Snow crab dinner with mom in Gijang, Busan, 3.2kg: Gijang Myeongpum

A famous snow crab and king crab spot in Gijang, Busan, known for honest weighing (basket weight subtracted!) and a generous side of free abalone: Gijang Myeongpum Daegae. Sunny skies again today ☀️. One day I suddenly needed a crab fix, so I went for a crab transfusion at Gijang Myeongpum Daegae. Turns out this is actually a spot I've been coming to for ages, tagging along with a close unnie :)

What kind of place is Gijang Myeongpum Daegae? The basics

There are countless crab restaurants inside Gijang Market, but I keep coming back to Gijang Myeongpum Daegae because I never feel like I'm being tricked. I'm especially bad at haggling with owners haha, so I much prefer just paying the posted price.

Outside the restaurant is a sign explaining that this crab shop is run by a father raising five kids, together with his family. They say they always prepare food as if feeding their own family, and prioritize honesty and freshness above all — which felt very connected to why I keep coming back here.

Parking around Gijang Market is always a bit of a headache, but there's a ground-level lot in the same building as the restaurant, so no parking worries here!

Snow crab price at Gijang Myeongpum Daegae: ₩80,000 per kg

This week's crab price at Gijang Myeongpum Daegae is ₩80,000 per kg! 🦀 Walking into the first floor, the first thing you see is a tank packed with snow crab and king crab. You pick the crab you want to eat, and the exact weight is confirmed after subtracting the basket's weight.

The owner never pushed us to buy more than we wanted, and let us pick freely. We watched the exact kg get weighed right in front of us, double-checked that the basket weight was subtracted, and confirmed the total before cooking.

One reason I love Gijang Myeongpum Daegae is that they always post the crab price on Naver. You can check the price before you even visit, so there's no awkward surprise on-site — and no worrying about being ripped off, which makes eating so much more relaxing.

The layout — picking crab on the 1st floor, then eating comfortably on the 2nd — made for a clean flow. There's also an elevator, so no worries about stairs~

Second-floor dining room and seating for family gatherings

Walking up to the 2nd floor, the first thing that caught my eye was a crab playing the drums haha. Even though we booked an early dinner slot, there were already quite a few guests. As time went on, more and more people kept coming in until the tables were nearly full.

Still, the tables were spaced out nicely enough that it didn't feel cramped, and it seemed like a great spot for family outings or gatherings. There was also a separate section set apart from the other tables — not a fully enclosed room with a door, but partitioned enough to be comfortable for a group. A nice independent space for get-togethers.

The basic table setting is ₩5,000 per adult, and after finishing the crab, you can add fried rice + soybean paste stew for ₩5,000 per person.

A snow crab restaurant with a salad bar: fried chicken, yusanseul, cold cucumber soup

I've been to plenty of crab restaurants, but this was the first one I've seen with a salad bar. From fried snacks to a bunch of other dishes, it was fun picking things out even before the crab arrived.

The salad bar had fried chicken, yusanslu (stir-fried pork and vegetables in a thick sauce), and all kinds of fried snacks — lots of kid-friendly menu items, so highly recommended for families with children. Last time I came here with a middle-school-age boy, and wow, did he eat haha.

On the other side there were quail eggs, pickles, kimchi, and various salads. I loaded up a nice plate from the salad bar 🥗 A full spread before the crab even arrived, and we said cheers first~🥂

We also grabbed a bowl of cold cucumber soup. Cool and tangy, perfect for a hot day, and it worked great as an appetite starter before the crab.

How much meat in a 3.2kg snow crab, plus 4 free abalone

The crab we picked that day was about 3.2kg 🦀 At ₩80,000/kg, that came to roughly ₩250,000! The price matched exactly what was posted online, so there was no need to haggle at all — the price on the sign is exactly what you pay. It was great being able to eat without stressing over price 😊

Four free abalone as a service item haha. We came for crab and ended up with a full-blown seafood feast.

Eek haha, finally it's here 🦀❤️ What is this visual?! Is the meat really this packed? 🥹 One bite of the claw meat and it was so plump — a proper crab transfusion haha.

I want to eat it… I really want to eat it…👀 Everyone's just staring at the crab shell, sizing each other up haha.

The yield was so good you didn't even need to try hard to get the meat out. Just crack it open and the meat comes tumbling out on its own. The shell was packed with green-tinged tomalley too.

Aw… my mom kept scraping out the crab body meat just to feed her daughter 🥹 M.O.M. I. LOVE. YOU. ❤️ Slurped up every bit of the rich tomalley too!! I ♥ MOM = infinite love from a mom who picks crab meat for you 🦀❤️

Finishing the meal: crab-shell fried rice, soybean paste stew and crab ramyeon

We ordered 2 fried rice orders, and they came with soybean paste stew too.

The rice was subtly infused with crab meat and tomalley flavor, topped with popping flying fish roe — it looked great before you even tasted it. And a savory soybean paste stew loaded with tofu, zucchini, onion, and crab legs! Perfect alongside the fried rice.

It felt like too much to stop there, so we ended up ordering ramyeon (instant noodles) too. Thanks to the broth infused with crab, the ramyeon soup was rich, spicy, and full of umami.

Already stuffed, but adding kimchi on top made it impossible to put the chopsticks down… After seafood, you really have to finish things off properly with some carbs in the form of ramyeon 💕

On the way out, I spotted a nostalgic arcade corner — capsule toy machines, coin exchangers, the works. Even as an adult, it makes you want to try it out once haha.

If you're looking for a crab restaurant in Gijang Market, Busan, I recommend this as a great spot for a family gathering 🦀 We ate our way through everything from crab to crab ramyeon, and left satisfied to the very end 🤍