Chuseok drink event at a Daegu Korean restaurant: Hyangtaek Daebong

I finally made it to Hyangtaek, a well-known restaurant on Kim Kwang-seok Street! The food from this brand is so good that after visiting the Seongseo Gyemyeong University branch, I had to check out the Daebong branch too, haha.

Worn out from parenting, we told my mom and carved out some time to go on an actual date, haha.

Hyangtaek Daebong Branch sits right on the wedding street, so it seems like a lot of people visiting Daegu for wedding invitation meetings stop by too. When I went for lunch — even though it was a late lunch — the place was completely packed, with everyone clearly enjoying their meal!

Hyangtaek Daebong events: free weekday mushroom pancake and a Chuseok drink

Right now Hyangtaek Daebong Branch is running a weekday-only event — leave a receipt review or sign up for notifications and get a free mushroom pancake. And from September 24 to 26, during Chuseok, they're also giving out drinks (your choice of omija tea, sikhye, or sujeonggwa) to the first 100 customers each day!

Their new menu item, grilled deodeok (bellflower root) and mushrooms, also seems to be quietly popular. As a customer, it's hard not to love a place that's this generous, haha. And the food itself is comforting, no-fuss Korean cooking, so nothing feels heavy.

The eggplant doenjang rice bowl that won over an eggplant hater

The basic sides at this well-known Daegu spot are miso doenjang soup, pickles, bibim jeotgal, and gopchang gim — a simple lineup, but it pairs really well with the rice bowl and noodle mains.

This popular Bangcheon Market restaurant's signature dishes are the eggplant doenjang rice bowl and mackerel gondre rice. I'd already had the mackerel gondre rice at another branch, so this time I went for something different, haha (though the mackerel gondre rice is genuinely delicious too!!).

The eggplant doenjang rice bowl combines savory doenjang (fermented soybean paste) with fragrant eggplant, in a way that even people who don't like eggplant can enjoy. Honestly, my mom used to cook eggplant at home so often that I personally don't love it much — but I picked this dish on purpose, and it turned out to be a completely different kind of eggplant dish! It shattered my bias that eggplant just doesn't taste good.

The texture of the eggplant was so good that it made me realize eggplant dishes really can be this delicious. I loved the scored cuts in the eggplant, and it was packed with meat too, which made the texture and flavor even better. I think I'd order this again next time, haha.

Herring roe bibim noodles, my husband's pick

My husband picked the herring roe bibim noodles, which has a nice tanginess to it — and he clearly loved it, eating with real gusto??

For this dish, I think it tastes best once you fully mix everything in the bowl, then eat all the ingredients together in one bite. Eating the noodles together with the meat and perilla leaves seems to maximize the texture, with the herring roe popping as you bite in.

How to wrap the rice in gopchang gim and add kelp vinegar

Hyangtaek's dishes are already delicious on their own, but they're even better once you mix everything up, add the dish's own signature sauce, and wrap it in gopchang gim. For the eggplant doenjang rice bowl, there's kelp vinegar on the table, and adding it to taste cuts through any richness and makes the dish even tastier!

Pile the rice bowl onto a piece of gopchang gim, add some bibim jeotgal on top, and wrap it up — absolutely delicious!! It might look like a simple one-bowl meal, but it's surprisingly filling and satisfying, haha.

Why Hyangtaek Daebong works for a date in Daebong-dong

We left feeling light and comfortably full — a real win-win. I think I understand now why more and more Hyangtaek branches keep opening around Daegu, and this Daebong-dong favorite proves with its food exactly why so many people keep coming back.

If you're craving Daegu-style sotbap (cauldron rice) or Daegu-style Korean food in general, I'd recommend stopping by Hyangtaek Daebong Branch!

Hyangtaek Daebong Branch hours and location

• Hours: 11:00–20:00
• Break time: 15:30–17:00
• Last order: 15:00, 19:30
• Address: 17 Dalgubeol-daero 440-gil, Jung-gu, Daegu, South Korea