Daegu Korean restaurant with a self-serve fried egg bar: Cafe Dong-i
In short
Cafe Dong-i Sicheol is a Korean set-meal restaurant with a hanok-style interior near Sinmae Market and Gosan Library in Suseong-gu, Daegu. Over lunch with a friend, the writer ordered grilled jeyuk (spicy stir-fried pork), jjukkumi bokkeum (stir-fried baby octopus), a tasting-size tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) and kimchi jjigae for 1,000 won extra, then helped themselves to fried eggs, five-grain rice, bori gangjeong (barley crisps) and gopchang gim (crinkled seaweed) at the self-serve bar. For the price, Cafe Dong-i Sicheol is worth a return trip for a family meal or a work lunch.
Good to know
- Address
- 1st floor, 56 Sinmae-ro 16-gil, Suseong-gu, Daegu
- Hours
- 11:00 - 21:00
- Break time
- 14:30 - 16:30
- Last order
- 20:00
- Grilled jeyuk full-course set
- 12,900 won
- Dong-i grilled pork bulgogi set
- 9,900 won
- Pork shoulder Japanese curry set
- 9,900 won
- Beef brisket doenjang jjigae set
- 10,500 won
- 40-year master's kimchi jjigae set
- 9,900 won
- Tasting-size tangsuyuk (mini)
- 9,900 won
- Nuruk-aged tangsuyuk
- 17,800 won
- Juicy fried mandu (dumplings)
- 4,900 won
- Fried shrimp
- 6,900 won
- Crispy bite-size kimchi jeon
- 2,900 won
- Summer yeolmu (young radish) bibimbap set
- 7,900 won
- Tuna yeolmu bibimbap set
- 8,900 won
- Bulgogi yeolmu bibimbap set
- 9,900 won
- Savory zucchini doenjang jjigae set
- 8,900 won
- Crispy whole shrimp Japanese curry set
- 11,900 won
- Self-serve bar
- Fried eggs, five-grain rice, bori gangjeong, seasonal tea
as written by the visitor on Aug 14, 2026
Where Cafe Dong-i Sicheol is and when it opens
Cafe Dong-i Sicheol is a Korean set-meal restaurant at 56 Sinmae-ro 16-gil, Suseong-gu, Daegu, South Korea, 1st floor, near Sinmae Market. Hours are 11:00–21:00, with a break time from 14:30–16:30, and last order at 20:00.
Cafe Dong-i near Sinmae Market — tidy and clean, a real Korean-food favorite! I knew there were quite a few branches in Daegu, but there was also one right by Gosan Library near Sinmae Station. The hanok-style atmosphere felt so calm and lovely!
For hot weather waits, they even have cool heotgae tea (Hovenia dulcis tea) ready for guests — such thoughtful care for customers 💗
Inside Cafe Dong-i Sicheol: hanok mood and seating
From outside, Cafe Dong-i Sicheol didn't look that big, but once inside it was actually quite spacious.ᐟ.ᐟ Lots of tables and plenty of seats.
What's on the self-serve fried egg bar
The first thing you notice walking in — you can fry your own egg yourself! 🥚🍳🍳🥚
There's a frying pan, cooking oil, a spatula, and salt all set up, so it's easy to use.
Cafe Dong-i's self-bar: fried eggs, five-grain rice, bori gangjeong (barley candy), and seasonal tea.
There's also a restroom inside!
The tables were roomy and the chairs comfortable! Spoons and napkins were neatly set beside each table haha.
Cafe Dong-i Sicheol menu and prices
Every table has a kiosk, so you can check the photos and order comfortably.ᐟ.ᐟ The signature menu includes:
- Grilled jeyuk set meal ₩12,900
- Dong-i grilled pork bulgogi set ₩9,900
- Shoulder-cut Japanese curry set ₩9,900
- Beef brisket doenjang jjigae set ₩10,500
- 40-year master's kimchi jjigae set ₩9,900
- Tasting-size tangsuyuk (mini) ₩9,900
- Nuruk-aged tangsuyuk ₩17,800
- Juicy fried mandu ₩4,900
- Fried shrimp ₩6,900
- Crispy kimchi jeon ₩2,900
- Summer yeolmu bibimbap set ₩7,900
- Tuna yeolmu bibimbap set ₩8,900
- Bulgogi yeolmu bibimbap set ₩9,900
- Savory zucchini doenjang jjigae set ₩8,900
- Crispy whole shrimp Japanese curry set ₩11,900
My friend brought over some bori gangjeong — not too sweet and nutty, good as a little dessert.
Tasting-size tangsuyuk and the side dishes
The tasting tangsuyuk portion was bigger than expected, and the quality surprised both of us haha. It came with lemon and sauce — perfect.
The side dishes were neatly arranged too — gungchae (aster greens), braised lotus root, and kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) all went well together.
How the grilled jeyuk and jjukkumi bokkeum taste
The jeyuk bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork)! No pork smell at all, and it came with its own little grill so you could keep eating it hot the whole time.ᐟ.ᐟ Food really does taste best hot. With jeyuk bokkeum you sometimes get tough bits of meat, but here the meat itself was so tender — very satisfying!
The jjukkumi bokkeum (stir-fried octopus) portion was pretty generous too. There was rice cake mixed in, tossed well with the sauce, and the crunch of the cabbage was great.
They cut the crispy tangsuyuk into bite-size pieces with scissors for us. The batter was so chewy and crispy, delicious, and the meat inside was quite thick and savory! Even paired with rice it worked really well.
There was also gopchang gim (seasoned seaweed) at the self-bar — nutty and great for wrapping rice!
Kimchi jjigae for 1,000 won extra, plus doenjang jjigae
The kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) we ordered with a 1,000 won upgrade — spicy, deep flavor, total rice thief! My friend ended up eating two bowls of rice. The well-fermented kimchi and tofu made picking through the ingredients half the fun.
The doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) was savory too, with plenty of ingredients — being able to pick through them was such a nice touch.
The jjukkumi (octopus) pieces were really plump and big, so satisfying. Dipping them in the sauce toned down the spice, so it wasn't too hot.
Is Cafe Dong-i Sicheol good for a family meal or work lunch?
A menu good enough to bring the whole family too — kids would love it, so it's perfect for a family meal or a work lunch.
That rice-thief kimchi jjigae..! My friend said the rice was so good she went for two bowls! We ended up stuffed haha. Bellies full..
Break time hit and the customers cleared out, so I snapped a photo of the empty interior!
There were rice sacks stacked up too, so I took a photo on the way out! The prices and menu were so reasonable and the food was tasty too — a place I want to visit again. Totally recommend Cafe Dong-i .ᐟ.ᐟ
Where it is
56 Sinmae-ro 16-gil, Suseong-gu, Daegu, South Korea, 1st floor대구광역시 수성구 신매로16길 56 상가 1층
