Gyeongju restaurant for black-rice-crust mushroom chicken stew

Figuring out what to eat on Hwangridan-gil in Gyeongju is always a bit of a puzzle. Cafés and Western food are great, but when you're traveling, sometimes you just crave something warm and hearty and Korean. This time I went to Dongyang Baekban Gyeongju Hwangridan-gil Main Branch, and it was exactly right for that kind of day 🤍

I knew Dongyang Baekban had branches in several regions, so it's a franchise — but it turns out this Hwangridan-gil branch in Gyeongju is actually where it all started.

Maybe that's why it fits the atmosphere of Gyeongju so well.

Location and hours of Dongyang Baekban Gyeongju Hwangridan-gil Main Branch

• 📍 1F, 1056-5 Poseok-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk
• ⏰ 11:00 – 21:00
• Break time 15:00 – 17:00
• Last order 20:00

It's located inside Hwangridan-gil, so it's a convenient stop for a meal while wandering around Daereungwon Tomb Complex or the street itself.

Parking at the Hwangnam Culture Center public lot

Parking is always the biggest worry on Hwangridan-gil. Rather than looking for dedicated parking at Dongyang Baekban, it's easier to use the Hwangnam Culture Center public parking lot right next to the restaurant. Rates are ₩500 for the first 30 minutes, ₩200 per 10 minutes after that, with a daily max of ₩10,000.

A hanok atmosphere that fits right in on Hwangridan-gil

From the outside, Dongyang Baekban has that hanok (traditional Korean house) look that matches the distinct vibe of Hwangridan-gil.

Stepping inside, it's a bit different from the sleek, modern restaurants you see everywhere these days — the space keeps the feel of an old house, which really made me feel like I was on a trip in Gyeongju.

I especially liked that the tables weren't all crammed into one big room but split across smaller sections, which made eating there feel more relaxed.

Even though it's right in the middle of Hwangridan-gil, the inside felt surprisingly calm — a good spot for a family meal or a date.

High chairs were also available, so it looked like a good option for visiting with kids too.

The menu is much bigger than you'd expect

The name alone makes you think of a simple baekban (set-menu Korean meal) place, but the menu turned out to have way more options than expected. Main dishes range from dakbokkeumtang (spicy braised chicken) to beef tripe hot pot, pork dureuchigi (stir-fried spicy pork), and soy-braised jjimdak, alongside sides like beef tartare rice, pollack roe rice, ttangcho bap, egg rice, beef jeon, and Korean beef tartare gimbap.

It's not just the usual Korean restaurant lineup — there are a lot of dishes with a fun twist on tradition, which made choosing genuinely enjoyable.

After ordering, side dishes that go well with Korean food — diced radish kimchi, bean sprouts, braised soybeans — were neatly laid out!

Mini perilla-oil beef jeon, ₩9,000

I also ordered a mini perilla-oil beef jeon to go along with the stew.

The mini size comes with 2 pieces of beef jeon, which is a nice, light amount to add on if you're already planning to order several main dishes.

The beef jeon comes with a side of seasoned chives.

The beef jeon with its perilla oil aroma paired really nicely with the chives. It's great to eat one before the stew arrives, and also good alongside rice — I was glad I added it as a side :)

Eunibeoseot black-rice-crust chicken stew, ₩38,000

And now, the dish I was most looking forward to that day! The eunibeoseot black-rice-crust chicken stew.

Even the name feels totally different from a typical chicken stew, doesn't it?

It's a boneless chicken stew made with eunibeoseot mushrooms, golden enoki mushrooms, and ginseng, simmered rich with black sesame and nurungji (crispy scorched rice).

From the moment I saw it, it looked so different from the red or clear chicken stews I usually know, which made me even more curious.

Bottom line: it was genuinely delicious.

With black sesame and rice crust in the broth, the whole thing has this nutty, toasty flavor running through it,

and there's a generous amount of mushrooms too, so it makes for a satisfying, hearty pot to share.

Best of all, since it's boneless chicken, there was no need to pick around bones — just easy eating.

If you want to try something a little different from typical Korean food in Gyeongju, I'd recommend this dish 🤍

Make sure to add ttangcho bap with this stew

Personally, the thing that went perfectly with the stew was ttangcho bap! It costs ₩5,000 — minced beef and cheongyang chili stir-fried together and served over rice. Taking bites of ttangcho bap between spoonfuls of the eunibeoseot black-rice-crust chicken stew turned out to be a really great combination.

A bite of stew, a bite of ttangcho bap, a sip of broth, repeat — it's the kind of combo that keeps your chopsticks moving haha

Don't miss the review event either 🍓

After eating, be sure to check out the review event too! When I visited, participating in the review event got you a free strawberry ice-gyeongdan (rice cake) per person 🍓 It's nice as a palate cleanser after the meal, and honestly more memorable than just getting a free drink.

There was also a small gachapon-style draw event off to the side, one try per person — it reminded me of the toy draws I used to do as a kid haha. Having these little extra bits of fun after a meal made the whole visit feel more complete. The events may change, so it's worth checking when you visit :)

If you're looking for Korean food on Hwangridan-gil

Hwangridan-gil has no shortage of great restaurants, but if you're craving warm broth and rice during your trip, or looking for something easy to share with parents or kids, Dongyang Baekban Gyeongju Hwangridan-gil Main Branch could be a solid choice.

Above all, the combination of eunibeoseot black-rice-crust chicken stew and ttangcho bap was more delicious than expected and really stuck with me, and adding the mini perilla-oil beef jeon made the whole meal feel properly complete.

If you want to enjoy something a bit different from an ordinary baekban meal within the hanok atmosphere unique to Hwangridan-gil, this is worth adding to your Gyeongju trip itinerary 🤍