40-year-old Daegu Korean restaurant: gochu bugak side, Bujasikdang

Banwoldang Bujasikdang

• Address: 13-13 Gwandeokjeong-gil, 1st floor, Jung-gu, Daegu, Banwoldang Bujasikdang
• Hours: 11:00-20:45
• Break time: 15:30-17:00
• Parking: parking space available in front of the restaurant

I visited Banwoldang Bujasikdang (반월당 부자식당), a well-loved restaurant in Jung-gu, Daegu. It's the kind of Banwoldang restaurant where you can easily end up waiting, and the home-style Korean cooking there is the real deal. Here's my review after a very satisfying meal at this Banwoldang Korean restaurant :)

Where is Banwoldang Bujasikdang, and is there parking?

Bujasikdang has parking right in front of the restaurant — a real plus, since parking spots near restaurants in Jung-gu are rare!

This is a trusted, must-wait Banwoldang restaurant in Daegu that plenty of celebrities have visited too. There's apparently another company-run branch in Suseong-gu. Bujasikdang only has these two locations — Banwoldang and Suseong-gu — so watch out for copycat names with similar signage. Since it's such a certified favorite, my expectations were sky-high. It was also fun to check out who else had stopped by, haha.

Arriving right at opening: no wait at Banwoldang Bujasikdang

If you go to Banwoldang Bujasikdang right after opening, you can sit down without any wait. We got there early enough to snap a few shots of the empty interior, but by the time we sat down, tables were filling up in real time. It's popular with nearby office workers for lunch too, so it gets busy fast.

Even with quite a lot of seats, they filled up quickly — you could really feel the place's popularity. We were lucky to arrive early, or we might have ended up waiting ourselves, ha. The interior has that lived-in feel you'd expect from a long-running Banwoldang institution, but it's kept clean, so there was nothing uncomfortable about eating there.

Bujasikdang menu and the two-serving minimum

The menu includes stir-fried pork, stone-grilled rib, and stir-fried squid, plus a solo-friendly bibimbap with cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) set. All the main dishes require an order for two or more people, and they come with cheonggukjang included — note that rice is ordered separately. This is an old-school restaurant in Jung-gu, Daegu, older than I am, and I can't even imagine how good the cooking must be after 40-plus years of love in a neighborhood packed with famous eateries like Banwoldang.

Self-serve ssam vegetable bar

Fresh ssam (wrap) vegetables are unlimited at the self-serve bar, and they're kept under lids for extra hygiene. Since this is a great-value spot for a full meal, it's good manners to only take what you'll actually eat.

Ordering buja seokgalbi for two plus one bibimbap

I was tempted by the stir-fried pork, but since I came with my daughter, we ordered the buja stone-grilled rib instead. Once I actually tasted it, I completely forgot about the stir-fried pork — it was that good. Still, next time I definitely want to try the stir-fried pork and squid too! This is a Banwoldang Korean restaurant that serves a neat, well-rounded table setting. We also added one bibimbap.

The side dishes, especially the gochu bugak fried peppers

The basic side dishes had zero filler — every single one felt carefully made, with that true homemade taste. We even got a refill before the rice arrived; haha. The seasoning on all of them was spot on. The fried pepper (gochu bugak) side in particular was sweet and soft, easy to eat, not spicy at all, and wonderfully nutty — my daughter and son-in-law both loved it. The namul (seasoned vegetable) sides came out too, and the whole spread was really well balanced!

Buja seokgalbi served on a sizzling stone plate

The signature buja stone-grilled rib comes already fully cooked, so all you need to do is cut it into bite-sized pieces — very convenient. It's served on a hot stone plate, so it stays warm while you eat, which was another plus. Two servings came in a generous portion with nothing lacking. Since it's a mild, non-spicy signature dish, it's a must-order if you're coming with kids. The sauce was sweet with just a touch of saltiness and absolutely delicious, and the meat was tender with just the right fat ratio — incredibly good.

At first glance it looks like just meat, but underneath there's plenty of mushroom and onion too, and eating them together made it even better. Paired with shredded green onion, it's the kind of signature dish at Bujasikdang you can devour without ever getting tired of it.

Cheonggukjang stew and bibimbap at Banwoldang Bujasikdang

I have to mention the cheonggukjang too — it wasn't an overly strong version, so even people who don't usually enjoy cheonggukjang could try it without hesitation. It wasn't that thick, heavy broth, so it was refreshing to eat, and it played a strong supporting role in balancing out all the other dishes. And then there's the bibimbap! I'd say it's a must-order. The namul mix looks ordinary at first, but once you mix it all together, the flavor is incredible. If you want to feel truly satisfied, definitely order a bowl of bibimbap.

That's my review of properly cooked Korean home-style food at Bujasikdang, a long-running favorite Korean restaurant in Jung-gu, Daegu :)