Daegu Korean restaurant lunch near Banwoldang, 20-min wait at 11:20am

A Korean restaurant recommendation near Banwoldang Station in Jung-gu, Daegu: Banwoldang Bujasikdang.

I had some errands near Banwoldang and wanted Korean food for lunch, so I found Banwoldang Bujasikdang! They had all kinds of rice-worthy dishes, from fire-grilled pork stir-fry to squid stir-fry to short ribs. We ordered the popular jikhwa ojebokkeum, which lets you try squid and pork together. Even though we showed up around 11:20am, there were so many reservation customers that we had to wait on Tabling! Let me share how it actually was :)

Location and interior of Banwoldang Bujasikdang

Less than a 2-minute walk from Exit 21 of Banwoldang Station.

Banwoldang Bujasikdang is a 2-minute walk from Exit 21 of Banwoldang Station, so the location was great for someone like me getting there by subway.

How much parking is available?

About 3 cars can park in front of the restaurant. If it's full, you'll need to use a nearby paid lot, and there's no separate parking fee support, so keep that in mind.

Hall tables, a private room, and group reservations

Inside there were about 8 hall tables and a separate room was set up as well. Group reservations are also possible, so it seemed popular with nearby office workers for lunch or gatherings.

A Tabling wait even at 11:20am

We visited around 11:20am, not long after opening, yet there were already quite a few reservation customers. We registered for a wait on Tabling and got number 1!

We waited about 20 minutes before getting seated, and as lunchtime approached, customers kept streaming in. If you're visiting this Jung-gu, Daegu spot during lunch hour, it's worth reserving ahead or heading over a bit earlier.

Ordering jikhwa ojebokkeum, squid and pork in one dish

Banwoldang Bujasikdang is a Korean restaurant centered on fire-grilled dishes. The signature dishes were fire-grilled bujaseokgalbi (short ribs), fire-grilled squid stir-fry, and fire-grilled pork stir-fry.

We didn't have to agonize over squid stir-fry versus pork stir-fry — we ordered the jikhwa ojebokkeum, which lets you have both, in two servings. Rice is sold separately, so we added two bowls.

A generous Korean spread, from side dishes to cheonggukjang stew

If you're dining solo, there are single-portion options too, like the country-style cheonggukjang doenjang stew & bibimbap :)

Each table had a touchscreen for ordering, which made things convenient. They were also running an event where you get one free canned drink for writing a receipt review.

Five basic side dishes and a self-serve wrap-vegetable bar

After ordering, five basic side dishes came out first — seasoned bean sprouts, seasoned seaweed stems, pickled onions, seasoned julienned radish, and more. They were clean, simple sides that paired well with the main dishes.

Wrap vegetables are self-serve — you just grab as much as you want from the bar. There was lettuce, chili peppers, and ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), perfect for wrapping up the jikhwa ojebokkeum.

And finally, the jikhwa ojebokkeum and cheonggukjang doenjang stew we'd been waiting for arrived, completing a proper Korean meal spread. The squid and pork came out beautifully stir-fried in a red sauce — just looking at it made me crave rice.

How was the jikhwa ojebokkeum?

Taking a bite, the spicy-sweet sauce combined with that distinct fire-grilled aroma definitely gave it depth of flavor. What's more, instead of just eating pork the whole time, chewy squid kept showing up in between, so I could alternate between two textures — I was glad we ordered the jikhwa ojebokkeum.

It was delicious just piled on rice, and also worked great wrapped in lettuce with the pork and squid together plus a touch of ssamjang. And on top of that, a spoonful of hot cheonggukjang doenjang stew!

It was savory and rich, making it a great thing to eat in between bites of the spicy jikhwa ojebokkeum.

A satisfying way to wrap up lunch

Being able to eat the fire-grilled stir-fry along with the side dishes, wrap vegetables, and cheonggukjang doenjang stew all together made for a pretty substantial lunch. The jikhwa ojebokkeum let us have fire-grilled pork and squid in one dish! It's a great menu to pair with rice, and one I'll think of whenever I want a hearty meal. It's especially convenient on foot from Banwoldang Station, and since there were a lot of office workers and reservation customers at lunchtime, I'd recommend timing your visit well.

If you're looking for a Korean restaurant near Banwoldang Station, Banwoldang Bujasikdang is worth checking out :) If you can't give up either squid or pork, like me, try the jikhwa ojebokkeum! Hope this helps anyone looking for good food in Jung-gu, Daegu — another delicious meal today :)