Self-serve banchan bar Korean restaurant in Dalseo, Daegu: Geumdeungeo

Geumdeungeo Dalseo Branch

Today I'm bringing you my review of <Geumdeungeo Dalseo Branch>, located in Jincheon Food Town in Daegu.

Where is Geumdeungeo Dalseo Branch, and where do you park?

Geumdeungeo Dalseo Branch is on the 3rd floor of Jincheon Food Town, Unit 301, in Dalseo, Daegu. You can park at the Jincheon Food Town parking lot — just make sure to register your parking at the restaurant before you leave!

Take the elevator up to the 3rd floor and you'll see the Geumdeungeo storefront right away.

What does the name 'Geumdeungeo' mean?

I heard the name Geumdeungeo comes from combining nuruk (fermentation starter) salt with oven-grilled mackerel — apparently that's how they came up with it. If you look at the mackerel photos later, you'll see why: the fish really does turn a golden (geum) color!

Gold-toned interior details catch your eye throughout the space too.

Seating and table amenities at Geumdeungeo

Geumdeungeo Dalseo Branch has both 4-person tables and private room-style seating. I sat at a 4-person table.

It was interesting that you can lower a blind curtain for a fully private meal.

Water was provided as bottled water, and wet wipes, utensils, and tissues were kept ready under the table.

Having a phone charger on hand was such a nice surprise! Only USB-C is available — not fast charging, but it was enough to charge up decently over the course of the meal!

Kids' tableware is also available, so anyone who needs it can just ask!

Geumdeungeo's menu and what we ordered

They serve a Geumdeungeo course, a spicy pork course, a bulgogi course, and a barley corvina course, and adding the neopddeogi beef jeon set costs an extra ₩4,000 per menu item.

Every menu item is also available for takeout, and the cockle salad can be ordered separately too. I ordered the Geumdeungeo course with an extra serving of cockle salad.

A basic doenjang (soybean paste) soup came out first — it was spicy, refreshing, and delicious!

8 basic side dishes, delivered by robot

A cute little robot friend brought out the side dishes. A staff member came along too and set everything up on the table! The 8 basic banchan (side dishes) arrived together with the extra cockle salad.

Oven-grilled mackerel and chickpea pot rice

While I was picking at the side dishes, the Geumdeungeo arrived! True to its name, the mackerel gleamed with a golden shine. The fish flaked apart so smoothly, and the edges had just the right amount of crispiness, so you got two different textures in one bite — really nice. There was no fishy taste at all. Aside from the main bone, there were no small bones either, so it was super easy to eat.

A little while later, the pot rice arrived with chickpeas mixed in. Of course you have to move the rice into the provided bowl, add water, and make sungnyung (scorched rice tea)!

Eating this neat, satisfying meal with the tender mackerel, the rice just kept going down easily! The cockle salad had a refreshing flavor tossed in chogochujang (vinegar-chili sauce), salty enough to make the rice disappear fast.

How the self-serve banchan bar works, plus baekseolgi for dessert

You can go to the self-serve bar and pile on as much banchan as you'd like — there are all kinds of side dishes beyond what's already on your table, so don't forget to make full use of it!

The baekseolgi (steamed rice cake) served for dessert had all sorts of ingredients mixed in, and it was so good! It was full of sweet bits and I really enjoyed it. Honestly, I almost wanted to buy some to take home!

Side dishes, snacks and gift sets sold in-store

Geumdeungeo also has Chuseok gift sets ready for purchase. Beyond that, there were several other product sections to browse.

They also sell a variety of snacks, and you could sample each one! I tried the potato snack and the tteokguk-tteok (rice cake) snack — both had a savory, mild flavor.

Every banchan I tasted was also available to buy. I had a long way to go so I didn't purchase any, but the prices were reasonable, so if you're interested, it might be worth picking some up!

They even sell soy sauce and tuigak (fried seaweed chips) — it almost felt like a grocery store! I saw a few older ladies standing there for a while, browsing with real interest.

Waiting games and free drinks by the exit

<Geumdeungeo> is a restaurant that can have a wait, but you can play various games while waiting. You can even win prizes through the games, so the wait shouldn't feel boring!

At the exit, coffee, plum tea, sikhye, and lemon tea are set out. After paying and registering your parking, it's nice to grab a drink on your way out! I highly recommend <Geumdeungeo Dalseo Branch> — a great place to enjoy a delicious, well-set fish course meal!

{Geumdeungeo Dalseo Branch}

• Korean restaurant spot in Dalseo, Daegu
• Great for oven-grilled mackerel
• Neat, well-organized presentation
• Restaurant with fun events
• Restaurant selling a variety of goods
• Private table seating
• Restaurant with refillable banchan
• Friendly staff