Daegu Jongno brunch café: ragu tteokbokki at Otter Rabbit House

Otter Rabbit House Jongno Branch

Parking X, baby chairs △

This summer was really hot… 👋🏻 Now the fall we've all been waiting for is here. It'll get cold again before we know it, so we have to enjoy this weather while we can. I found a spot not far from work that's great for brunch while soaking up this weather, so I went. It's walkable by bus or subway, and the exterior alone is a treat for the eyes, so I really got to enjoy this weather properly 🤓

What does Otter Rabbit House Jongno Branch look like inside and out?

Otter Rabbit House Jongno Branch sits right on Jongno street in Jung-gu, Daegu, visible from the road. I visited on a fall day with really lovely sunlight.

Right on the road, but with a tree here 🍃 and a breeze there 🌬️ — it had pretty much every element you need for a mood boost.

I know the main branch of Otter Rabbit House is famous for its bakery, but this newly opened Jongno branch is all about brunch 🍝 The standing sign and the cherry bingsu (shaved ice) on the menu caught my eye and my appetite before I even sat down, but since I was starving…

I was the only one who felt a little sad about it, haha

Seating and baby chairs at Otter Rabbit House Jongno Branch

Inside, Otter Rabbit House Jongno Branch is mostly 4-seat tables with a bar table too, and if you look closely there's exactly one baby chair. Dark wood and brick blend together for a proper European vibe, and the overall mood is calm and composed 📝

The chef cooking our brunch — hard at work on the dishes we ordered

I wanted a window seat, so I sat in the very back, and I spotted some eye-catching animal friends 🦒🐐 — unusual little accent pieces scattered around that gave Otter Rabbit House's atmosphere an extra lift.

The reason I included this shot? It's the mood zone you can see from the seat in front of the animals — swaying trees you can watch right in the middle of Jongno. My own little personal mood zone.

A place that looks the same coming in as going out. And oddly, the sunlight pouring over the shop, which surely wasn't intentional, fits so perfectly. A place that suits fall so well.

How do you order at Otter Rabbit House Jongno Branch?

At Otter Rabbit House Jongno Branch you can browse the brunch menu with photos on the kiosk, so I took my time admiring the options here.

There's also a separate drinks menu board at the register.

Each table even has its own wine menu placed on it, so there's no need to agonize — just glance over and pick quickly (shopping-host mode).

How do the ragu tteokbokki and jambon butter pasta taste?

What we ordered at Otter Rabbit House Jongno Branch was two dishes: ragu tteokbokki and jambon butter pasta.

I love tteokbokki 🍅 The ragu tteokbokki is a soft, savory Western-style version. The rice cakes weren't loose or chewy separately — they were warm and springy, seasoned through completely. Plus the dishware is straight-up European, so pretty!!

The jambon butter pasta has Japanese-style miso and butter in it, so it's completely non-aggressive and incredibly smooth in flavor.

I picked it because it felt like something you could only get here, and it turned out to be a pretty harmonious choice! The jambon (ham) plays the role of meat in the pasta. The arugula brings freshness and brightness.

We ordered one dish each with the intention of pacing ourselves, but looking at the completely empty plates, I really felt how not-enough the food was. Good Western food is so precious 💘

Finish your brunch, grab a coffee, snap a life shot in the sunlight in front of the Daegu Modern History Museum, and your Jongno date course is complete 🎶

Hours, parking and how to get to Jongno in Jung-gu, Daegu

• Daily 11:00 – 22:00
• Walkable from Exit 4, Jungangno Station, Line 1 / right beside the back entrance of Mangyeonggwan Megabox
• Mangyeonggwan 2nd Parking Lot (paid / 34 Pojeong-dong, Jung-gu, Daegu)

Which brunch dish to try next time

So… while writing this post I already found what I want to eat next time, haha. It's the Merry-Me Brownie 🍒

I also want to try the cherry bingsu… but the brownie's name alone is just too cute. One cherry or many cherries — I'll leave that decision to whichever version of me shows up on the day 🫪

Otter Rabbit House Jongno Branch has an exotic vibe from the exterior alone, so it was a great spot to zone out or just sit and take it all in. On a nice day, simply sitting somewhere like this is enough to lift your mood, so I want to stop by once more before fall gets any deeper 🤙🏻

Words & photos | Ddiyong