Gyeongju Korean restaurant for chicken hot pot: Dongyang Baekban

Today, I used a vacation day and suddenly went on a drive to Gyeongju with my parents and younger sibling. ❤️ With the weather getting chilly lately and more patients coming into the hospital, I had been feeling a little worn out from work and really wanted to rest. 😂😂

So my sibling and I took Friday off and went to see Daereungwon and Cheomseongdae. 🥹 Gyeongju has so much to see no matter when you visit, and it is one of the places I like to get away to now and then. I especially love strolling leisurely along Hwangridan-gil while snacking on its treats.

It had been a while since I had taken my parents on a drive, so I wanted us to have a delicious meal too. While searching, I found this great Korean restaurant on Hwangridan-gil. ✌️✌️ My dad is completely a Korean-food person, so we went to Dongyang Baekban Gyeongju Hwangridan-gil Main Branch to suit his taste—and the food was really good.

Dongyang Baekban near Daereungwon and Cheomseongdae

Dongyang Baekban Gyeongju Hwangridan-gil Main Branch is on Hwangridan-gil near the historic sites Daereungwon and Cheomseongdae. Since it is on the main Hwangridan-gil street, it is very easy to get to.

Go in behind the Saemaeul Geumgo bank and you will see the Cheomseongdae chocolate shop; Dongyang Baekban is right across from it.

The sign is not very visible, so if you are having trouble finding it, look for the round sign with a bird picture. Parking is very busy in this area, so it is best to park at a nearby public lot and walk over.

We visited Daereungwon and Cheomseongdae first and used the Daereungwon parking lot. After looking around Daereungwon, it took about 10 minutes to walk over at an easy pace. You can use Hwangnam Public Parking Lot. They were not charging for parking yet. 👍🏻 Hwangridan-gil itself is crowded, so we came a little before lunch to eat. 🐻

A retro interior in a remodeled tiled-roof house

Many shops in Gyeongju are tiled-roof houses, and this place is the same: it has been remodeled from a traditional home, making it feel welcoming. The brick wall that looks as if it has been cut in half was especially memorable.

The standing sign makes it seem like their specialties are spicy pork and kimchi stir-fry, white wood ear mushroom and scorched-rice chicken baeksuk hot pot, and tomato-cheese dakbokkeumtang (spicy braised chicken). Inside, the feeling of a family home carries through the décor.

What stood out most was the bathroom tile—tile that was widely used in the 1980s—which gave the interior a nostalgic retro mood.

The restroom design also catches your eye with its wall tiles.

And the door looks a little worn too, but does it not have that retro feeling? 😎 My grandfather's old house had a toenmaru (raised wooden porch), and this somehow made me miss him.

When we went inside, each room had only two tables, so there was plenty of space to use the table comfortably. When tables are close together, you bump into chairs and it can be bothersome, but here it felt pleasant and roomy. 🤗🤗

The table lighting and interior also create a different Instagram-worthy vibe from the exterior. 😄

It did not feel stuffy despite being a room because of the large windows. The buildings visible outside were impressive too. 🎶

From chicken hot pot to a wide variety of rice dishes

As you would expect from a good Korean restaurant, the main dishes are spicy pork and kimchi stir-fry, white wood ear mushroom and scorched-rice chicken baeksuk, and tomato-cheese dakbokkeumtang. There were many kinds of rice dishes too. In particular, caviar roe rice, myeongranbap (pollock roe rice), gamtae (seaweed) rice, and spicy-cheongyang-pepper rice all sounded tempting.

The side dishes include grilled mackerel, Korean beef mulhoe (cold raw-fish soup), and seasoned raw crab, so it was nice that my parents had plenty of Korean options. It is a place where you can eat with children as well as older adults, and I thought it would be nice to come back with our kids next time.

They are also running a review event. 💕 If you write a review, you can choose either strawberry ice gyeongdan (rice cake balls) or one nostalgic prize-draw ticket. We ordered the white wood ear mushroom black scorched-rice chicken hot pot (₩38,000), large yukjeon (pan-fried beef slices, ₩18,000), and myeongranbap (₩5,500). 👍

White wood ear mushroom black scorched-rice chicken hot pot and myeongranbap

After ordering, the banchan (Korean side dishes) arrived. They looked so neat and tidy. There were familiar home-style side dishes such as seaweed flakes, bean sprouts, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), and braised black beans. The side dishes were not salty, and their well-balanced seasoning was just right over rice and opened up our appetites.

While we waited, the myeongranbap came out first. There was such a generous amount of pollock roe on top. What a visual! I mixed the rice with the seaweed flakes. The seaweed and pollock roe rice went so well together; it was savory and salty, and I really liked that distinctive pollock roe flavor.

This is a nourishing dish with white wood ear mushrooms, ginseng, and chicken. There was a whole enoki-like white wood ear mushroom in it, so it looked great and I was excited about the taste too. 🐻🐻 The ginseng had soaked nicely into the chicken baeksuk, while the mushroom had a lovely texture and paired well with it. It was even better with kimchi.

The mushrooms were pleasantly chewy and perfectly seasoned, which was delicious. The chicken was fully prepared too, so it was easy to eat.

And I think the nurungji (scorched rice) at the bottom was the real kick. It was not dry at all, and its nutty flavor was different from glutinous rice.

The yukjeon came out too. It went wonderfully with the shredded scallions on top and their tangy flavor.

My personal verdict

• The food was not overly seasoned, and the chicken hot pot in particular had a wholesome flavor. I recommend Dongyang Baekban Gyeongju Hwangridan-gil Main Branch to anyone who likes nourishing dishes and Korean food. 👍🏻
• It is on the main street of Gyeongju's Hwangridan-gil and close to the cultural heritage sites, which makes it very convenient.