Daegu Mido Dabang
Mido Dabang is located in Daegu's Jin Alley. A deep alley is the dialect of a long
street called Gyeongsang-do. Since opening its doors in 1982, the coffee shop has become a popular spot for writers, painters, and politicians in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions. Artist Lee In-sung drew on cigarette
foil at Mido Dabang, and novelist Kim Won-il got excited about planning a new work. The poet Jeon Sang-yeol, who was a regular, wrote a poem called “Mido Dabang†just before
his death.
If you go to Jingolmok Mido Dabang
Old people with decorations on their chests
Unpack each person's bag
Selling memories worth the price of a cup of tea
Sometimes Mrs. Chung gets involved, but
As they exchange and receive from each other
It's making time for an era
– From “Mido Dabang†by the poet Jeon Sang-yeol
“Mrs. Jeong,†which appears in the poem, refers to CEO
Jeong In-sook, who has been running Mido Dabang for 34 years. In 1982, Mrs. Chung took over Doganidabang, which was used as a club activity venue for college students at the back of the Daegu Central Police Station, and put up a
sign called Mido Dabang.
Mido dabang means “coffee shop in a beautiful city (coffee shop) in a beautiful city.â€
After that, I moved to Jingolok in 1992, 10 years later, and when the building where the coffee shop was located was sold in 2013, I
moved to my current location inside Jingolok.
Although Mido Dabang has moved three times, people still line
up to pick up their old memories. Our main customers are elderly people in their 60's and after. Half of our customers are regulars who go to work every day. There are quite a few young people who come from far away, such as Seoul and
Busan, to hear rumors.
When I open the door, I feel like I'm looking into an old photo book. From fluffy
leather sofas, colorful cushions, a waterwheel spinning fish tank, and a black briquette stove, the scenery of an old coffee shop unfolds. The walls are full of pictures and letters where you
can find traces of ancient writers. Most of the works were donated by customers, and there are also works featuring Mido Dabang and Mrs. Jeong In Sook as the main characters.
The price of a cup of coffee at Mido Dabang is 2,000 won. Ssanghwa tea, which contains plenty
of nuts, and medicinal tea made directly from only good medicinal ingredients are also affordable at 3,500 won or 3000 won. Nevertheless, if you order a cup of tea, they will serve lots of
old sweets. They also cut the yellow ginger so it's easy to eat, but if you dip it in the sugar placed on the table and eat it, it
's spicy, sweet, and spicy, so it tastes good.
Address 14 Jingolmok-gil, Jung-gu, Daegu (5 minutes from
Exit 1 of Jungang-ro Station (Daegu Subway Line 1)) Telephone 053-252-9999 Business hours 9:00 to 22:00 (until 21:00 on Sundays), holiday menu, 2,000 won for coffee,
Ssanghwa tea, 3500 won (same price even if egg yolk is added)