Suwon fish restaurant with a self-serve banchan bar: Godeungeo

Today I'm introducing a restaurant I always wondered about whenever I walked past it — "why is that place always so packed?" Even my hairdresser, who has done my hair for over ten years and has genuinely picky taste, strongly recommended I go. So after keeping an eye on it for ages, I finally visited. This is the always-busy West Suwon favorite, Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda (고등어명품이되다) Suwon Branch.

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch: hours and restaurant info

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch is at 1731 Seobu-ro, 1st floor, Gwonseon-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, open daily from 10:40am to 10:00pm. Last order is at 8:50pm, and in the summer months they extend hours with the same 10:00pm close.

• Hours – Daily 10:40am–10:00pm (last order 8:50pm) *Extended hours with the same 10:00pm close in summer.
• Store use – Takeout and reservations available, group seating available (minimum 5, maximum 50 people), corkage available for a fee
• Facilities – Waiting area and kids' chairs provided, separate men's/women's restrooms, accessible parking and wheelchair access (entrance, seating, restroom)

Restrooms sit outside the building, with two stalls on the women's side

Curious about the restrooms at Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch? I sent my own two feet out as a special correspondent to check, having heard they're outside the building but clean. They were indeed outside, but managed spotlessly with no odor at all. Men's and women's restrooms are separate, and there's also an accessible restroom. The space was a bit small, though — the women's restroom only had about two stalls.

I did briefly think, "what happens if all these customers suddenly need to go at once?" But thankfully that never happened, and everything stayed very clean, so you can relax about it!

The parking lot was nearly full at 6:30pm on a weekday

The parking lot was genuinely massive. I always thought, walking by, "wow, so many cars, so many people," but seeing it in person, I understood why the lot needed to be so big. Even visiting on a weekday at 6:30pm, the lot was almost completely full, enough to worry me about a possible wait. That parking lot scale alone confirms this is definitely a West Suwon favorite.

A waiting room with a TV and free hot chocolate

Walking into the restaurant, I saw a waiting room set up on the right — and honestly, I've never seen such a nice waiting area at a restaurant. Since the place gets so many waiting customers, there were comfortable chairs to sit on, plus a menu laid out so you can decide in advance.

More than anything, I was amazed to see a TV in the waiting room — a first for me. And on top of milk coffee and Americano as standard, there was even hot chocolate available. It really showed how much they think about waiting customers.

A spacious dining room that fits group gatherings, one bottle of water per table

The interior of Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch was also really spacious and comfortable. I wanted to take more detailed interior photos, but even on a weekday there were so many customers that I quickly snapped shots of only the empty seats. Despite the crowd, the restaurant was very clean and the tables were neatly arranged.

The space was so spacious and comfortable that I thought it would work great for a large group gathering too.

Luckily, we got seated right away with no wait at all. The owner who guided us in was really gentle. As soon as we told the front desk our party size, they immediately brought us one bottle of water.

Since I drink a lot of water, having just one bottle was a bit of a letdown.

What we ordered: braised cutlassfish for two, 38,000 won, plus grilled mackerel

As soon as we sat down, my companion Deodeo and I had a fierce debate over the menu. We were sad we couldn't get the full set menu since we don't eat raw fish, but ordering only the braised dish left the grilled fish nagging at us too. After much deliberation, we finally said, "ah, forget it, let's just get everything today!" and ordered generously.

• Braised cutlassfish for two (₩38,000)
• Grilled mackerel add-on (₩15,000)
• Coca-Cola Zero (₩2,000)

Time to properly dig into this feast worth ₩55,000 total!

The self-serve banchan bar: seaweed soup, sungnyung and sikhye

As soon as we ordered, curiosity got the better of me and I ran straight to the self-serve bar to check it out. The system was: you take the dish of side dishes given in the initial setting and refill it freely yourself.

At first I thought there weren't many banchan (side dishes) left, but when I went back after taking photos, everything had been generously restocked. Staff clearly check and refill constantly, so there's no need to worry about running low!

