Gyeongju walnut pastries, 5 red bean and 5 matcha fresh-made: Buja

Today I want to talk about Buja Hodu, a walnut pastry (hodu-gwaja) spot I stumbled onto while walking Hwangnidan-gil during a recent trip to Gyeongju~!

I usually love walnut pastries, so whenever I stop at a rest area on a business trip or vacation, I often grab some as a snack. The ones at the Cheonan Hodu rest stop are especially tasty, and always fun to eat :)

But the walnut pastries at Buja Hodu on Hwangnidan-gil were on a completely different level in taste and texture compared to rest-stop ones~! Let me introduce them right away :)

Where is Buja Hodu, and what are its hours?

Buja Hodu is located at 38 Poseok-ro 1095beon-gil, B-dong 105-ho, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk, tucked inside Hwangnidan-gil. It's open daily from 09:30 to 20:00.

• Name: Buja Hodu
• Address: 38 Poseok-ro 1095beon-gil, B-dong 105-ho, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 09:30–20:00

Buja Hodu's storefront and outdoor tables on a Hwangnidan-gil walk

Buja Hodu sits right in the Hwangnidan-gil area, so it's easy to get to, and its clean, cozy exterior catches the eye. With outdoor tables and parasols, it was the perfect spot to rest for a bit when we got tired from walking Hwangnidan-gil, enjoying walnut pastries with a cup of coffee~!

Inside the Buja Hodu shop

Walking inside Buja Hodu, I noticed the place stacked with packaging boxes~! Since the walnut pastries taste so good, apparently a lot of Gyeongju visitors buy them as gifts :)

The space isn't large, but it was plenty for the owner to diligently and skillfully make the pastries~! In our short chat, it was impressive how carefully they paid attention to everything — the batter mix, the taste, and even hygiene :)

How do the fresh 5 red bean and 5 matcha walnut pastries taste?

At Buja Hodu we ordered an instant pack with 5 red bean and 5 matcha pastries. My wife and I love the classic walnut pastry flavor, and our first child was curious about the matcha, so that's how we picked.

In front of the store counter, the day's freshly made walnut pastries were individually wrapped and displayed hygienically, which I really liked~!

I've eaten countless walnut pastries in my time, but I don't remember a cooled, non-warm walnut pastry ever tasting this good~! The filling wasn't just plain sweet red bean — it was soft, deep in flavor, and generously packed in, with big, fresh whole walnut pieces studded throughout, giving a strong nutty flavor with every bite :)

After walking a lot on Hwangnidan-gil and getting tired, sitting at the outdoor table with walnut pastries and a cup of coffee was exactly the recharge we needed~!

Why the family added a 15-piece original box at Buja Hodu

Surprisingly, even our second child, who usually doesn't like walnut pastries, ate them happily, so we ordered a 15-piece box of the original flavor at Buja Hodu :)

According to our kid, the walnut pastries they'd usually had tasted too greasy, which they disliked — but Buja Hodu's were light and nutty, so they liked these~! Our first child also seemed to love the matcha flavor, polishing off all 5 pieces on the spot :)

After finishing our trip and heading home, we opened up the box of walnut pastries we'd packed~! The upscale case and clean packaging made it seem great for gifting too :)

Eating them at home with the kids, I got curious about the inside, so I cut one in half — and it was packed full of filling~! The texture I sensed earlier wasn't lying :) Since they use domestic rice dough instead of wheat flour and only low-sugar red bean filling, it was nice that even eating several didn't upset our stomachs at all~!

The kids had them as a snack with milk, which was plenty satisfying, and my wife and I ate one walnut pastry at a time with our coffee — they paired perfectly :)

The owner's air fryer tip for reheating walnut pastries

I personally enjoy walnut pastries even cold, so I just ate them as-is, but the owner recommended giving them a quick spin in an air fryer at home — that way you get the same freshly baked feel, crisp outside and moist inside~!

Buja Hodu's walnut pastries were a flavor that people of all ages, men and women alike, would love with no dislikes~! Plus, since they individually wrap them in upscale boxes, they seemed great as a Gyeongju travel souvenir too :)

For all these reasons, I recommend visiting Buja Hodu on Hwangnidan-gil in Gyeongju — a dessert spot on Hwangnidan-gil where you can enjoy walnut pastries packed full of nutty and sweet flavor~!