Jincheon-dong, Daegu set meal restaurant with beef jeon: Geumdeungeo

Hi~ it's Jjumami~ Last time I came with a friend, the mackerel was so good and the side dishes were so generous that this place really stuck with me~ so this time I brought my husband, who loves Korean food, and went back again~

It's Geumdeungeo, a Jincheon-dong restaurant located in Jincheon Food Town~

My husband and I both love mackerel so much that we grill it at home fairly often~ but one bite here and you realize, ah, this is really different from home cooking~

The outside is crispy and the inside is moist, and the side dishes are good enough to rival a proper Korean set-meal restaurant — I left satisfied again at this Dalseo, Daegu restaurant~

Where Geumdeungeo Dalseo Branch is and what the set meals cost

📍 Location: 39 Jincheon-ro 16-gil, Dalseo-gu, Daegu, 3F Jincheon Food Town, Unit 301, South Korea

🅿️ Parking: Jincheon Food Town parking available; if the 1st floor lot is full, use the ground-level lot

⏰ Hours: 11:00 – 21:30 / Break time 15:00 – 17:00 / Last order 20:40

🍚 Signature menus: Geumdeungeo Pot Rice Set (₩18,000), Jeyuk Bokkeum Pot Rice Set (₩19,000), Hanwoo Bulgogi Pot Rice Set (₩20,000), Geumdeungeo Pot Rice Set + Neopttigi Beef Jeon Set (₩22,000), Barley Corvina Pot Rice Set (₩28,000), Neopttigi Beef Jeon (₩4,000)

Parking at Jincheon Food Town: which lot is easiest?

Geumdeungeo Dalseo Branch is located on the 3rd floor of Jincheon Food Town~ the food town has decent parking so it's easy to visit by car~

From my few visits, the 1st floor lot is often full~ so instead of waiting for a spot, I recommend heading straight to the ground-level lot!

I mostly use the ground-level lot too — you park, take the elevator, and Geumdeungeo's entrance is right there, which is actually more convenient~

Jincheon-dong is also close to Wolseong-dong, so for those of us in the Wolseong-dong area, it's an easy distance for a family meal~

Inside Geumdeungeo Dalseo Branch: mood and private seating

The restaurant is bigger than I expected and has a bright, clean overall vibe~

What I especially liked was that most seats are separated for privacy! You can eat comfortably without worrying about the next table~

Last time I came with a friend, this time it was comfortable with my husband too~ and the interior is kept so clean that it also feels like a good Jincheon-dong restaurant for taking parents or having a relaxed family meal~

Ordering the mackerel pot rice set with neopttigi beef jeon, plus one extra

Last time with my friend, what stuck with me as much as the mackerel was the neopttigi beef jeon (thin pan-fried beef)~ so this time I ordered the Geumdeungeo Pot Rice Set + Neopttigi Beef Jeon Set for ₩22,000 per person for two right from the start, plus an extra beef jeon for ₩4,000!

From experience, I was pretty sure my husband would love it too haha~ conclusion... so glad I added it!

Just as I expected, my husband ate the beef jeon very happily~

There's also a Naver receipt review event running, where leaving a review gets you a pack of side dishes, a flower rice cake, or ppeong-twigi rice puffs — be sure to take part!

The banchan spread and free refills at the self-serve bar

Once you order, the table starts filling up with side dishes one by one~ every time I come to Geumdeungeo, I'm reminded how good the banchan (side dishes) really are~

From japchae to salad, lotus root, namul, and kimchi — every dish makes you want to keep picking, so my chopsticks were busy before the main mackerel even arrived~

With fried eggplant, which I love, and hot doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) simmering away too, it's honestly on par with any proper set-meal restaurant!

Usually when you go for grilled fish in Daegu, you expect the main fish plus a few basic sides, but here the whole spread is quite generous~

That's probably why, the first time I came with my friend, it wasn't just the mackerel but the side dishes that stuck with me~

And whatever's running low, you can refill freely at the self-serve bar! There are even some sides there that weren't on the table to begin with, so we did a lap and grabbed the ones we hadn't tried yet~

With so many kinds of banchan, it's fun to try a little of everything~ certified Daegu Korean set-meal restaurant!

