Haeundae Korean restaurant for crab pot rice: Deodo Gejang

The ultimate rice thief: yellow crab + grilled fish A nutritious pot-rice feast at Deodo Gejang in Haeundae

Deodo Gejang location and visitor information

103, 104, 105, 106, 37 Marine city 3-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea (U-dong, Hanil Ordu) Hours: 11:00–21:00 Parking is supported in the commercial building parking lot.

I visited Deodo Gejang (더도게장), a great restaurant around Haeundae Marine City for a neat spread of gejang (raw crab marinated in sauce) and pot rice. With its tidy exterior and pleasant interior, it is a nice place for a family gathering or a meal with older relatives.

You can register for the waitlist on the Catchtable device on site. I recommend joining the remote queue or registering in advance on weekends or at peak times. There is a bench in front of the restaurant, so you can wait comfortably.

A spacious restaurant for family meals

The interior was very spacious. There are tables for groups, plenty of room throughout, and generous spacing between tables, so it looked great for a family meal. Perhaps because it has newly opened, the interior was tidy and clean, making for a comfortable meal.

Cleanly prepared cutlery and tissues are stored under the table. They say you can receive marinated abalone or fried yellow crab through the receipt-review event, so give it a try!

A set plus a one-person meal for three diners

You can choose between soy-marinated crab and spicy marinated crab, then build the combination to your taste. For three people, adding a one-person individual meal to the two-person set makes for a plentiful spread! There were three adults in our group, so we ordered the two-person set plus one individual meal.

We ordered the 2-person set of three kinds of grilled fish plus a yellow-crab nutritious pot-rice meal (₩48,000), along with one additional yellow-crab nutritious pot-rice meal (₩18,000), choosing one soy-marinated crab and one spicy marinated crab.

Since everything comes arranged as one full spread, it is nice that you do not have to order lots of separate dishes.

Each person gets miyeokguk (seaweed soup) and pot rice. Scoop out the rice, then make some delicious sungnyung (scorched-rice tea). The grilled fish included in the set arrives golden and crisp, almost as if it has been fried.

Crisp grilled fish and two kinds of marinated crab

Crisp outside and moist inside, the fish was light and clean with no fishy smell. Dip it lightly in the soy sauce served alongside, and you could easily finish three bowls of rice! The soy marinade was not overly salty, with just the right savory saltiness and a subtle sweetness that had soaked right into the flesh. It was full of rich roe and meat without any fishiness—the ultimate rice thief! The spicy-sweet sauce piled on top really whetted the appetite. It was spicy on the outside, but paired with the sweetness of the crab meat inside, it was seriously addictive.

The accompanying dishes—doenjang jjigae (soybean-paste stew), pickled cucumber, seasoned bean sprouts, roasted seaweed, macaroni salad, and ttukbaegi bulgogi (bulgogi in an earthenware pot)—were all neat and well seasoned! It felt a bit like a Korean set-menu specialty restaurant.

The ttukbaegi bulgogi came as one of the basic side dishes, so it was good for children too. It was tasty enough that even someone who does not like grilled fish or marinated crab could polish off a whole bowl of pot rice.

A piece of marinated crab on top of a spoonful of rice. Then mix the rice lightly with the soy marinade—there is definitely a reason gejang is called a rice thief, haha.

The savory-salty marinated crab went so well with the warm pot rice. One piece of crab with a spoonful of warm pot rice. A piece of fish. Even ttukbaegi bulgogi. This combination is honestly unfair, haha. It was just the kind of menu to seek out in Marine City when you think, “Today, I want a proper meal!” I think it is a great fit for a day when you are craving a hearty Korean meal. With its clean interior, neatly arranged spread, substantial yellow crab, and crisp grilled fish, this is a Marine City restaurant that diners of all ages can enjoy.