Daegu makchang restaurant with a 36,000 won platter for two: Bongja

yan얌✨ Today I'm bringing you a story about a dish you absolutely can't skip when visiting Daegu or gathering with friends there — makchang (grilled pork intestine), done right. This time I went to "Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch," which is already popular for nailing both value and flavor. After going myself, I understood exactly why it's called one of Daegu's best makchang restaurants haha.

Where is Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch?

Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch is on the 1st floor at 49-1 Jongno, Jung-gu, Daegu. If you're looking for a good restaurant on Jongno in Daegu where you can properly enjoy makchang and grilled meat, I highly recommend it to fellow makchang lovers like me. It sits right in the center of Jongno, so it's very accessible, and I heard it also draws a lot of visitors as a Jungangno-area favorite.

It's apparently appeared on several TV shows too — I saw signage for "Sangnamja's Way of Traveling" and "Namgyeoseo Mwohage," featured on both SBS and tvN. A well-known place indeed~

Inside Bongja Makchang: does it work for group dinners?

The interior of Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch is clean, and the tables are arranged so they're easy to move around. It seems like a great spot for office workers or club members to hold a group dinner in Jung-gu, Daegu.

Bongja Makchang menu and prices: how to order

Orders are placed at the table.

The signature menu items are fresh makchang and seasoned makchang — a big hit for anyone searching for makchang on Jongno or the best makchang restaurant in Daegu — and the aged fresh pork belly and aged fresh pork neck are also apparently very popular. If you're after pork belly on Jongno or a good Daegu grill house, everyone points to Bongja Makchang~

The most popular item, the "Bongja combo platter," is a set with one plate plus one plate, letting you enjoy two different menu items at once. Since you can mix and match, it seems great for first-time visitors.

Beyond that, there are plenty of side dishes like dakbal (spicy chicken feet), steamed pork belly, tteokbokki, and kimchi noodle soup to enjoy alongside the meal.

Since it was just the two of us and we wanted something light but satisfying, we ordered the small platter (one plate plus a half plate) for 36,000 won. Highly recommend it if value matters for your Jung-gu, Daegu group meal~

What the review event gets you free

If you leave a review, you get pork skin, self-serve fried rice, drinks, and mango bingsu for free!!!

The side dishes that come with the platter

The banchan (side dishes) were incredibly generous too — from the dipping sauce for the makchang to the side dishes that pair well with the pork belly. True to a good Jung-gu, Daegu spot, there was a lot to enjoy.

Unlimited doenjang ramen, steamed egg and patbingsu

Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch offers unlimited refills of doenjang ramen, steamed egg, and patbingsu — a service that sets it apart from other grill houses on Jongno in Daegu! We got to enjoy a variety of dishes without any worry about cost, and left satisfied.

What's at the self-serve bar

There's also a self-serve bar, so we could refill side dishes comfortably without feeling self-conscious haha.

In one corner, there was even dental floss and hair ties. Full marks for thoughtfulness!

How do the fresh pork belly and fresh makchang taste?

Our small platter arrived! It was way more generous than I expected. The staff grilled the meat for us, and thanks to the strong heat of the grill, everything browned beautifully in no time, sizzling away.

Just watching it sizzle and brown, you could feel the true class of Daegu's famous makchang haha.

Every bite of the fresh pork belly burst with juices, filling my mouth with happiness, and the makchang had no gamey smell at all — crispy outside, tender inside, exactly as it should be!

Dipped generously into the special makjang (dipping sauce), the chewy, savory flavor was outstanding. It's no wonder so many office workers head here after work for a Jung-gu, Daegu group dinner~

The steamed egg was fluffy and savory too — kept disappearing bite after bite.

Cooking buldak-bokkeummyeon at the free ramen station

One of Bongja Makchang's amazing perks is unlimited ramen! There's a very well set-up system at the self-serve bar where you cook the ramen yourself.

Among the ramen options, we picked buldak-bokkeummyeon (spicy stir-fried noodles) and cooked it up nice and properly.

Eating it alongside the meat cut through the richness completely, so the meat just kept going down endlessly. Thanks to this kind of unlimited refill service, a group visit for a Jung-gu, Daegu meal seems like it'd be easy to enjoy without any pressure.

Finishing with sweet, icy patbingsu

Bongja Makchang even gives you dessert patbingsu (shaved ice with sweet red beans) as a free service! It's the old-school style — a big bowl piled high with finely shaved ice, sweet red beans, and plenty of cereal on top — and it cleared and cooled my palate perfectly after all that rich meat.

Final verdict on Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch

They even sprayed deodorizer on us as we left, what a touch❤️ (Not sure if it was staff or the owner, but they were super kind🫧) Between the taste, the portions, and the reassuring service of unlimited ramen and dessert bingsu, Bongja Makchang Daegu Jongno Branch didn't miss a beat. If you're looking for a delicious meat restaurant in downtown Daegu, definitely stop by!