On top of that, there was seaweed soup, which I love, savory sungnyung (scorched rice water), and — yay! — sikhye (sweet rice punch) too. Even before the actual meal started, I was already looking forward to enjoying the sungnyung and sikhye as dessert.

Not long after ordering, everything we'd ordered was set down at once, quickly and efficiently. Having all the main dishes laid out on the table without waiting was really satisfying!

Namul, japchae and doraji, with kimchi at the self-serve bar

There was a nice variety of fresh green namul (seasoned vegetable) side dishes. Coming to a place like this, you have to eat these healthy veggie dishes, right! Plus there was japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), a dish that's always at a feast table, so it's no wonder the older generation would especially love it.

Among the many tasty banchan, the doraji (bellflower root) was especially delicious to my taste.

Ah, one tip for you — kimchi isn't included in the initial basic side dishes. Don't panic if you don't see kimchi in the first setup; head to the self-serve bar, where there's plenty ready for you to grab yourself!

If you absolutely need kimchi with your meal, don't forget to grab it from the self-serve bar~

A small taste of jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork) and seaweed soup

Oh, and here a small taster portion of jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork) came out too — it was sweet and absolutely delicious! The moment we tasted it, both Deodeo and I said at the same time, "should we have added the jeyuk-bokkeum instead of the grilled fish?"

It made us determined to order the jeyuk-bokkeum next time — it was a perfect match for our simple, kid-like palates!

Deodeo took a sip of the broth and said, "oh, this seaweed soup has real charm!" and kept enjoying it throughout the meal.

With hearty rice, warm soup, and a variety of banchan all perfectly set up, it was time to properly dig into the meal!

How does the braised cutlassfish taste? Flesh that slides off the bone

First I tried the braised cutlassfish that I love.

Oh my, look at this! This is exactly it! The flesh was so soft that it separated from the bone in one smooth motion — just look at that pale, tender flesh.

I carefully picked out just the white flesh and popped it in my mouth, and wow, I couldn't help but be amazed. So tender! There's really no other word for it but "tender." Honestly the seasoning of the braise itself was fairly ordinary, but the cutlassfish flesh was so thick and large, and so soft it melted in my mouth, that I was very satisfied.

And when you put that tender braised cutlassfish on top of warm, white rice! You all know exactly the taste I mean, without me even having to explain. You know, right? The taste you already know is always the scariest one!

I also tried the radish braised deeply in the sauce, piled onto rice. The seasoning had soaked all the way into the radish, which made it a bit salty and intense for my taste, but paired with warm white rice, that was no problem at all! The seasoning was spot on.

The grilled mackerel explains why "mackerel" is in the restaurant's name

Next, since Deodeo was so busy diligently eating only the grilled mackerel, I stole glances before switching over to it myself. Deodeo raved about how the darker-colored part of grilled fish is the truly delicious bit — taste really can't be helped, I guess. I personally prefer the plain, clean white flesh much more!

Ah, now I clearly understand why "mackerel" (godeungeo) is in the restaurant's name! If a self-proclaimed "cutlassfish lover" like me takes one bite of the grilled mackerel and thinks "ah... I should have ordered the braised mackerel!" — that really means the mackerel here is that good.

Ah, put it on warm rice and it just goes down smoothly without any resistance! Ah, fish really needs to give you a boost like this every once in a while! There's a lot of delicious meat in the world, but you can't live on meat alone. Eating fish after a long while felt really satisfying and filling.

Finishing with sungnyung and a light sikhye

Finishing the meal with a warm bowl of sungnyung, I couldn't help but say out loud, "ah, I really ate well today!" It settles and soothes your stomach so nicely — I wish every restaurant in the world had sungnyung.

For the very final finish, I had a single glass of the sikhye that had been catching my eye the whole time. It wasn't the heavy, intensely sweet kind — more like a light, zero-drink feel, clean and easygoing. It rinsed the palate refreshingly, making it a light and satisfying way to end the meal.

I finished a very full and satisfying meal at Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch, the West Suwon favorite I'd only heard about and passed by for so long. When we paid and left, the owner was so kind right to the very end, and we headed home feeling great. If you're craving appetite-boosting grilled fish or tender braised fish someday, why not give Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch a try?