Daegu Korean BBQ restaurant with free steamed egg and Bongja platter: Bongja Makchang

I want to introduce a restaurant in Jongno, Jung-gu, Daegu that's great value and perfectly set up for group gatherings and company dinners. On top of good-quality meat, they hand out unlimited free steamed egg, ramen and even red bean bingsu (shaved ice) for dessert, all at a reasonable price! It's a place where you can see exactly why there's a wait even on weekdays.

Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch: location and waiting

If you walk from The Hyundai toward Jongno, it seems to take under 10 minutes on foot. Office workers come here a lot for company dinners, so even though I visited on a weekday evening, every seat was full.

There are plenty of seats set out on both sides in front of the building so you can wait. They even had fans running in case it got hot. I think I waited about 10 minutes. It's such a popular spot in this area that I'd recommend booking before you come.

Inside: room for group gatherings too

If it's full when you arrive, register for the wait on the Tabling kiosk. The restaurant isn't enormous, but there are lots of seats plus group tables, and there were people having gatherings and company dinners. The interior is clean with a homey feel and comes across as neat and tidy. It's a good spot for a date too. Fitting for a well-priced, tasty Daegu Jongno BBQ joint, the customers just keep coming.

Ramen and the self-serve bar

The best thing about Bongja Makchang! You can eat as much ramen as you like, in several varieties. The neatly kept side dishes can be topped up from the self-serve bar too, so just take as much as you'll eat. Off to one side next to the self-serve bar there's dental floss, hair ties and wet wipes. Thoughtful little touches.

Kiosk ordering and the free menu

You order on the kiosk. The free steamed egg and bingsu can be ordered on the kiosk as well, no need to call a server.

We ordered the Bongja Platter (fresh makchang + fresh pork neck) and a bowl of rice.

The Bongja Platter and the free steamed egg

The tidy side dishes came out. Grilling the kimchi and bean sprouts is the unwritten rule, right? Then there's the makjang (thick soybean paste dip) for dipping the makchang and a nutty sesame oil dip. I don't know why I never get tired of meat no matter how often I eat it. My whole family are makchang lovers, so I think we have it about once a week. This is the free steamed egg. Ordering more is free too, so the value is seriously good!

The thick-cut pork neck looks fresh. Here, once the meat comes out, the staff put it on the grill for you. That's a service you don't get at other Bongja Makchang branches, but the place was packed and I figured they'd be busy, so I said I'd do it myself. The man and woman serving were both so friendly. And here's the makchang. It was quite a generous portion. Our kids have eaten makchang since they were little, so they actually prefer it to regular meat.

This is kkaljeot (a salted seafood dipping sauce) that tastes great with the meat. A jeotgal (salted seafood) base can have a fishy edge, but Bongja Makchang makes theirs with a special secret recipe, so they say there's no fishiness. And it really isn't fishy, just a savory, umami-rich dip.

Grill, grill: from pork neck to makchang

We put the pork neck on the grill first, spooned kkaljeot on top and grilled the kimchi, bean sprouts and gosari (bracken fern) alongside. You can see how thick the meat is, right? It was so thick I cut it into thin slices for the kids. Soft and bursting with juice.

Pork neck cooked just right. While I grilled away, the kids kept snatching pieces up. Thumbs up, they said it was delicious!

Round two: the makchang goes on. The nutty makchang sizzles away nicely. We cut the round pieces in half like this to grill them. It's a chewier cut than regular meat, so when the kids were small I cut it up like this in case they choked, and they said it tasted better that way, so we've kept doing it ever since.

If you like it crispy, try grilling it like this! Dunk it in the makjang, nom nom nom, and the day's fatigue just melts away. When you're feeling low, get in front of some meat! That saying is absolutely true.

Ramen tastes even better with the meat, and it kept going down even while I wondered what to do about my diet. I told myself I'd move a bit more tomorrow and just forgot everything today and focused on eating.

To finish, red bean bingsu! A whole bowl this full for free. Be sure to get it at the end as a palate cleanser. It clears out the heavy feeling the meat leaves in your mouth.

Free extras, flavor and friendly service

This area gets a lot of foot traffic anyway, but this was the only place around here that was packed. Bongja Makchang's signature service! Free ramen, steamed egg and bingsu is a big draw, but the meat itself is so good that once you've been, you'll only ever come here. Being cheap doesn't mean lower quality here; the tender makchang with no off smell was the best! The servers were so kind too, and when we left they came outside with us, sprayed us with deodorizer and handed out candy. Free extras, flavor and friendliness, all three: that's Bongja Makchang in Jongno, Jung-gu, Daegu.