Open-kitchen mackerel restaurant in Deulanguil, Daegu: Geumdeungeo

What kind of restaurant is Geumdeungeo Deulanguil Main Branch?

Geumdeungeo is a restaurant on Deulanguil in Suseong-gu, Daegu, serving wood-fired grilled mackerel cured in nuruk salt (fermented rice malt salt). Deulanguil, true to its reputation as a food street, is always producing new hot spots, and Geumdeungeo has established itself as one of the street's representative restaurants in a short amount of time.

Even the name is special — it comes from combining '금' (geum, from nuruk salt) with '고등어' (godeungeo, mackerel) to form 'Geumdeungeo.' Using nuruk salt made with the power of nature to tame the mackerel's fishy smell, then grilling it in a 420°C wood-fired oven, is a completely different approach from ordinary pan-fried fish. Drawn by word that it's a good place to bring parents, I decided to visit in person.

Where Geumdeungeo is and where to park

Geumdeungeo is located on the 2nd floor at 57 Deulan-ro, Suseong-gu, Daegu, South Korea. It's within walking distance from Suseongmot Station.

• If driving, use the mechanical parking lot and parking tower on the building's 1st floor
• Parking staff are on hand

Inside the 140-pyeong dining room

The moment the elevator doors opened, a wide, breezy space unfolded. Geumdeungeo Deulanguil Main Branch spans about 140 pyeong (~463㎡), with unusually high ceilings that give it a grand yet quite comfortable feel.

Wooden tables paired with soft lighting create an overall modern yet warm atmosphere. The spacing between tables was generous, so I could focus on the meal without feeling crowded by other diners.

Partitions and private rooms are set up throughout, making the space suitable for family gatherings, work dinners, or formal occasions like meeting the in-laws. There's also a large room that can seat 30 or more, useful if you're planning a group gathering.

The open kitchen and robot servers at Geumdeungeo

An open kitchen sits on one side of the restaurant. I could watch mackerel being grilled in the wood-fired oven and pork being stir-fried over direct flame right in front of me.

The sight of the pork being stir-fried with intense heat was quite striking. Showing customers the cooking process so openly gave a real sense of confidence in the food.

A robot serves the banchan (side dishes), and additional orders can be placed via the tablet at each table — the overall operating system felt well set up.

Geumdeungeo menu and prices

Geumdeungeo's menu is fairly concise, built around two core items. There's the 'wood-fired grilled mackerel' — Norwegian mackerel cured in nuruk salt made from natural rice malt and New Zealand solar salt, then grilled in a 420°C wood-fired oven — and the 'direct-flame stir-fried pork,' cooked over powerful open flame.

You can also add cockle salad, tossed in a sweet-and-tangy sauce, as a side. Worth noting: menu items are only orderable starting from 2 people.

If two people are visiting, ordering the grilled mackerel and the stir-fried pork to share works well. The mild mackerel and the spicy-sweet pork bring out different flavors, and eating them together makes the meal much richer.

What we ordered at Geumdeungeo

On this visit, we ordered wood-fired grilled mackerel for 2 and direct-flame stir-fried pork for 1. The prices were ₩36,000 for the mackerel (2 servings) and ₩19,000 for the pork (1 serving).

After ordering at the counter and sitting down, staff and the robot set out all the banchan at once.

A generous spread of neat side dishes arrived — japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), lotus root salad, sesame-dressed gungchae greens, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), pa-kimchi (green onion kimchi), altari-kimchi (young radish kimchi), stir-fried anchovies, and seasoned seaweed.

Any banchan running low can be freely refilled at the self-bar near the entrance.

Direct-flame stir-fried pork: smoky and spicy

Geumdeungeo's direct-flame stir-fried pork costs ₩19,000 per serving, and I could watch it being cooked over powerful heat in the open kitchen.

Watching the meat get stir-fried over flames that seemed to reach out like hands was a spectacle in itself. The resulting pork arrived at the table carrying a subtle smoky aroma.

The special sauce cleanly tamed the pork's characteristic odor. The savory depth of the spicy-sweet sauce filled my mouth the moment I put a piece of meat over rice.

The texture of the meat was tender, easy to chew, and the seasoning had soaked deep into every bite. After one piece, I naturally reached for another spoonful of rice.

The spice level wasn't particularly strong, so even those sensitive to spicy food could enjoy it comfortably. Instead, a subtle sweetness and savoriness led the flavor, and the sauce kept pulling my spoon back for more.

What impressed me most was the smoky char from the direct flame. There was clearly a different depth compared to cooking on a regular gas stove or in a pan.

The first touch on the tongue brings a subtle smoky aroma, and with each chew, the meat's juices blend together with the seasoning.

Alternating with the grilled mackerel kept the meal from ever feeling repetitive — mild, then spicy, then mild again. Just as the mackerel's plainness started to feel a bit understated, the pork's bold flavor stepped in to lift the appetite right back up.

The signature dish: 420°C wood-fired mackerel

The wood-fired grilled mackerel — the very dish that gave Geumdeungeo its name!!! It was the dish I was most looking forward to on this visit, and it delivered well beyond expectations.

Norwegian mackerel is cured in nuruk salt made from natural enzyme rice malt and New Zealand solar salt, then grilled in a 420°C wood-fired oven, according to the restaurant.

The cooking method is clearly different from an ordinary pan-fried fish. The grilled mackerel arrives at the table still in the pan, golden-brown. It's also kept on an induction burner over low heat, so it stays warm throughout the meal, which was a nice touch.

Crisp skin, moist flesh, almost no fishy smell

The moment I picked up the first piece, the skin was cooked well enough that it crackled audibly. But biting in, the flesh underneath was, in complete contrast to the crispy exterior, surprisingly moist and tender.

Quick grilling at high heat in the wood-fired oven seemed to crisp up the outside while preserving the moistness inside. Above all, there was almost no fishy smell characteristic of mackerel. Thanks to the nuruk-salt curing process, it seemed like even people who usually avoid fish could eat this without much hesitation.

It tastes even better with the accompanying nuruk salt. The mackerel itself is seasoned enough to enjoy plain, but dipping it lightly in the nuruk salt served alongside reveals another layer of flavor.

The mackerel wasn't huge, but the flesh was dense enough to savor bite by bite. A great combination: a piece of mackerel over rice, a light dip in the nuruk salt, and a bit of kimchi on the side.

Why Geumdeungeo works for a meal with parents

Geumdeungeo Deulanguil Main Branch felt less like a place that simply sells a tasty meal, and more like a place where you're properly hosted for a meal. The combination of traditional fermentation wisdom from nuruk with modern wood-fired cooking, along with the neat banchan and generous service, was impressive.

It's also close to Suseongmot Lake, making it a good spot for a stroll after eating, and the flow from parking to dining to coffee afterward was convenient.

If you're in Deulanguil, Suseong-gu, Daegu and want a neat, hearty meal with parents or elders, Geumdeungeo is well worth a visit. I'd recommend ordering both the grilled mackerel and the stir-fried pork to alternate between their contrasting flavors.