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Based on the history and tradition of the thousand-year-old ancient capital, Gyeongju has developed a diverse food culture that utilizes abundant local ingredients. As a tourist destination, it has also cultivated a wide array of Korean set-course meals tailored for visitors. If you’re in Gyeongju, Korean table d’hôte is a must. Customized recommendations are available to suit various tastes, ranging from authentic royal court-style Korean table d’hôte to options based on specific ingredients, such as meat or vegetables, or according to preferred cooking methods.

Yosukgung: Korean Table d’Hôte in a Historic House

Yosukgung is a fine dining Korean restaurant serving aristocratic family cuisine of the Gyeongju Choi family, created by remodeling a historic house with over 300 years of history. Meals are served as a complete table setting, featuring refined and meticulously prepared dishes that range from appetizers to main courses and desserts. The food, which reinterprets aristocratic family cuisine in a modern way using only Gyeongju ingredients, harmonizes tradition and modernity to create deeper and more diverse flavors. The complete table setting, accompanied by dignified service in a traditional hanok, allows you to savor the food even more fully, along with the atmosphere.

  Recommended for foreign visitors wanting to experience Korean fine dining in a proper setting; also ideal for formal gatherings such as business meetings or family introductions

Nahyun: Grilled Duck Set Menu with Thistle Hot Stone Pot Rice

This Korean table d’hôte restaurant, specializing in duck dishes, offers a variety of duck preparations, ranging from fresh grilled duck to smoked duck, marinated grilled duck, duck and seafood soup, and whole duck soup. The signature set menu, featuring thistle hot stone pot rice and savory soybean paste jjigae, is particularly notable for its cooking method, which brings out the natural flavors of the ingredients without artificial seasonings. The neatly arranged side dishes, including japchae, mackerel, and vegetable salad, also add to the overall satisfaction. The duck bulgogi balances tender, chewy meat in a sweet and spicy marinade with crunchy vegetables—especially delicious when wrapped in fresh lettuce. With generous portions of wrap-friendly greens and a wide variety of side dishes, this meal satisfies all ages and appetites. It’s popular among family visitors.

  Recommended for those craving a hearty and healthy Korean spread or wanting to upgrade their usual home-cooked meal into something more special

Ssukbujaengi: Korean Table Setting for Vegetarians

If you’re into wellness and healthy living, you can’t ignore the rise of plant-based eating. Plus, many tourists today specifically seek out vegetarian-friendly restaurants. Korean cuisine has a particularly well-developed array of cooking methods, focusing on vegetables, which allows you to experience vegetarian cuisine through a diverse range of cooking methods in a complete table setting. Ssukbujaengi is a vegetarian Korean table d’hôte specialty restaurant offering various Korean course meals. The signature dish is the lotus leaf rice set menu, which includes delicately fragrant rice wrapped in lotus leaf, seasonal salad, silken bean curd, potato pancakes, mushroom japchae, and perilla and mushroom stew—all meat-free but rich in depth and flavor. The meal ends cleanly with vegetarian-friendly desserts like sweet rice punch and bean curd crackers. Overall, the food is not heavily seasoned and uses cooking methods that bring out the flavors of ingredients, making it popular even among seniors.

  Recommended for those following a vegetarian diet or looking for a wholesome meal to enjoy with their parents

Jinsusungchan: The Taste of Soy Sauce Marinated Crab, the Rice Thief, in Gyeongju Gyochon Traditional Village

Soy sauce marinated crab is a traditional Korean food that harmonizes the deep flavor of soy sauce with the sweet and rich taste of blue crab. Fresh crab is marinated in a blend of soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and chili pepper, creating an umami-rich profile that is often referred to as a “rice thief” for its exceptional pairing with a bowl of rice. Jinsusungchan captures the taste buds of not only residents but also tourists from around the world with crab marinated in traditional secret soy sauce passed down through three generations of the Gyeongju Choi family, using domestic spring female blue crabs full of roe. Other favorites include braised abalone and galbi, marinated in the same house soy sauce with vegetables; healthy mushroom bibimbap; and Korean beef tartare bibimbap—all beloved across ages and tastes. Pair your meal with Kyodong Beobju, a local specialty rice wine exclusive to Jinsusungchan, and you’ll instantly understand the depth of Korean flavor.

  Recommended for travelers craving a rich soy-marinated crab experience and hearty Korean spread; foreign visitors eager to explore iconic Korean food

When you travel to a specific region, there are signature regional menu items that come to mind. For the ancient capital of Gyeongju, that dish is a Korean table d’hôte—a full traditional Korean table spread. Experience the most authentically Korean, most traditionally local meal in styles and moods that suit your taste. It’s a sure way to make your memories of Gyeongju even richer.