Grilled fish set for two near Tongdosa in Yangsan: Deodo Gejang

I've gotten really into doing restaurant tours around Yangsan with my mom lately, so we're out trying good food all the time these days haha. This time, while I was thinking about where to have lunch, I finally went to Deodo Gejang, a crab restaurant in Yangsan I'd been curious about for a while 🤗

Where is Deodo Gejang, and what are its hours?

Deodo Gejang

• 📍 2648 Yangsan-daero, 2-dong 202-ho, Habuk-myeon, Yangsan-si (178 Sunji-ri, Habuk-myeon, Yangsan-si)
• ⏰ Daily 11:00 – 20:00 (last order 19:30)
• ✔️ Reservations, waiting area, and group seating available
• 🚗 Parking lot in front of the restaurant
• 💰 Local currency, Zero Pay, easy pay accepted

Deodo Gejang used to be over in the Beomeo housing district in Yangsan, but apparently it's now expanded and relocated to the Tongdosa food street! 👏 It's fairly close to Tongdosa, and there's a nice-looking café right next door, so it seems like a great spot to grab a meal and then swing by for coffee 😊 If you're planning a visit to Tongdosa, this could be a good Yangsan restaurant near Tongdosa to stop at! It'd make for a nice Yangsan date course too~

Weekday lunch wait and what the dining room is like

Apparently weekends get crowded enough that there's a wait! I went on a weekday lunch, so it was nice and relaxed.

The interior was bigger than I expected, with plenty of tables, so it seems like a good spot for a family meal out or a gathering with several people.

They also had baby chairs ready, which would be convenient for families visiting with kids 👏

What comes with the grilled fish set for two?

It was just me and my mom, so we ordered the grilled fish set for two. You can pick between spicy marinated crab and soy-marinated crab, and since I already prefer soy-marinated crab (ganjang gejang) in general, I picked that without any hesitation 😋

Pot rice and nurungji tea at Deodo Gejang

I loved that pot rice (sotbap) came included as a default 💯

After scooping out the rice, pour water over the scorched rice left in the pot for nurungji tea!

Doenjang stew, pork bulgogi and the side dishes

There was a pretty wide variety of side dishes to eat with the rice — doenjang (soybean paste) stew and pork bulgogi came as standard. Both were tastier than expected, so I found myself picking at everything from the very start of the meal haha

The side dishes were also varied — kimchi jjim (braised kimchi), bean sprouts, cucumber salad, salad, kimchi pancake, fried tofu, and more. It didn't feel like everything was concentrated on just one or two dishes; I liked being able to taste a little bit of a lot of things! My mom enjoyed it too, saying it was fun to try one dish after another since there were so many kinds 🥰

How the soy-marinated crab, made with Jeju yellow crab, tastes

The soy-marinated crab I'd been looking forward to! A coworker had told me it was delicious and that I had to go try it. Deodo Gejang's soy crab is apparently made with fresh yellow crab from Jeju, and the crab itself definitely tasted fresh. The soy seasoning wasn't too salty either, more on the mild side, which made it perfect to eat with rice. Soy-marinated crab can sometimes have overwhelmingly strong seasoning, but at this Yangsan crab restaurant it wasn't overdone for my taste, so it was easy to eat without feeling weighed down 👏

Three kinds of grilled fish, crisp outside and moist inside

The grilled fish came out as three different types of fish together, and they were grilled just right — crisp on the outside and moist inside. I actually love grilled fish, but I rarely eat it at home because of how the smell lingers 😭 So this really felt like the first time in a long while that I'd had properly grilled fish 😍 My mom also said it had been a while since she'd had good grilled fish and really enjoyed it 😁 The spread was substantial enough to feel like a satisfying full meal!

Who is Deodo Gejang best for?

Since you get grilled fish and pot rice alongside the crab, it would work even for someone who isn't great with crab. It seems especially well-suited to a family meal out or dining with parents, and pairing it with a walk around Tongdosa followed by coffee at the café next door would make a great course 💯👏 Maybe because I went with my mom this time, but personally I really liked both the food and the relaxed atmosphere at this Yangsan restaurant. Whenever I'm craving Korean food around Tongdosa, I think I'll come back to this Yangsan Korean restaurant! 🌿