Dongtan seafood spot with salt-grilled shrimp, egg ramyeon: Susanjang

You don't have to travel all the way to the coast to enjoy fresh seafood properly — right in the middle of Dongtan. This time I visited Susanjang, a well-known spot on the Dongtan north plaza street!

In a clean, tidy setting you can enjoy everything from aged sashimi to seasonal seafood, so it's great for a drink and also works as a Dongtan date spot. This time I properly ate grilled shrimp and raw shrimp sashimi, and finished with ramyeon — I especially loved being able to enjoy seasonal shrimp two ways, both raw and grilled, in one sitting.

It's a great place to visit when you want to enjoy seafood cleanly and comfortably in downtown Dongtan without going all the way to the coast.

Susanjang Dongtan Branch: location, parking and hours

• Location: 18 Dongtanjiseong-ro, 105-106, Dongtan-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea / on the Dongtan north plaza
• Parking: No parking on site, nearby public parking lot recommended (Hanbit public parking lot, 90 minutes free)
• Hours: 11:00–23:50 / break time 15:00–17:00

What the north plaza storefront looks like, and the Tuesday evening wait

Susanjang Dongtan Branch sits along a street you've probably walked down before if you've strolled the north plaza area. With live fish and shrimp displayed outside, you can tell this place is serious about sashimi and seafood. The exterior has wood-paneled walls, giving it the atmosphere of walking into a cabin.

Even though I went on a Tuesday evening, there was a wait — impressive for a place that opened just a month ago. Word of mouth here is huge. Since it's shrimp season, a lot of office workers seemed to be there specifically for shrimp. It looks like the perfect spot for a meal-and-drinks combo after work.

The place isn't small, but it was really packed. It felt like tables filled up fast, probably from groups coming straight from work for company dinners.

Six counter seats and kiosk ordering at Susanjang

Luckily, since there were two of us, we got seated at the counter right away. The counter seats fit six people total and had a cozy atmosphere good for chatting. Ordering is done through a kiosk, and water, chojang (vinegar-chili sauce), soy sauce and utensils were all already set on the table, which was convenient.

The fried flounder that comes free with the order

The flounder fry came out fast right after we sat down. It came so quickly I thought it might be pre-made cold flounder, but it was actually warm and plump — really good quality!

It had way more meat than expected, too good in quality to just be a basic side dish. Adding an extra order costs ₩4,000, but it was salty, savory and delicious enough that I wanted to.

Salt-grilled live shrimp, cooked right on the counter burner

Next came the raw shrimp for grilling. They cook right on the burner at your seat, and inside the shrimp were still hopping around alive, which really convinced me how fresh they were. I thought it would take a while to cook, but they were done surprisingly fast, so it wasn't boring to wait at all!

The grilled shrimp had really plump meat — about 15 pieces in total. Since the meat was so large, it was the perfect amount for two people on its own.

Being salt-grilled, the meat firmed up nicely inside with just the right seasoning — really delicious. There's definitely a reason you're supposed to eat these in season!

Raw shrimp sashimi: shelled, with the heads still on

Next up was the raw shrimp sashimi. The shells are already peeled off for easy eating. But the heads were still attached, and seeing the shrimp still wriggling was a shockingly fresh sight!

The shrimp were fresh enough to eat raw as sashimi — really firm and sweet.

I felt bad, so I quickly snipped them off... And all the shrimp heads get collected in a bowl — for ₩3,000, they'll butter-grill them for you!

I tried dipping them in soy sauce too, but shrimp really does go best with chojang. That said, the shrimp itself had such a distinct sweetness that it was delicious even without any dip.

Egg fried rice: a portion like 2.5 bowls of rice

Next, feeling like we needed some carbs, we ordered the egg fried rice. The portion seemed huge for the price — at least 2.5 bowls of rice worth?

The egg flavor was really savory and the rice grains were cooked light and fluffy. The seasoning was just salty enough — perfect as a drinking snack!

Why the 3,000-won butter-grilled shrimp heads won the night

Since we ordered both the grilled shrimp and shrimp sashimi, the shrimp heads from each came out as butter-grilled shrimp heads. I usually never eat shrimp heads and almost didn't order this, but it was way better than the shrimp body itself... Now I get why everyone says shrimp heads are so good!

How to eat shrimp heads at Susanjang

You don't eat the whole head as is, though — you need to remove the head tip, the horn, and the shell. Just bend back the front part of the shrimp's head, and pull off the shell attached on both sides!

All the shrimp flavor is concentrated in the innards, and even the whisker part was super crispy — this was the number one dish I ate there that day. It was that good, so you absolutely have to order it!

Finishing with the two-egg hangover ramyeon

And finally, the two-egg hangover ramyeon (haejang ramyeon). It's a spicy, punchy ramyeon with a strong black pepper aroma. With two whole eggs in it, you also get a solid dose of protein.

The eggs were cooked to a perfect soft-boiled point, and the sweetness of the green onions made it a perfect ramyeon to pair with drinks. Especially after grilled and steamed shrimp, you really need a spicy broth like this to finish.

Wrap-up: how to order well at Susanjang Dongtan Branch

I left Susanjang really satisfied that I could properly enjoy fresh, seasonal seafood without going all the way to the coast! Being able to eat live shrimp immediately as both raw sashimi and salt-grilled definitely gave a real sense of freshness, and the butter-grilled shrimp heads in particular were the best dish I had this time, so I definitely recommend ordering them too.

Finishing with the spicy two-egg hangover ramyeon at the end made it feel like I'd properly enjoyed everything from seafood to a full meal. Whether you want seasonal seafood or aged sashimi, or just a clean-atmosphere spot for a drink and a good Dongtan date location, this place worked well for both. If you're looking for a well-known spot on the Dongtan north plaza street to comfortably enjoy fresh seafood in downtown Dongtan, I recommend Susanjang.