Pohang crab restaurant date course in the summer ban: Gallilli Daegae

I come to Pohang pretty often, but it's not always easy to find something good to eat. There are more Instagram-style restaurants popping up these days, and more crab places too, but even when I want to go where the locals actually go, it's hard to search for the right spot. Whenever I'm stuck like that, I head to Jukdo Market, and this was already my second visit to Gallilli Daegae Hoe Sikdang. It's a great place to go with family — the owner is kind and the menu comes out clean and well put together, so I always recommend it.

Gallilli Daegae Hoe Sikdang menu: the Gallilli Set is the signature

The signature menu is called the Gallilli Set, which lets you have bakdal snow crab together with Dokdo shrimp sashimi. We're not especially into shrimp, so we always debate over this one. But looking around at the other tables, it seemed like almost everyone was ordering this set.

Which crab can you eat during the summer fishing ban?

Domestic bakdal snow crab is off-limits in summer because of the fishing ban. You can just walk in and ask about this kind of thing — when we asked the owner what was best to eat this season, he kindly explained which crab currently had the best yield. We went with the regular bakdal snow crab set.

Yeongdeok snow crab is under a similar ban from June through October, so it becomes available again once it cools down a bit. People tend to assume red crab is always in season, but it also has a ban from July to August, so even red crab isn't always easy to get.

Shrimp lovers often go for the shrimp set, and people who love sashimi order the wild-caught sashimi. But we came for bakdal snow crab, so we went with the snow crab set.

Side dishes at Gallilli Daegae, starting with abalone porridge

As soon as we ordered, abalone porridge was set down as a default starter. The portion was small, but it had a rich, savory flavor from the abalone innards. It was cooked so well that I wanted another bowl, but that feeling faded fast once the rest of the side dishes started arriving.

The basic side dishes were laid out — a variety of seafood plus the ever-reliable corn cheese. A small seasoned sashimi also came out, and it was good enough that I found myself considering ordering sashimi separately. But since these mini sashimi and mini seasoned sashimi dishes come standard, ordering the set for two lets you taste a bit of everything without regrets.

There's also a dish of lightly blanched abalone served with vinegared gochujang, and that one was excellent too — savory and refreshing at the same time. Even before the main dish arrives, tasting through all this makes the time fly.

Mussel soup came out as well, and I think a good sashimi restaurant needs these kinds of solid side dishes laid out properly. No matter how good the main seafood is, sashimi is still just sashimi, right? People who drink might feel differently, but I really like places that serve a generous spread of these little extras — though of course, it also helps that the quality of the seafood and sashimi here is genuinely good.

This year, Pohang-style, the vinegared gochujang came topped with a layer of fine ice. It had a slightly sweet, refreshing edge to the seasoned sauce.

I never quite know the different types of sashimi, but they bring out generous portions of the tastiest cuts, and they're not cheap cuts either. Even after they explain it to me, I still don't fully understand it — maybe because I'm just not that into sashimi. Haha. I was only waiting for the bakdal snow crab.

They also serve bread, which was a nice touch — probably one of the secrets to leaving this place feeling truly full. Serving silkworm pupae and boiled peanuts is also a distinctly Gyeongsang-do style touch. I've heard other regions don't really eat boiled peanuts, though I'm not sure if that's actually true.

Bakdal snow crab yield and pre-trimmed legs: why the set suits two

While we were slowly working through all the side dishes, the crab finally arrived. The owner had told us not to worry, that the bakdal snow crab's yield was really good that day — and sure enough, the plate came out completely full.

Shrimp were piled on top too, and it started my mouth watering. The legs were pre-cracked and ready to pick at, so when you go as a pair, you avoid that annoying situation where only one person ends up doing all the crab-cracking work while time slips away. That's exactly why I recommend Gallilli Daegae Hoe Sikdang as a date-course restaurant.

Genuinely amazing yield and thoughtful prep. Take one bite and you can feel the moist, juicy crab meat practically fall into your mouth.

Crab roe bibimbap at Gallilli Daegae must be ordered separately

The body of the crab was also cleanly prepped, making it easy to eat. From here it's optional — you have to specifically order the crab roe bibimbap. As soon as we got the bakdal snow crab, we asked them to make the crab roe rice for us, and they did.

The crab roe bibimbap came out neatly mixed! The distinctive funky aroma, the nutty flavor of sesame oil, and the crunch of the sesame seeds combined into something wonderful. Looking at it, you might think two people sharing one crab isn't enough — but the crab itself is actually quite large.

You might be able to tell the scale of it from how it looks held in hand. We talked about ordering extra rice to go with the spicy stew, but ended up settling for just spooning up a little of the stew instead, since we were already so full. That's how generous the portion was for the two of us.

The spicy stew came out nice and hot — the mussel soup was tasty too, but the stew was simmered with the meaty parts of the crab, so there was plenty to eat in it as well. People who drink would probably enjoy it even more; the spicy, hot flavor cut cleanly through any richness left from the sashimi.

Even the claws were prepped this way, so we could eat through them in no time. We went a little later in the day and the place was quiet, but the space itself is quite large, so I've heard they get group bookings often too — so if you need it, like we did, it's worth making a reservation through Naver.