Weekend Russian snow crab, honest weighing at a Gijang, Busan spot

Gijang Myeongpum Daegae

As the last bit of summer heat faded, I suddenly started craving snow crab. It's not quite domestic crab season yet, but my husband and I went out for it anyway after a long while. This time we went to Gijang Myeongpum Daegae, tucked in an alley of Gijang Market — being in Gijang, it seemed to draw a lot of travelers too. Maybe because of the good turnover, the crabs in the tanks looked really fresh!

Location and parking

When we arrived, being a weekend, the street leading in was already pretty crowded. Luckily a parking staff member in front of Gijang Myeongpum Daegae guided us to a spot, which made things easy. If their own lot fills up, they'll also direct and help you to another public parking lot.

A huge crab sculpture hanging at the entrance made the place easy to spot from a distance. It sits right at the entrance of Gijang Market's crab alley, and a reservation phone number was posted in big letters too.

Walking in first, staff by the tanks guide you well. At the entrance I noticed it's appeared on quite a few TV shows — Stocking, 1 Night 2 Days, Human Documentary Life is Beautiful, and more!

Picking a crab on the 1st floor

A cute crab-character sign caught my eye. I'd heard Busan gets a lot of Taiwanese tourists, and sure enough there were a lot of Chinese-character signs up too.

On one side, the steaming pots looked spotless.

The tanks held not just snow crab but king crab and red snow crab too, ready by type so you could pick to fit your budget and party size.

We picked snow crab! The ones in the tank were Russian snow crab, and they were genuinely huge, haha.

The staff member recommended and picked out a size just right for two people.

Honest weighing

The staff member deducted the basket weight — 600g — in advance, then put only the crab on the scale and showed us the actual weight right in front of us. Seeing that kind of honest weighing made me feel like there was at least no chance of getting ripped off.

2nd-floor dining room

Taking our order slip upstairs, we found a layout with a bigger-than-expected hall along with private rooms.

The dining room is bright and spacious, kept clean and modern, so it felt hygienic and fresh.

There were a lot of families around, and since private rooms are available separately, it'd be a good idea to book ahead for a family meal out.

Table charge and self-serve bar

The table charge is ₩5,000 per person. While the crab steams, you can help yourself at the self-serve bar.

The bar had fried items, fried chicken, salad, boiled corn, and ryusansul (stir-fried mixed vegetables and meat).

We had a light bite as an appetizer, haha. Seems like it'd be great if you're bringing kids along. I especially loved the corn — it was so chewy and tasty, haha.

How was the crab's taste and yield?

The table had an induction stove, and everything — chopsticks, small plates — was neatly set before we even started eating.

Finally, today's star arrived: the snow crab.

Warming it up on the induction stove meant it stayed hot all the way through instead of cooling off, which I loved.

It came pre-cleaned and ready to eat, so all we had to do was dig in with the crab forks! And on top of that, a hearty abalone came out as a free extra, haha.

Later, the crab meat for the fried rice comes out separately in the crab shell for easy ordering. Crab fried rice + doenjang stew is ₩5,000 per person.

Just look at that claw meat — so good.

It was surprising how the meat pulled out whole without breaking apart. The crab's signature clean, subtly sweet flavor really came through, so I could taste the crab's true character properly.

The leg meat was so plump and full that I felt satisfied the moment I picked it out with my chopsticks. Curious about the actual yield here, I picked apart quite a few legs — there was almost no empty space.

The body meat was solid too, with the crab-roe flavor mixed in giving it an even nuttier taste than the legs.

It came pre-cut in half, which made digging out the meat easy. After eating for a good while, the yield was so good that just the crab alone filled us up, haha.

Finishing with crab fried rice and doenjang stew

To finish the meal we ordered crab fried rice + doenjang stew. With tofu, zucchini, and crab leg in a savory doenjang broth, it felt like it really settled our stomachs!

We let it simmer more on the induction stove and added in a bit more crab leg meat, haha. It made the nutty crab flavor even richer.

We ate the abalone together with the crab fried rice too. Nice and chewy — properly nourishing.

On the way out after finishing our meal, I noticed some small claw-machine toys tucked in one corner of the restaurant. If you've got kids with you, there's something fun to do after eating too.

If you're looking for a good restaurant in Gijang with a solid crab yield and honest pricing, Gijang Myeongpum Daegae is worth a visit! My husband and I left satisfied this time, and next I'm thinking of bringing my parents along too 💙💙