No-wait opening visit at Goyu, a Gyeongju Hwangnidan-gil restaurant

On a family trip to Gyeongju, we stopped by a Korean restaurant on Hwangnidan-gil. My mom loves Korean food, so after some searching we headed to this new fusion Korean spot everyone says has really good kimchi jjim (kimchi stew). It's got a great location, easy to drop into while sightseeing, so I wanted to recommend it haha. Shall we get into the review~!?

Where is Goyu and what are its hours?

• Name: Goyu
• Address: 49 Sajeong-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:00
• Break time: 16:00–17:00

Goyu's exterior on Hwangnidan-gil and where to park

Goyu, a Korean restaurant on Gyeongju's Hwangnidan-gil, is a new fusion Korean dining spot. It sits right on the main Hwangnidan-gil street, and there's no parking lot nearby. You'll need to park at the Hwangnidan-gil public parking lot and walk in. Having come here many times, I can say this: never bring a car into the inner streets... I didn't know better once and drove in on a weekend, total disaster lol.

Inside Goyu: seating and how fast the wait builds

I went right at opening time so there was no wait. But as time went on, more and more people started lining up ㅠ I'd definitely recommend visiting a bit early! The interior was very clean, and the tables were spaced generously, making it easy to chat while eating.

Maybe because so many families visit Gyeongju's Hwangnidan-gil, they had baby chairs well stocked. There were aprons too, so I could dig in without worrying about kimchi stains ㅜㅋㅋ

Goyu's menu and prices we ordered from

Here's the menu! You just order easily via the tablet at each table. We wanted to try a bit of everything, so we ordered a good variety.

• Pork kimchi jjim for two ₩30,000
• Mackerel perilla oil buckwheat noodles ₩15,000
• Potato pancake ₩12,000

Beef radish soup and fresh kimchi served before the meal

Before the meal, beef radish soup and fresh kimchi salad come out. The beef radish soup was deep and perfectly seasoned, great for settling the stomach before eating. And the fresh kimchi salad, which I figured was just a side to pair with the meal, exceeded expectations. It was good enough to finish a whole bowl of rice with just this alone. Sweet, not spicy, and packed with umami — the kind of flavor that keeps your chopsticks coming back.

Pork kimchi jjim for two, 30,000 won: taste and portion size

Here's the main dish, the kimchi jjim. It's packed with well-fermented kimchi and meat. Even eating just the kimchi over rice was delicious, and the meat was so tender it was excellent.

The portion was generous and the flavor was great. Not too salty or too bland — perfectly seasoned to eat with rice.

The meat, melt-in-your-mouth tender, kept me reaching for more. When it got a little rich from just eating meat, topping it with kimchi again was so good ㅠㅠ

Was the 12,000 won potato pancake worth it?

Next up, potato pancake. It was crispy but not too thin, so the texture was great too — crispy outside, chewy inside. Being a proper Korean restaurant known on Hwangnidan-gil, even the sides exceeded expectations.

The cheese on top added a nutty flavor, and the sauce served alongside brought the saltiness. Overall the balance was great, and it wasn't greasy so it never got tiring to eat.

Best dish at Goyu: mackerel perilla oil buckwheat noodles

Lastly, the dish I enjoyed most: mackerel perilla oil buckwheat noodles. I already like perilla oil buckwheat noodles in general, and the perilla oil flavor here was really good. Plus the mackerel had no bones, melting in the mouth, and paired well with the perilla oil. It went great with the spicy kimchi jjim too, so I ended up eating them together.

My honest review of Goyu

This visit to Goyu, a Korean restaurant on Gyeongju's Hwangnidan-gil, was a great meal — good taste and generous portions. Being a fusion Korean spot, I think foreign visitors could really enjoy it too. It exceeded expectations, so I'm planning to go back next time I'm in Gyeongju haha.