejeon these days, but places that build brand-new dishes on a Korean-food foundation like this are actually hard to find. It's not just a modern-styled Korean restaurant — it felt like they twist familiar ingredients and combinations just slightly to create new flavors, and I loved that.

Above all, what I liked most is that it's not just "oh interesting, it's fusion Korean" and nothing more — it was actually delicious. If you're looking for something other than the usual Western food or izakaya in Daeheung-dong, Daejeon, or want to enjoy Korean food with traditional liquor in a nice atmosphere, I'd recommend Usul. Next time I visit, I think I'll start by ordering the gochujang yukhoe and yubu-mari I missed out on this time.

Overall rating: ★★★★☆

• Taste ★★★★☆ — clean, light broths and a well-rounded lineup
• Atmosphere ★★★★☆ — that well-worn, established feel of a good restaurant
• Price ★★★★☆ — five guys ate until full and it still came to under ₩15,000 per person