# Daegu Korean restaurant with yeast-aged tangsuyuk: Cafe Dong-i - By Suseong Soup Notes (https://superchart.com/en/@seomyeon-worn-menu/) - Written Aug 11, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Suseong, Daegu - Sponsored: This post was written after a sponsored store visit; the dessert drink was provided as part of a review event. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@seomyeon-worn-menu/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@seomyeon-worn-menu/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/index.md) · [日本語](https://superchart.com/ja/@seomyeon-worn-menu/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/index.md) ## In short Cafe Dong-i Sicheol is a Korean set-meal restaurant in the Sinmae Market shopping block in Suseong-gu, Daegu. Stopping in for the first meal of a summer holiday, the writer waited 20 minutes after noon and then ordered the grilled jeyuk (spicy stir-fried pork) set for 12,900 won, the beef brisket doenjang jjigae set for 10,500 won, the Dong-i grilled pork bulgogi set for 9,900 won and a tasting plate of yeast-aged tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) for 8,900 won. With unlimited eggs and rice at the self-serve bar, Cafe Dong-i Sicheol made for a great-value lunch worth a second bowl of rice. ## Good to know - **Grilled jeyuk set meal**: 12,900 won - **Dong-i grilled pork bulgogi set meal**: 9,900 won - **Beef brisket doenjang jjigae set meal**: 10,500 won - **Tasting plate of yeast-aged tangsuyuk**: 8,900 won (1,000 won off when added to a set meal) - **Self-serve bar**: Unlimited eggs and rice, five-grain rice, gopchang gim (crinkled seaweed), barley gangjeong (available to buy) - **Parking**: 1 hour covered at Sinmae Market public parking lot, Daegu - **Seating**: About six tables for four, high chairs available - **Wait**: Line starts just after noon; about 20 minutes - **Price reference**: ₩1,000 ≈ $0.7 (2026-10-01) *as written by the visitor on Aug 11, 2026* ![Cafe Dong-i Sicheol main image](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-01-1mefl-900.webp) Fighting fire with fire 🌞 Another summer vacation in the Daeprica (Daegu's nickname for its brutal heat), following last year! Though this summer, Gimhae actually felt hotter than Daegu, so maybe that nickname is a bit outdated now. Before checking into our accommodation, we decided to fill up first and stopped by Cafe Dong-i, a well-known spot in Sicheol, Daegu. It's a great-value restaurant in Sinmae Market, Daegu, so popular that there was a wait even in this heat. Friendly service, great taste, generous portions, and fair prices — here's my honest review of Cafe Dong-i Sicheol. ![Exterior of Cafe Dong-i Sicheol inside the Sinmae Market arcade](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-02-jj7y2-1200.webp) ## Where Cafe Dong-i Sicheol is and where to park Cafe Dong-i Sicheol is on the first floor of a shopping arcade at 56 Sinmae-ro 16-gil, Suseong-gu, Daegu, South Korea, inside Sinmae Market. There's 1 hour of free parking support at the Sinmae Market public parking lot, so bringing a car isn't a hassle. The Sinmae Market arcade also has a well-organized directory. It's a great place to browse the market and eat solo, and it's clearly popular for family meals with kids and dates too, thanks to its reasonable prices. ![Directory map of the Sinmae Market arcade](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-03-hmrp0-900.webp) > A Sicheol restaurant : a Sinmae Market restaurant > Cafe Dong-i Sicheol > Business hours ![Business hours sign for Cafe Dong-i Sicheol](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-04-t3vj5-900.webp) ## How long is the lunch wait at Cafe Dong-i Sicheol? Cafe Dong-i is a popular lunch spot near Sinmae Station, and the wait started as soon as noon hit. Just as I started to feel a bit irritated in the scorching heat, they served up a cool glass of gyeolgae tea (hovenia tea) as a courtesy while we waited. ![Cool gyeolgae tea served during the wait](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-05-6o2nt-900.webp) After about a 20-minute wait, we finally got seated. ## Inside Cafe Dong-i Sicheol There are about six 4-person tables, and everything is neatly and cutely arranged. Baby chairs are available too, making it convenient for family dining. ![Interior of Cafe Dong-i Sicheol with 4-person tables](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-06-1soqs-900.webp) ![Neatly arranged seating with a baby chair](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-07-nplnb-900.webp) What I especially appreciated was that the restroom is inside the restaurant with a sink nearby — convenient. I guess it's placed near the self-bar because you'd want to wash up after handling eggs, given hygiene concerns. ## The Cafe Dong-i self-serve bar: unlimited eggs and rice Eggs and rice are provided unlimited. Unlimited rice at a rice restaurant — such a happy thing! Five-grain rice with gopchang gim (roasted seaweed) is such a nice touch. The service at Cafe Dong-i Sicheol really stands out. ![Self-bar with unlimited eggs and rice](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-08-hkeju-900.webp) In