Daejeon bulgogi restaurant in Oryu-dong: 18,000-won set at Idobonga

Idobonga is a galbi and bulgogi Korean restaurant at 31 Oryu-ro, Jung-gu, right in front of Seodaejeon Station. It's open daily 11:00–21:00 with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00, and last order is 20:30. They have baby chairs, basement parking (3 hours), and can accommodate corkage and group bookings.

I came to Idobonga a few months ago with my boyfriend and loved it. The basic side dishes were varied and the main dish, the seokgalbi (thick-cut short rib), was so good that I confidently came back this time with my mom :)

What is Idobonga like at 5pm on a weekday, and how do group bookings work?

We came right after break time ended on a weekday at 5pm. It's a bit of an in-between hour, so there was only one other table besides us, but there were quite a lot of reserved seats — a group dinner must have been coming up soon! Idobonga is a spacious restaurant that can comfortably fit groups, with reservations available from a minimum of 4 up to 30 people. It's a great spot for family gatherings as well as easy company dinners :)

Whenever I go to Idobonga I love looking out through the big window. Right in front of Seodaejeon Station there are always lots of people and cars ~ and the trees in the plaza out front are so green it's kind of healing.

You order from the kiosk at your table, and pay at the counter on your way out.

Idobonga's menu: why the scallion bulgogi set this time

The menu ranges widely from mains to rice dishes, meats, and side plates. Galbitang (short rib soup), spicy braised galbi, braised galbi, seokgalbi, and yukhoe bibimbap sit alongside scallion bulgogi, cold jeyuk (pork), and mukmuchim (acorn jelly salad), so there's plenty to choose from depending on your mood. Last time I really enjoyed the seokgalbi set, so this time I ordered the scallion bulgogi set instead — and turns out the bulgogi was delicious too (⁎⁍̴̀﹃ ⁍̴́⁎)♡

Side dishes and the self-serve bar at Idobonga

The side dishes were set out right after we ordered. See how many varieties there are ~? Their standard side dishes are really generous! Though compared to last time it felt overall similar but a touch fewer — I guess the side dish lineup changes depending on the season ‼️

At the self-serve bar there are aprons, tongs, scissors, small plates, kimchi, seokbakji (radish kimchi), and pickled onions, all ready to go.

How does the 18,000-won scallion bulgogi set taste?

Scallion bulgogi set / ₩18,000 per person. Here's the scallion bulgogi set I ordered 🥩☺️ The moment it arrived I was shocked by how generous the visual was.. On top of what clearly looked like fresh, good-quality beef was a huge pile of crunchy bean sprouts and scallions..! As someone who loves both vegetables and meat, this was truly my type ㅠㅠ

The visual alone screamed delicious.. come to me, come to me, come straight into my mouth. Wasn't I supposed to be getting into wedding-photo shape soon..? Pull yourself together, please.

But look at this — there's rice cake down there too, and mushrooms! I'm seriously a rice-cake fiend and a mushroom fiend, how am I supposed to resist that. And it's meat too.. beef, no less!!! This is basically a health food, right, right ..☺️

While the meat cooked I just stared at the table, swallowing over and over, and finally got to try it! It was so good the wait was worth it.. looking at the photos now my stomach's growling all over again.

I scooped up a generous pile of the scallion bulgogi over rice — it wasn't salty at all, savory and clean, and the combination with rice was just right :) The crunchy scallions and bean sprouts added great texture too 👍🏻

The chewy rice cake paired with mumallaengi (dried radish salad) was another great combo, and eating the scallion bulgogi together with kimchi gave it a whole different flavor. There's real fun in mixing and matching all the different side dishes.

The bulgogi that had been piled up like a mountain was all gone, the pot scraped clean. It was so good that even while saying 'oh I'm so full, so full' with my mom, we finished it all. I even finished a whole bowl of rice on top of that .. uh oh ..ㅠㅠ

Free coffee machine and cleanliness at Idobonga

Idobonga has a coffee machine in the restaurant. Grab a delicious Americano on your way out :)!

It's reassuring that they have a state-of-the-art sterilization system and are a CESCO Members Zone, and none of the side dishes are reused, so it felt trustworthy on the hygiene front too.. hygiene really matters when it comes to food.

I was satisfied last time visiting with my boyfriend, and this meal with my mom was just as satisfying. From the hearty, delicious scallion bulgogi to the variety of side dishes and clean hygiene management, Idobonga delivers on both taste and service. If you're looking for a spot for a family meal, gathering, or group dinner, I'd recommend it :)