Down in Daegu: Ansim

     Ansim(안심) is a place in Daegu that most people probably won't think to go and check out. It's at the east end of the red line and there isn't really much to it right now. The Innovation City and High-tech Medical Complex aren't going to be finished for a few more years, although property values are already on the rise in anticipation. While that's all well and good for the future, we decided to go and see what Ansim has to offer right now.

      Coming out of the subway at Ansim reveals that you really are at the edge of the city. High rise apartments on the west side and mountains and fields a short walk to the east. Despite the apparent lack of things to do, Ansim is one of the more popular subway stops in Daegu. This is mainly due to the the fact that you can catch a bus from here to Hayang (하양) very easily and Hayang hosts several well known universities. In the future the subway will extend itself to Hayang as the new last station on the line but for now, if you want to go to Hayang, you probably need to head to Ansim.

     I've posted the bus route list as well as the picture of Ansim's main bus stop, so if you want to go check out Hayang or just take a bus to Ansim, then you know what buses to take. This is basically all there is to do in east Ansim at the moment. We headed west to see what else Ansim had to offer.

     Heading towards the Emart there are quite a few outdoor/hiking kind of clothing stores. All of them right next to each other. The good thing about this is that since there are like ten of these extremely similar stores right next to each other, competition is pretty fierce and one of the stores will usually be running some kind of sale or special offer. However, it turns out that Ansim has even better deals to be found.

     Emart is Emart, nothing special there, but across the street from Emart? That's The Block. The block has several factory outlet stores from several well known brands. Nike? Puma? Adidas? The gang's all here, as well as several other clothing shops at prices far cheaper than downtown. How cheap can the factory outlets be? 30% to 80% off.

     Yeah, most of the stuff falls into the 30% off group, but a surprising number of things were 50% off. As for those 80% off advertised prices? Usually that only applies to off season stuff when they have it in stock, but you might get lucky. Sizes can be an issue with the largest shirts going up to  2XL and shoes to U.S. 12. They also might not have everything on display available up to even those sizes. But if you're an XL or size 11 or smaller. then you'll be covered. Children's and women's stuff is a lot more forgiving.

Not interested in shopping? Well Ansim has a couple of quality eateries as well. Here are our top recommendations.

Eat at:

     Samgukji (삼국지) has some of the best Chinese food (mainly Korean style with some more authentic dishes) that I've ever had anywhere in Korea, and I've eaten at some pretty fancy places for special occasions. This place is awesome. I highly recommend getting the set menu that is something like 6-7 courses for about 22,000 won. If that sounds too pricey then they have all of the standard fare for less than 10,000.  Don't miss out on their tang soo yook (탕수육) which is included in the set menu or available just by itself. Trust me, the tang soo yook here is on another level.


Drink at:

     Caffe and Stuff is a great little cafe inside a quiet neighborhood a minute's walk from Ansim station. What makes this place great is that the "and stuff" is beer and food. It's always a great feeling to be able to grab a draft beer in the early afternoon in a comfortable cafe. If you get hungry be sure to order the kimchi rice quesadilla. It goes together with beer perfectly and is very filling. They also have a tasty tuna and ham sandwich if you just want a light snack. The prices here are great as well.
Also note that the road Caffe and Stuff is on has an outdoor market on Wednesdays that you can grab all of your fresh fruit and vegetables at for good prices.

Location: I've updated the map to show everything mentioned in this post.


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Do you live in Ansim? Did we miss out on your favorite place? Let us know in the comments.