Japanese group lunch in Lotte Gwangbok, Busan: Sets A & B, Daidokoro

Daidokoro: a group lunch spot at Lotte Department Store Gwangbok Branch

Daidokoro (다이도코로) is a Japanese home-cooking restaurant in the 10th-floor food court of Lotte Department Store Gwangbok Branch in Busan. I had a meeting at the department store recently and we decided to eat together afterward. While looking for an easy place to eat inside the building, a Japanese restaurant caught my eye, and it was exactly what I wanted. It's on the 10th-floor food court, and I left very satisfied, so here's my honest review.

• Address: 10th floor, Lotte Department Store, 2 Jungang-daero, Jung-gu, Busan
• Hours: 10:30–21:00
• Parking: available (department store parking lot)

Is there a wait for lunch at Daidokoro Gwangbok?

Daidokoro Gwangbok is popular enough that a line forms at peak lunch time. We were lucky and arrived a bit early, so we got a seat right away with no wait. But once the real lunch rush hit, a long line quickly formed in front of the shop.

Daidokoro's atmosphere and seating

From the entrance, Daidokoro is packed with cute character figurines, and browsing them was a lot of fun. It felt like stepping into a cute little Japanese gift shop or a local alley restaurant.

The interior is cozy, bright and comfortable. It's an easy place to eat even alone, and the seating is varied, with tables for 2 and for 4. There were also plenty of baby chairs for families with small children.

Daidokoro menu: individual set meals and sets for 2 or 3

Daidokoro's biggest strength is that everything, from katsu (breaded cutlet) and curry to chicken karaage sets, comes neatly served as one tray per person.

The single items look good, but the sets for 2 and 3 people bundle a nice variety of dishes. If you come in a group like we did, or you get indecisive on a first visit, I'd recommend ordering a set so you can taste a bit of everything.

Four people, one Set A and one Set B for 2

Set A for 2 pairs the kkanpunggi set with the nanban set (₩40,500), and Set B for 2 pairs the karaage set with the katsu set (₩39,000). To share evenly among the four of us, we ordered one Set A and one Set B.

• Set A for 2: kkanpunggi set + nanban set, ₩40,500
• Set B for 2: karaage set + katsu curry set, ₩39,000

By the way, the menu seems to mention small freebies for students, soldiers, pregnant women and people with birthdays, and I was so curious what they are, haha. After we ordered and waited a bit, our beautiful trays arrived one by one.

▽ Set A for 2 - Nanban set

▽ Set A for 2 - Kkanpunggi set

▽ Set B for 2 - Karaage set

▽ Set B for 2 - Katsu curry set

What comes with the sets for 2: menbosha, drinks, side dishes and milk pudding

Besides the popular main sets, the sets for 2 include golden fried menbosha (shrimp toast) as a side and drinks, so our table was completely full.

Each single-person tray also came with cute little side dishes to whet the appetite, plus a soup.

The sides were varied: pickled radish, kimchi, sausage, quail eggs, salad and more. Dressing is kept at each table, so everyone can pour as much as they like.

And the milk pudding at the end, perfect as an after-meal palate cleanser, was sweet and smooth and totally addictive!

How are Daidokoro's katsu and chicken nanban?

The katsu had a super crispy breadcrumb coating yet was full of juice, so it was properly satisfying to chew.

There was no porky smell at all, just a clean, classic Japanese katsu that anyone would like. I also stole a bite of the chicken nanban set a friend ordered.

It comes with plenty of smooth house-made tartar sauce on top of well-fried chicken, and that sauce was so good. It blended with the savory chicken so nicely that I wanted to learn the recipe from the owner. 🤩 It wasn't greasy at all and went great with the fried chicken.

The standard set side: menbosha (shrimp toast)

And then there's the menbosha, the side that comes standard with the sets!

Springy, savory shrimp with a crunchy coating! It wasn't oily or soggy, and it came out freshly fried, so it was a real treat.

The most memorable dish: Daidokoro's mild, creamy curry

Everything was tasty, but the most memorable for me was Daidokoro's curry. Japanese curry is often too strong, or leaves your mouth salty as you eat. But Daidokoro's curry isn't harsh at all. It's very smooth and creamy, and great mixed into the rice.

Overall, from the mains to the sides to the dessert, there was nothing to skip, and everyone stopped talking and was too busy digging in, haha. As we left full and happy, I learned that Daidokoro is a famous spot that appeared on the SBS show 'Master of Living' (생활의 달인) as a master of mentaiko (spicy pollock roe) rice bowls. If I'd known, I would have ordered a mentaiko set too.

Who Daidokoro at Lotte Gwangbok is best for

Overall, Daidokoro at Lotte Department Store Gwangbok Branch is a good place for a filling, tidy meal after a neat shopping trip inside the department store.

It has an exciting feel, as if you've briefly traveled to Japan, and since everything comes neatly on one tray per person, it also seems like a good choice for anyone looking for a place to eat alone without feeling awkward.

If you're looking for lunch at Lotte Department Store Gwangbok Branch, I hope you'll give the katsu spot Daidokoro a visit.