Daegu kalguksu for three with samgye broth and chicken muchim: Donggok

I wanted lunch in Dongseong-ro that day, and I was craving something warm and Korean. Not the usual gukbap or stew — something a little different. My friend happened to be in the mood for kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), so we finally went to Donggok Jemyeon, a place I'd had my eye on for a while.

Every time I walked past, the place was packed with people, so I'd always been curious. This time I finally went — haha. We went as three friends and ordered a ton: kalguksu, bossam, chicken salad, the works.

Where is Donggok Jemyeon and where do you park?

Donggok Jemyeon is in a pretty convenient spot between Dongseong-ro and Gyodong. If you're driving, you can use Dongseong-ro Parking Lot (Munhwa-dong 12-22), about 300m or a 3-minute walk from the restaurant.

They cover ₩1,500 of parking for 30 minutes — just tell them your plate number at the counter after your meal and they'll register it. After that it's ₩500 per extra 10 minutes.

Inside Donggok Jemyeon and its house-made noodles

The interior of Donggok Jemyeon felt clean and comfortable overall — the kind of place you could take friends without any pressure. And sure enough, when we visited, there were plenty of people there eating. Every time I'd walked by it was full, and it was full again this day.

Beyond kalguksu, they also have bossam (boiled pork wraps) and jeon (savory pancakes), so it looked like a good spot for a group to order a variety and share.

As the name suggests, Donggok Jemyeon makes its own noodles in-house. They were making the noodles fresh, and you could choose the thickness. After going back and forth, we both went with thick noodles.

What three friends ordered at Donggok Jemyeon

Since there were three of us, we ended up ordering quite a lot of menu items.

• Extra-rich samgye kalguksu (chicken and noodle soup)
• Yukgaejang kalguksu (spicy beef soup with noodles)
• Kalguksu gabri bossam, 1 serving
• Tangy sweet-and-sour chicken salad

That's what we ordered, and we tried a bit of everything.

The best dish: sweet-and-sour chicken muchim

Honestly, my favorite dish of the day was Donggok Jemyeon's tangy sweet-and-sour chicken salad. At first I ordered it thinking it'd just be a side to go with the kalguksu, but when it arrived the portion was way bigger than expected.

It had minari (water celery), squid, and chicken breast tossed in a sweet-and-sour sauce, and it was genuinely delicious. I'd seen similar dishes at bars going for around ₩20,000, but here the portion was generous and the flavor was great too — pretty satisfying.

Eating the chicken salad in between bites of kalguksu kept refreshing my palate with that tangy flavor, so I kept reaching for it.

Gabri bossam for one, with dried radish strips

It felt like a waste to just eat kalguksu, so we ordered a single serving of gabri bossam (pork belly wraps) too. It was a decent amount for two people to share as a side, and it paired well with the kalguksu.

But honestly, the dried radish strips that came with it stuck in my memory more than the bossam itself, haha. They were so good I kept pairing them with the bossam.

According to a sign in the restaurant, they even make their own doenjang (soybean paste) without preservatives, which made me think this is a place that really pays attention to its ingredients and food.

Extra-rich samgye kalguksu: how deep is the broth?

The extra-rich samgye kalguksu sounded intense just from the name, and when it arrived, it had nearly half a chicken in it, so the portion alone was generous. The first sip of broth was much richer than I expected — it caught me a little off guard. Turns out it's a broth simmered down intensely from Korean beef bones.

The kalguksu I usually eat tends to be clear and light, but this one had such a thick, heavy bone broth that it felt substantial. Since I happened to be craving something warm and rich that day, I actually ended up enjoying it a lot.

Yukgaejang kalguksu with thick noodles and unlimited rice

The yukgaejang kalguksu also had a pretty thick broth. The spicy kick typical of yukgaejang (spicy beef and vegetable soup) combined with kalguksu noodles gave it a bit of a different feel from regular yukgaejang.

The meat inside was more generous than expected, and apparently you can add meat to double the portion. Anyone who loves meat could add it on without regret.

Since Donggok Jemyeon makes its own noodles in-house, we were able to choose the noodle thickness. We both went with thick noodles, and they turned out way chewier than I expected.

I'm not usually a huge fan of noodles, so I ordered extra rice, and since rice refills are unlimited there, it seemed like a good spot for people with bigger appetites too.

Is Donggok Jemyeon worth it, and who is it for?

Donggok Jemyeon was always crowded whenever I passed by, and now that I've actually eaten there, I get why. Rather than ordering just one dish, it seems best to go with a group and share a variety — kalguksu, bossam, and sides together.

Even though I'm not much of a noodle person, the broth was rich enough that eating it with rice made for a pretty filling meal.

I also noticed a huge jeon (savory pancake) come out at the table next to us that I didn't get to try, so I'd like to order something different next time — haha. If you're looking for a lunch spot in Dongseong-ro or a solid Korean restaurant around Gyodong, I'd recommend this place for a filling meal. I'm planning to come back and try other menu items next time I'm in Dongseong-ro!