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A hearty breakfast is important for a day filled with energy. In Gyeongju, there are plenty of old-fashioned and unique restaurants that will make you stop worrying about breakfast. From Gyeongju’s original soybean soup, enjoyed by dipping chewy sweet rice donuts like cereal in savory soybean broth to “Korean beef and rice soup” and refreshing “bean sprout and rice soup” for broth lovers who are passionate about warm soup and rice, there are plenty of breakfast restaurants that people of all ages can enjoy. Let's enjoy sweet and spicy Gyeongju-style breakfast at local restaurants that tastes exceptionally delicious because it's Gyeongju.

Gyeongju Wonjo Kongguk, the Sweet and Nutty Soul Food of Gyeongsang-do People

Gyeongju Wonjo Kongguk located on Hwangnidan Street is where you can taste soybean dishes with 70 years of expertise. The worn-out exterior that shows the passing of time is in stark contrast with the elegant and neat hanok (traditional Korean house)-style wooden floors and rooms found inside. Its signature menu consists of three soybean soup flavors.

One can freely choose from three flavors of the soybean soup, retaining 100% of all the nutrients found in beans. Number 1 is soybean soup sprinkled with egg yolk, sesame seed oil, perilla seeds, and brown sugar; Number 2 is made by adding sweet rice donuts to Number 1; Number 3 is black soybean soup made of black sesame seeds, black beans, honey, and sweet rice donuts. You can also enjoy the soybean soup cold or a unique soybean soup by ordering cold agar soybean soup with jelly-like chewy texture.

Putting sliced sweet rice donuts in the soybean soup and raw egg yolk will fill your mouth with appetite. The restaurant is also distinct in that it starts selling soybean soup cooked since dawn, from 9 am and has break time from 10:30 am to 11:30 am when other restaurants prepare for business. This is because when mother, the second-generation owner, who starts working at 4 am, is done preparing the side dishes, the third-generation owner daughter and son-in-law receive guests for breakfast and must get some rest before lunch.

Large families chatting together share soybean soup as an appetizer and enjoy a diverse and hearty breakfast table with soft bean curd stew, noodles in cold soybean soup, and pancakes. Pancakes made by grinding raw beans are also popular with the Millennials and Gen Z, who enjoy soybean soup as a snack.

Goyu Hanwoo Gukbap Offers a Simple yet Hearty Breakfast on Hwangnidan Street

At 7:30 AM, visiting Goyu Hanwoo Gukbap will surprise you twice and awaken you. You'll be surprised first by the tables packed with busy travelers as soon as you enter the restaurant, and surprised once more by the breakfast table generously filled with beef and rice soup, pan-fried battered beef pancakes, and even cold Korean beef tartare soup.

The signature menu of Goyu Hanwoo Gukbap, which offers diverse menus including not only cold beef tartare soup but also beef tartare bibimbap, is definitely its Korean beef and rice soup. The clear broth made only from 100% Korean beef boasts a deep and rich flavor, and once you taste the soup, you will be tempted to finish it at once. The tender glass noodles, crispy bean sprouts, and savory beef, will make you clearly realize why this restaurant opens early in the morning.

A side menu that goes well with the soup includes pan-fried battered Korean beef pancakes. Beef pancakes made by coating thinly sliced beef with thick yellow egg batter and cooked until golden are soft and good to eat with the soup. The beef pancakes will taste even better with the onion slices pickled in soy sauce.

Another menu loved for breakfast, especially to overcome a hangover, is the appetizing cold Korean beef tartare soup. The red broth made with a special spicy red pepper paste sauce that the owner carefully crafted, fresh Korean beef tartare, various vegetables, and yellow beef pancakes served in a bowl is picture-perfect. Adding boiled thin noodles to the beef tartare and vegetables completes a refreshing and cool breakfast as hearty as its mouth-watering visual.

Gyeongju Kongnamul Gukbap Serves Gyeongju-style Spicy Bean Sprout and Rice Soup

From 7 AM, it's busy in front of Gyeongju Kongnamul Gukbap restaurant. The scene of locals coming for the soup to overcome a hangover and young travelers and families coming to the restaurant for breakfast is heartwarming. Bean sprout and rice soup served boiled in an earthenware pot is Gyeongju-style bean sprout and rice soup with added red pepper powders.

A really refreshing soup is oyster and rice soup. Oysters shipped from Tongyeong every morning look appetizing as they are cooked in a hot broth. The restaurant's secret recipe is seasoning all soups with ground salted shrimp instead of salt. The chewy rice cake slices that appear one by one while savoring the bean sprout and rice soup are also delicacies.

The Gyeongju Kongnamul Gukbap, which boasts a 35-year history serving breakfast every morning, offers four main menus: bean sprout and rice soup, oyster and rice soup, beef and rice soup, and bibimbap. These are good for groups to order and share. When you order soup, they bring it boiled and bubbling in an earthenware pot.

The steam and savory aroma rising from the boiled soup make the soup all the more appetizing. First, enjoy the crunchy bean sprouts in the soup, then place some radish kimchi on rice to complete a mouth-watering exquisite bite.

Bibimbap with various fresh greens and generously topped with 2 fried eggs is a menu loved by children for its familiar yet healthy taste.

[Gyeongju Wonjo Kongguk]
Address: 113 Cheomseong-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
Contact: +82-54-743-9644
Hours: 09:00–19:45 (10:30–11:30, 16:30–17:30 break time), closed on Sundays

[Goyu Hanwoo Gukbap]
Address: 1058-13 Poseok-ro, Gyeongju-si

[Gyeongju Kongnamul Gukbap]
Address: 7-1 Taejong-ro 791beon-gil, Gyeongju-si
Contact: +82-507-1460-0359
Hours: 07:00–16:00, closed on Tuesdays

Text and photos by travel writer Min Hye-gyeong
※ The above information was prepared in September 2025 and may be subject to change, so please check before traveling.
※ Gyeongju Hwabaek Convention Bureau holds the copyright to the texts, photos, videos, and other information used in this article. Unauthorized use of any part of this article is prohibited.