West Suwon grilled fish, Friday dinner & japchae refills: Godeungeo

Why we chose Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch for a family dinner

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch (고등어명품이되다 수원점) is a grilled fish restaurant on Seobu-ro in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon. Dad's schedule finally lined up with ours, so the three of us (mom, daughters and dad) got together for a meal out. We debated what to eat and agreed on a grilled fish set meal we'd wanted to try for a while.

Whenever we drove past, the parking lot was packed and I wondered how it tasted, so this visit felt like a wish come true. Dad enjoyed it so much he said we should all eat here together again next time. It's definitely to older folks' taste.

• Hours: 10:40 a.m.–10 p.m.
• Private parking lot available
• Side dish refills at the self-bar
• Reservations possible on Naver

Friday evening without a reservation: is there a wait?

We went on a Friday evening without a reservation. The restaurant was bustling with customers, but there was no wait. The parking lot in front is huge, and even without booking we were seated at a table right away.

The inside is very spacious, with a variety of table types, so it looks fine for family meals or company dinners too!

Live mackerel in the tank

Fresh mackerel in the tank. They're going to end up in the oven as tasty grilled fish, right? Just wait a little! I've heard mackerel die easily, so bringing them in alive must cost quite a lot. Of course, as a customer, tasting fresh fish is wonderful 😍

What's at the Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda self-bar?

There's a self-bar on one side of the restaurant, so you can take as many extra side dishes as you need. Nurungji tea (scorched-rice tea) is only at the self-bar, so pour some separately after your meal to finish.

Maybe because the restaurant is so busy, dishes empty fast and get refilled just as fast, zoom zoom. After the meal, take some nurungji tea as dessert to wrap things up!

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda menu and how to order

You order on a tablet. There are grilled fish set meals starting with the basic grilled mackerel, plus grilled Spanish mackerel, cutlassfish, croaker, Atka mackerel and bakdae, along with braised mackerel, braised cutlassfish, mackerel sashimi and croaker sashimi. With so many options, it'd be nice to order a bit of everything, right?

Wood-fired Spanish mackerel and mackerel set meals: how did they taste?

Three of us went and ordered the grilled Spanish mackerel and grilled mackerel set meals. They come out oven-grilled, so the look alone is gorgeous, and the side dishes that came with them all looked delicious. Already satisfied!

Pork-packed japchae, refilled 3 to 4 times

Then came the japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) I absolutely love, and it even had quite a lot of pork in it, so it was a really hearty side dish. I went back for japchae alone about 3 to 4 more times!

Light, non-greasy wood-fired grilled fish

I grill fish at home fairly often, but cooked in the oven, the grease really drains away and the clean, light flavor stands out. Add a squeeze of lemon for freshness, and I wonder if anyone could dislike this grilled fish.

The fish is so plump and light that it was delicious just placed on top of rice, so at first I just kept eating it like that. The portion is more generous than I expected too. When you want a neat Korean set meal, what other side dish beats this?

Rice, seaweed soup and a taste of jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork)

The grilled fish set comes with rice and seaweed soup as standard, and you can take as much extra seaweed soup as you like from the self-bar. The rice is fluffy and goes perfectly with grilled fish, right?!

A small taste of jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork) comes out too, and its seasoning was quite good~ Put the juicy, well-soaked pork on rice and mix it in, and you've got instant Korean soul food.

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch: mackerel or Spanish mackerel?

True to its name, this was a restaurant that makes mackerel taste premium. Admittedly, the Spanish mackerel was tastier than the mackerel, but whichever fish you like, order the grilled fish here and you'll enjoy it with no regrets. A Suwon grilled fish specialist 👍