How the oven-grilled Geumdeungeo mackerel tastes

And then the mackerel I'd been waiting for~ just from the golden-brown look, it's exactly my style~

When you pick the flesh apart with chopsticks, the skin is grilled nice and crispy while the inside is moist and tender~ this place really knows how to grill mackerel, I thought~

Geumdeungeo uses mackerel seasoned with nuruk salt and grills it in a wood-fired oven, and maybe that's why the texture was noticeably different from grilling it at home~

I especially love the crispy, savory part of the mackerel skin~

Pile a big chunk of mackerel onto warm rice and the salty, savory flavors come together so well that the rice just disappears~

If you're looking for great grilled mackerel in Daegu, this crispy texture is worth trying at least once~ I've grilled plenty of mackerel at home myself but... why doesn't it ever come out like this when I do it?;;

I guess fish is always easiest and best enjoyed at a place that really knows how to grill it~

Is the 4,000 won neopttigi beef jeon worth adding?

And the neopttigi beef jeon I'd been wanting to eat again since last time! It's not a thick meat pancake but rather thin and wide-fried~

The egg coating isn't overly thick and the meat is really soft~ moist and savory enough that one bite makes you reach for another~

My husband took a bite and immediately said it was good haha~ my prediction was right after all~

If we'd only had the jeon included in the set, we probably would've been eyeing each other over the last piece~ so glad we added one more for ₩4,000~

After the mackerel and the beef jeon, the same thought hit me again... why doesn't it turn out like this when I cook it at home?;;

Both mackerel and beef jeon take surprisingly a lot of effort to make well at home, so I'll just keep enjoying them here~

The pot rice and the nurungji (scorched rice) at the end

The rice isn't just a regular bowl — it comes out as hot pot rice~

You scoop out the rice first, top it with a piece of mackerel, and eat~ then pour water into the pot and finish with savory nurungji (scorched rice) at the end~

Even after filling up on side dishes, mackerel, and beef jeon, there's somehow still room for the hot nurungji haha~

So the Geumdeungeo pot rice set felt like a proper full meal from start to finish~ with a spread like this, it seems like a good Jincheon-dong restaurant to take your parents to as well~

Dessert corner: flower rice cake, snacks and coffee

And you shouldn't just leave right after eating here haha~ near the end of the meal, they bring out a flower rice cake packed with beans~

Even full, you can't resist chewy rice cake~ it was loaded with beans and we happily split it~ but that's not all~

Coffee, lemonade, sikhye (sweet rice drink), and plum tea are all available, plus barley candy and ppeong-twigi rice puffs, so you can round the meal off with dessert too~

What's especially nice is that you can choose between Starbucks beans and Hands Coffee beans for your coffee, based on preference!

We each got a coffee and grabbed some barley candy and rice puffs too~ we'd clearly said we were full... but I guess there's a separate stomach for dessert haha~ having everything from the meal to dessert in one place made these little details satisfying too~

Gift sets and banchan sold at the restaurant

Since Chuseok was coming up, one side of the store had gift sets on display~ from wood-fired mackerel and barley corvina to sesame oil and perilla oil, there was quite a variety~

On another side, various side dishes are sold separately, so if you find a banchan you like, you could buy some to take home~

Since I've tasted it myself and know the mackerel is good, it seems like a solid option for a gift for parents or friends~

I might use it myself next time I need a gift~

Verdict after a second visit to Geumdeungeo Dalseo Branch

I was so satisfied after my first visit with a friend that I went back to this Jincheon-dong restaurant, Geumdeungeo, with my husband this time~ on the return visit, the grilled mackerel was once again perfectly crisp outside and moist inside, and the neopttigi beef jeon I'd been thinking about since last time was delicious too~

What I loved most is that it's not just the main dish that's good — the side dishes are as generous as a proper Korean set-meal restaurant, there's a refillable self-serve bar, and you get pot rice, nurungji, and dessert on top of it all~ parking is easy and the seating is fairly private, so I'd recommend it as a family meal spot or for anyone looking for a clean, solid Dalseo, Daegu restaurant!

If you especially love grilled fish in Daegu or are looking for crispy, well-grilled mackerel, it's worth a visit~ I think I'll be back again whenever I crave the mackerel and beef jeon~