Hwaseong izakaya for fall seafood dates: Susanjang Dongtan Branch

The weather has gotten so crisp—autumn is here! To welcome the season, I went to Susanjang Dongtan Branch (수산장 동탄점) in Dongtan’s Bukgwangjang area for sweet raw shrimp and chewy, flavor-packed gizzard shad. Honestly… I went in without expectations, but it was beyond what I expected..!!! I wholeheartedly recommend it for a company dinner or date. 👍

The Dongtan branch of Susanjang, famous in Suwon Yeongtong

First off, I looked it up and found that Susanjang is known as a great restaurant in Yeongtong, Suwon. 👏 Ohhh~ While the Yeongtong branch is small and has that late-night-diner feel, the Dongtan Bukgwangjang branch feels like a proper venue, with private rooms and space for group gatherings~

What I reaaaaally wanted to eat at Susanjang was raw shrimp, one of autumn’s seasonal seafood treats ㅠㅠ 🦐🦐🦐 I had watched so many Reels ASMR clips of people crunchily dipping raw shrimp 🧊 into chojang (sweet-tangy chili dipping sauce), haha. I loved that Susanjang Dongtan Branch has it right on the best-menu list!

Crisp, nutty autumn gizzard shad 🐟 Gizzard shad keeps popping up on Reels too… Susanjang owner, are we on the same algorithm?? The autumn gizzard shad & raw shrimp combination is such a knowing choice~^^

This is how you should choose raw shrimp

🚨 Urgent!! Everyone, just because raw shrimp is trending, please do not eat it anywhere and everywhere.

• Go to a sashimi restaurant that handles live fish well.
• When you peel the raw shrimp, the flesh should be translucent, not white.

Not all uncooked shrimp is the same, you know,,ㅠㅠ You need delicious raw shrimp that has been properly cleaned—even the innards removed—so its signature springy texture and sweetness build with every chew~~haha

Parking and a log-cabin date-night atmosphere

🅿️ Susanjang Dongtan Branch is near Fire Station 119. Parking in the building is very… complicated, and there may barely be any spaces, so I recommend a public parking lot. Honestly, the very best way is to leave the car at home for a fun drinking night! Haha

Walk past the log-like exterior and open the door, and it feels as cozy as stepping into a Japanese log-cabin pub 🤎🪵 The lighting, humidity, atmosphere, flavor—everything says date spot, this is it~^^ You know how important it is to have a pretty-lit place where conversation flows on a date?? There are lots of loud pubs in Bukgwangjang, so keeping one place like this for setting the date mood is a real win, haha. (Someone please go on a date here for me and tell me all about it.) It would be nice as a first stop, but as a second stop it feels like the kind of place where the flirting ends and day one of dating begins, hahaha.

I especially love beer more than soju 🍺 and, fitting for a Japanese-style izakaya, Susanjang serves Suntory draft beer, so I thought, oh… they know the fundamentals, haha. From the entrance onward, the scent of a great restaurant was quietly drifting out. 💭

More than anything, the place was just so cute and all that..! The dark log interior was filled with warm lights, making it the perfect décor for lingering over drinks and conversation 💬. The illustrated Susanjang menu painted above the kitchen looked unbelievably appetizing. Am I the only one whose eye always catches things like that at restaurants? Haha

Private rooms, four-person tables, and two-person dachi counter seats

Susanjang Dongtan Branch has a private room for 10 people, four-person tables, and two-person dachi counter seats. I visited with my boyfriend, and we used the cozy two-person seats facing the kitchen~

Ah, please sit in seats like these on a date. The date atmosphere is on another level~ Though only after having something non-smelly at the first stop, hahaha. Once you are close enough to eat sitting side by side, that is. (There are a lot of conditions, huh..?) There are fish-shaped lights above the dachi counter, and they were quietly fun to look at and so cute! 💗

From the complimentary grilled flounder to raw shrimp

First up, the complimentary snack: mini grilled flounder. Do not underestimate it because it is mini! This was not some dried-out free snack, but freshly fried flounder with soft, tender flesh~~

Suntory draft beer. Before eating something delicious, cool down your throat with a draft beer~ Your body has to be cold before you eat sashimi. (I said what I said.)

At the dachi counter, you can even watch them slice the aged sashimi~ Flip. Flip. I could not even begin to grasp how fresh it was. Before I had eaten anything, it took effort not to order more.. Dip it in the Buldak spicy chicken sauce served with the raw shrimp and it is even better 🔥❤️🔥

After eating the raw shrimp, whose sweetness grows as you chew, collect the heads and add ₩3,000 for crispy butter-fried shrimp heads. That is another delicacy, I am telling you. I cannot resist beer. Owner, one more draft beer please~~~🍺👍

Autumn gizzard shad with chamnamul

They say even a daughter-in-law who has left home comes back for autumn gizzard shad—so this is that autumn gizzard shad??? The gizzard shad was sliced so you could chew through its thin, seokkeosi-style bones, and served with chamnamul (Korean parsley) and nogak-muchim (seasoned aged cucumber salad). Put a piece of gizzard shad on the spicy, tangy salad and it is heaven.

Ah, seeing this makes me want it again.. (drool) There was a whole bed of chamnamul beneath the gizzard shad. It was a party of texture and aroma, like fireworks going off in your mouth. That day, instead of eating one piece at a time, I took a giant bite all at once—haha. There is such a savory chew to it.

Oh! I was too full to use it, but here is a Susanjang tip for you: make a reservation and use the aged-kimchi roll coupon!!!!

The menu items were all so fresh, with every trending great-restaurant dish and drinks of every kind. I visited through sponsorship, but when my friends come to Dongtan, I will still say, “Hey, our neighborhood has a cool izakaya too~” and bring them here!! Haha. Four women were dining at the table behind us, and their vibe looked so nice too~^^

Ahh..!! It looks like there can be a wait on weekends. There was none when I went on a weekday evening, but you all should hurry over.

On a day with this cool, clear, high autumn sky, stop by Susanjang, the new Bukgwangjang restaurant, for its outdoor-pub atmosphere. I do not think you will regret it!!