Gimhae Korean restaurant lunch with grilled mackerel: Myeongji Cheotjip

Finding the bossam place I used to visit in Myeongji, now in Yulha

Myeongji Cheotjip (명지첫집) was a place I went to all the time when I lived in Myeongji before moving. Each person gets their own neatly arranged setting, so it was great for bringing guests or getting together, and I visited often... Oh my gosh~ I never expected there to be a Myeongji Cheotjip in Yulha too, haha. So happy to see it, I went to the Yulha location with my husband this time.

Myeongji Cheotjip in Yulha is in the A1 Plaza building, so you can park in the underground lot.

The parking garage goes down to B2, so there is usually plenty of space. Even if it is full, you can use Seomjin Parking behind the building for 2 hours, and there is also a free public parking lot across the street—so I really do not think parking will be a concern!

As soon as I walked in, I saw the Myeongji Cheotjip interior sign beneath the pretty lighting~ There were also seats where you can sit and wait if there is a queue.

Compared with the two locations in Myeongji, the interior somehow felt a little brighter? The dining room was open and spacious too, which I liked.

If you do not like such an open atmosphere, there are also two private rooms, so it would be good to reserve ahead. There were guests in the rooms, so I could not take detailed photos, haha.

Weekday lunch Value Set and grilled mackerel

You order through the table-order system. I visited at weekday lunchtime and was looking for a good-value lunch in Jangyu, Gimhae, when I suddenly got a craving for grilled fish, so I ordered the Value Set. The Value Set is ₩42,000 for 2 people! Myeongji Cheotjip is originally known for its bossam (boiled pork wraps), so the Neat Set alone would have been enough, but I had never tried the grilled mackerel here before—and I was really craving grilled fish that day—so I went for the Value Set~~

While waiting for the food, I looked around the restaurant too~

If you order the Neat Set for 2 at ₩30,000, this is how the table is set. Just looking at it, it is so clean and neatly arranged!! This alone would definitely have filled me up, but I had practically come to eat the grilled mackerel today, hahaha.

They said the grilled fish would take a little time, but just as I was about to start eating first, the grilled mackerel came out too.

Wow~ The mackerel was grilled on a charcoal grill, with the oil nicely rendered out and a beautiful golden color! It looked delicious from the start. Ahh~ so neat, so neat!! I think this tidy full-table presentation is exactly what makes Myeongji Cheotjip so nice.

Charcoal-grilled mackerel that tempted me even more than the bossam

For some reason, I was craving mackerel more than bossam that day, so I took a bite right away! Wow~ It was my first time trying grilled mackerel at Myeongji Cheotjip, and it was seriously delicious!! There are so many restaurants and chains specializing in oven-grilled mackerel these days, but this was absolutely good enough to stand beside them. Maybe it was even better, haha. I came for bossam and became completely hooked on the grilled mackerel instead, hahaha.

There was salad, steamed egg, and of course bossam, the star of the day~~ The bossam kimchi was not overly sweet either; it was just right.

I made ssam (lettuce wraps), ate it with bossam kimchi too~~ I already knew the bossam would be delicious because this place is famous for it, but why was the grilled mackerel so good too? Haha.

A neat full-table meal for family dining and gatherings

In the end, the mackerel was so delicious that I picked all the flesh off and filled up on mackerel instead of rice, hahaha. My husband had bossam and even some of my bowl of rice, while I ate mackerel almost as if it were my staple food. If two women visit, I think the Neat Set alone would be plenty filling; if a group of men visits, it might feel a little light, so adding grilled mackerel would be a good idea..

Above all, the food comes out so cleanly arranged as a full table setting, making it a good place to bring guests, have a family meal, or hold a gathering. Especially on a weekday when you want a neat, hearty lunch in Jangyu, Gimhae, I would recommend Myeongji Cheotjip.

And on days when I do not want to cook, when putting together this and that at home feels like too much but I want a neatly prepared full meal, I think this would be such a good place to go. It was so nice to find Myeongji Cheotjip, which I used to visit often when I lived in Myeongji, in my new neighborhood of Yulha too, hehe. Next time, I think I will add the grilled mackerel again, hahaha.