Suwon Gosaek grilled fish restaurant with a self-serve muk bar

Taking a grandfather with no appetite to a Suwon grilled fish restaurant

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch is a grilled fish Korean restaurant on Seobu-ro in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon, just a 5-minute drive from my mom's place. My grandfather moved today, so my mom brought him to Suwon. Since he was already there, I dropped by my mom's to treat him to a good lunch.

Grandfather's been low on energy lately — doesn't want to move, doesn't want this, doesn't want that, no appetite at all. But he needs to eat something to get his strength back, so after a long round of convincing, he agreed to go out. I figured he'd like this place. Spoiler: he ate really well, and honestly I was so proud of him.

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch hours and parking

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch is open daily from 10:40 to 22:00, last order at 20:50. It stays open as usual during the Chuseok holiday too.

It's a building right beside a main road, so the parking lot is huge. But even with a lot that size, spots can still run out — we went on a weekday lunch and it was already packed!!

How long is the weekday lunch wait, and is there a waiting room?

A wait at Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch on a weekday lunch, of all things... But since the place is spacious and turns tables fast, we got seated pretty quickly.

There's a waiting room right next door. It's really spacious with lots of seats.

Interior

Luckily we got a table near the front entrance. I'd been worried about that since grandfather has trouble getting around, so what a relief 😀 The place is genuinely huge, but it was packed with customers. Being a weekday lunch, there were more people who looked like coworkers than families.

Why the self-serve muk (acorn jelly) bar is the favorite

Self-serve corner

The self-serve corner at Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch is a big deal. The basic side dishes come set on the table, but the muk (acorn jelly) seems to be something you serve yourself. And it's really popular.

Once you taste it, you get why. Soft, chewy, seasoned just right. My grandfather especially loved it.

On the way to the bathroom I spotted the mackerel — fast turnover, fresh as can be. Proudly labeled as domestic (Korean-caught).

Menu prices at Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch and what we ordered

• Myeongpum set ₩29,000
• Croaker sashimi + mackerel sashimi ₩53,000
• Croaker sashimi ₩55,000
• Grilled mackerel ₩16,000
• Grilled Spanish mackerel ₩18,000
• Grilled cutlassfish ₩19,000
• Grilled croaker ₩20,000
• Grilled bakdae (tongue sole) ₩20,000
• Grilled Atka mackerel ₩16,000
• Braised mackerel (2+ people) ₩18,000
• Braised cutlassfish ₩19,000
• Gochujang bulgogi ₩13,000
• Add mackerel ₩15,000
• Add Spanish mackerel ₩17,000
• Add cutlassfish ₩18,000
• Mackerel mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) ₩20,000

We ordered braised cutlassfish for two (₩19,000×2) and grilled mackerel (₩16,000)!!

Grilled mackerel, 16,000 won: crisp outside, moist inside

The grilled mackerel came out first.

Look at that crispy skin — doesn't it look amazing?!

Crispy outside, moist and savory inside. Put a piece of mackerel and a dab of wasabi on top of white rice and it's genuinely delicious.

This is the gochujang bulgogi that comes with it. My favorite side dish — sweet and spicy, exactly my style.

Braised cutlassfish for two, deboned enough for an elderly diner

The braised cutlassfish for two came out right after. The cutlassfish was well seasoned and the bones were removed nicely, which I loved. The flesh was soft too, so when I picked it apart for him, my grandfather ate it well with his rice.

He'd kept saying he had no appetite and didn't want to eat, so I'd worried a lot — but seeing him eat like this made me both proud and think he's just adorable haha. Saying one thing and doing another lol. Next time he visits, I'm definitely bringing him back to Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda for a meal.