Self-serve cheese bar and kimchi fried rice at Mijin Chuksan, Daegu

I wanted a hearty, delicious dinner after work, so I went looking for a Korean BBQ restaurant in Chilgok 3-jigu, Daegu — and that's how I found Mijin Chuksan Chilgok Branch.

Where do you park?

A few cars can park right in front of the store, and you can also use the building's underground parking for free! I was worried there wouldn't be a spot, so I parked in an alley in Chilgok 3-jigu and walked over. If you're driving, parking in front of the store or in the building's basement should work fine 🚘

A 70-pyeong restaurant with seating for group dinners

From the outside, the place didn't look that big, but once I stepped inside, the space was really spacious! The restaurant is about 70 pyeong (≈231 sqm), and it has plenty of tables to match. Apparently it's a popular spot for company dinners in Chilgok 3-jigu. It felt like a good fit for group get-togethers or family meals since there's plenty of room even with several people.

I also liked that there are arcade games, toys, and a claw machine set up for kids when families visit.

What's on the self-serve bar

The self-serve bar here is really well put together. They set up the basic side dishes and sauces for you at first, but the self-serve bar has all sorts of other food ready, so you can pick and grab whatever side dishes you're craving. I loaded up on all my favorites haha.

Menu

This is how the basic side dishes and sauces were set up!

Couple set (2 people), ₩35,000

Couple set (2 people), ₩35,000 — pork belly 300g + Iberico pork collar 200g + bibim jjolmyeon (spicy cold noodles) + 1 sausage. Since it was my first visit to Mijin Chuksan Chilgok Branch, I ordered the couple set so I could try a bit of everything. It was nice to taste both the pork belly and the Iberico pork collar.

I'm not really a fan of overly fatty meat, but the pork belly here had just the right amount of fat, so it was delicious. It wasn't too greasy, and you could really taste the savory flavor of the meat.

The Iberico pork collar was also tender, not dry at all, so I enjoyed it a lot. Personally, both the pork belly and the collar were satisfying!!

The bibim jjolmyeon and sausage that come with the set

This is the bibim jjolmyeon (spicy mixed noodles) that came with the set.

Looking at the color of the sauce, I thought it would be pretty spicy at first, but it wasn't spicy at all. It was more sweet than spicy.

The set also came with one sausage. It already had slits cut into it, so it was easy to slice for eating. I'm not a big sausage fan, so I don't have a photo of it 😅

Aged kimchi fried rice, ₩6,000

Aged kimchi fried rice, ₩6,000. I ordered it because it's supposedly Mijin Chuksan's best menu item — crunchy, spicy-sweet aged kimchi fried rice piled up like a volcano under a blanket of egg. It arrived with the fried rice sitting on top of a sheet of egg.

The fried rice had a bit of meat in it along with aged kimchi, green onion, and onion, topped with roasted seaweed flakes. The description said it was spicy, but personally I tasted more sweet and tangy notes than spicy ones.

There's cheese at the self-serve bar

I love cheese, so after finishing the cheese they gave us by default, I went back to the self-serve bar for another round. This was the first time I've seen cheese at a Korean BBQ self-serve bar, and I loved it 😆

The default doenjang jjigae

Doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) is provided by default. When it first arrived, the broth looked clear, so I thought it might be a light, clear version — but once I stirred it while it was boiling, the seasoning had settled to the bottom, which is why it looked clear at first.

I'm a lightweight when it comes to spice, but I still love spicy food lol. So I thought the doenjang jjigae could use a bit more kick, and once I added two peppers from the self-serve bar, it turned nice and spicy, and I really enjoyed it.

Things to know before you visit

By the way, there's a table setting fee of ₩3,000 per table here. It's automatically included when you order, so keep that in mind if you visit! If you want to eat meat comfortably in a spacious restaurant, or you're looking for a group dinner or family meal spot in Chilgok 3-jigu, give Mijin Chuksan Chilgok Branch a try 💚

Store info

• Address: 122 Dongcheon-ro, 1st floor, Buk-gu, Daegu, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Fri 17:00–1:00 next day / Sat–Sun 16:30–1:00 next day, last order 00:00
• Restroom inside: Yes
• Parking: Yes (in front of store + free underground parking in the building)