the back, there's also barley gangjeong (crispy barley snack) available to enjoy freely, and you can also buy some to take home. ![Barley gangjeong prepared behind the self-bar](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-09-5js44-900.webp) While waiting for the food, we curbed our hunger with some fried eggs. Apparently they tasted even better because my 14-year-old fried them, haha. ![Frying an egg by hand](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-10-1pkf7-900.webp) ![A plate of finished fried eggs](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-11-nkwn3-900.webp) ## Cafe Dong-i Sicheol menu and prices > Grilled jeyuk hanjeongsik set - 12,900 > Dong-i grilled pork bulgogi set - 9,900 > Beef brisket doenjang jjigae set - 10,500 ![Menu and price board of set meals at Cafe Dong-i Sicheol](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-12-1jwao-899.webp) ### Grilled jeyuk set meal, 12,900 won This is Cafe Dong-i's popular grilled jeyuk (spicy stir-fried pork) hanjeongsik set. It comes with jeyuk bokkeum on a personal charcoal grill, plus doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) on the side. ![Grilled jeyuk hanjeongsik set on a personal charcoal grill](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-13-3r10e-900.webp) Since it's on a personal grill, you can enjoy it warm all the way to the end — great for solo dining too. The smoky grilled jeyuk wasn't too spicy, so it was fine even for kids to eat. ![Smoky grilled jeyuk on the charcoal grill](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-14-c2tr9-900.webp) ![Full spread of side dishes with grilled jeyuk](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-15-dtppf-900.webp) It's delicious just as it is, but be sure to grab some gopchang gim from the self-bar. Wrapping the pork with rice in the seaweed made it taste even better — I practically inhaled it. ![Wrapping rice and pork in gopchang gim](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-16-11b2u-900.webp) ![A bite of pork-wrapped seaweed wrap](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-17-1w7nq-900.webp) ### Beef brisket doenjang jjigae set meal, 10,500 won The beef brisket doenjang jjigae set has a rustic doenjang base packed with beef brisket and tofu. Mixing it into the rice was heavenly. Thanks to it, I finished one bowl of rice and even refilled for another. 👏👏 ![Beef brisket doenjang jjigae set full of brisket and tofu](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-18-qtk3s-900.webp) ### Dong-i grilled pork bulgogi set meal, 9,900 won This is what my spice-shy 14-year-old ordered — the Dong-i grilled pork bulgogi, sweet and salty, served with a generous serving of cabbage salad. ![Dong-i grilled pork bulgogi served with cabbage salad](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-19-13rly-900.webp) ![Full spread of the Dong-i grilled pork bulgogi set](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-20-1pymx-900.webp) The Dong-i grilled pork bulgogi set comes with miyeokguk (seaweed soup), lightly seasoned and savory. When we needed a refill, the staff kindly topped it up right away. ![Miyeokguk served with the bulgogi set](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-21-17i6h-900.webp) ## Why you should add the yeast-aged tangsuyuk The one dish you absolutely must order at Cafe Dong-i is the yeast-aged tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork), and we chose the tasting portion. Ordering it alongside a set meal gets you a ₩1,000 discount, bringing it to 8,900 won. It's fermented for 72 hours with traditional rice yeast, so it's said to be rich in probiotics and amino acids, and gluten-free. Crispy and chewy on the outside — genuinely delicious. ![Tasting portion of yeast-aged tangsuyuk](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-22-1o6da-900.webp) ![Cross-section of crispy fried tangsuyuk](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-23-hmw2a-900.webp) The dessert drink from the review event was refreshing and sweet, absolutely perfect after the meal. The generous size made it even better. ![Dessert drink received from the review event](https://img.superchart.com/images/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting-24-7ki1v-900.webp) ## Is Cafe Dong-i Sicheol worth the wait? With fair prices and unlimited rice and fried eggs, Cafe Dong-i Sicheol is a great lunch spot near Sinmae Station, Daegu — a very successful first meal of our Daegu vacation. With its variety of Korean dishes, Cafe Dong-i is a Sicheol, Daegu restaurant that's easy and affordable to eat at solo, and a Sinmae Market restaurant I'd wholeheartedly recommend. ## Where it is - Cafe Dong-i Sicheol (카페동이 시지점) - 56 Sinmae-ro 16-gil, Suseong-gu, Daegu, South Korea - 대구광역시 수성구 신매로16길 56 상가 1층 - 35.8383403, 128.7099439 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%B9%B4%ED%8E%98%EB%8F%99%EC%9D%B4%20%EC%8B%9C%EC%A7%80%EC%A0%90/@35.8383403,128.7099439,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@seomyeon-worn-menu/cafe-dongi-sinmae-market-lunch-waiting/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt