Three-flavor walnut pastry mix on Hwangnidan-gil, Gyeongju: Buja Hodu

Last weekend I went to Gyeongju for my kid's art competition. Once you're all the way out in Gyeongju, it'd be a shame to just head straight home, right?? So I stopped by Hwangnidan-gil to look around and pick up a tasty snack.

This time I visited Buja Hodu, a well-known dessert spot on Hwangnidan-gil in Gyeongju. These days walnut pastries (hodu-gwaja) come in all kinds of varieties — from the classic red bean filling to sweet red bean with butter, cream cheese, and more. Buja Hodu isn't just your standard walnut pastry either; they have unusual flavors like matcha and pea cream cheese, which made me curious.

It seemed like a good dessert to enjoy with a cup of coffee on Hwangnidan-gil, or as a snack to share with the kids, so I picked out a few flavors.

Where Buja Hodu is and its opening hours

Buja Hodu is located at 38 Poseok-ro 1095beon-gil, Building B, Unit 105, Gyeongju-si — right at the entrance of Hwangnidan-gil. Hours are 09:30 to 20:00, and it's across the main road from Korea Semiconductor Meister High School.

Since it's right at the entrance of Hwangnidan-gil, it wasn't hard to find. Looking at the banner in front of the shop, the walnut pastry flavors were more varied than I expected — low-sugar red bean, pea cream cheese, matcha, and almond praline. I already knew walnut pastries these days come with all sorts of fillings, but pea cream cheese and matcha? That combination was a first for me, which made me even more curious haha. From the classic red bean to the more unusual flavors, it seemed like a great spot to pick based on your taste.

Which Buja Hodu box size and flavour mix to choose

Buja Hodu's walnut pastries come in original red bean starting from 10 pieces, and there's also a mix option with red bean plus one other flavor. These mix boxes come in 15 or 24 pieces, so you can buy based on how many people you're feeding or what flavors you like.

Starting from 15 pieces, they come in box packaging, which would make a nice gift too. With the holidays coming up, a walnut pastry gift set like this seemed like a thoughtful but not-too-heavy option.

Looking at the pastries on display, they were bigger than I expected. There are plenty of smaller walnut pastries out there these days, but with this size, just a few would fill you up. Still, picking flavors took a while haha. Matcha walnut pastry was already unusual enough, but pea cream cheese — what would that even taste like? This kind of combination seemed like something you could only really find at Buja Hodu, so I decided to try a few different flavors this time.

I went with the 24-piece mix box so I could pick from red bean, matcha, and pea cream cheese all at once. Being able to try several flavors in one go seems like a fun option for anyone visiting this well-known dessert spot on Hwangnidan-gil in Gyeongju.

Opening the 24-piece mix box from Buja Hodu

Once I got home, the first thing I did was open the Buja Hodu box.

Going with the 24-piece mix meant everything was neatly arranged in the box — great for eating as a snack, but also nice enough to gift as is.

Opening the box, the pastries were arranged neatly by flavor. With red bean, matcha, and pea cream cheese all in there, it was fun to pick one out at a time.

What the pea cream cheese walnut pastry tastes like

The flavor I was most curious about — pea cream cheese! As someone who personally loves pea bread, this was practically a revelation. The combination of savory pea paste and soft cream cheese — what more can I say~~

The nutty, mild flavor of the pea paste combined with the soft, rich cream cheese worked together way better than I expected. That savory-yet-soft combination was really appealing — this ended up being my favorite.

Looking at it again, these walnut pastries are pretty sizeable! When I carried the box home, it felt heavier than I expected — but of course it was heavy, with 24 pastries of this size packed inside haha.

Red bean vs matcha filling at Buja Hodu

You can't talk about walnut pastries without red bean~ The sweet red bean paste had pretty big walnut pieces mixed in, so you really felt that crunchy, nutty texture with every bite.

And the matcha filling was a combination I was trying for the first time at Buja Hodu! Matcha in a walnut pastry~ I was curious what it would taste like at first, but the subtle bitterness of the matcha added a different kind of charm compared to the sweet red bean.

And since they're made with rice, the outside was nicely crispy with a savory taste. It was a combination I hadn't encountered in walnut pastries before, so it was fun to try something a bit different.

Why the Buja Hodu mix box is easy to share with kids

With the three flavors from Buja Hodu cut in half, the kids ended up picking one out on their own haha. Red bean was the familiar, sweet flavor; matcha had that subtle bitterness; pea cream cheese was savory and soft! Since everyone could pick the flavor they wanted, there was no need to argue over who gets what, and it was nice being able to try several flavors at once.

Not gonna lie, the plate was completely empty before we knew it haha.

Paired with a drink, it made a pretty filling snack. Big walnut pastries with generous walnut pieces inside, plus the fun of trying different flavors — Buja Hodu was a great find. If you're wandering Hwangnidan-gil and looking for a slightly special dessert or snack, it's worth stopping by.