Jeonju restaurant with 4 soy-marinated seafoods per person: Hanjamae

Hanjamae Ganjang Gejang: a 5-minute walk from Jeonju Hanok Village

Hanjamae Ganjang Gejang is a soy-marinated crab specialty restaurant on the 1st floor at 23 Gyeonggijeon-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, Jeonbuk. Hours are 11:00–22:00 with last order at 20:30, and there's a break time from 15:00–17:00, though there's no break time on Saturdays and Sundays. Naver Reservations are also available.

Since I was traveling in Jeonju and had come all the way to Jeolla-do, I wanted a proper Korean meal — haha. Jeolla-do is famous for great food, right? While looking around for what to eat, ganjang gejang (soy-marinated crab) caught my eye, and I found a place where you could try several kinds of soy-marinated seafood at once, so I visited Hanjamae Ganjang Gejang.

It was only about a 5-minute walk from Hanok Village, so it was easy to get to. The sign was big and visible from outside, so it wasn't hard to find. The sign read "Gomso Eoganjang" — apparently Hanjamae's dishes are cooked with fish sauce made from Gomso salt farm's own sun-dried salt, capturing the ocean's aroma and fermented for a long time. It said no chemical soy sauce, preservatives, or coloring agents are used, which made me even more curious about the ganjang gejang.

Arriving right after the 15:00–17:00 break time

We arrived right as break time ended, and customers started streaming in right after us. Watching seats fill up quickly, it seemed like it's usually pretty busy during meal times. There were tables ranging from two-seaters to larger ones for groups, so it also looked like a good spot for families or groups traveling in Jeonju.

What comes with the soy sauce assorted set for 2?

The menu ranged from soy-marinated crab to seasoned (spicy) crab, and we went with Hanjamae's recommended soy sauce assorted set for 2. Eating just ganjang gejang is nice, but I wanted to try a bit of everything — shrimp jang, abalone jang, salmon jang all at once — and this set was exactly right, haha. Looking at the menu, there was also a soy & seasoned assorted set where you can taste both styles, plus a separate crab-only set, so you can pick based on your taste.

They used domestic ingredients including crab, abalone, rice, eggs, napa cabbage, and chili powder, and it was nice being able to check the origin of the main ingredients at a glance.

After a short wait, the soy sauce assorted set we ordered arrived.

Why every dish arrives on its own one-person tray

Seeing it all laid out at once, the set was more substantial than I expected, haha. Ganjang gejang along with shrimp jang, abalone jang, and salmon jang came generously piled on one plate, alongside rice topped with a fried egg, soup, seaweed, and side dishes — all neatly arranged as an individual tray. Usually this kind of set menu is often served to share, but here everyone gets their own separate tray, which felt clean and easy to eat.

Just visually, it screamed "rice thief" — haha haha. Centered around a big crab, with shrimp jang, abalone jang, and salmon jang arranged together, being able to taste all four from one plate was what I liked most, and a boiled egg on top made the plate feel quite generous.

Is the soy-marinated crab at Hanjamae too salty?

I started with the ganjang gejang first — it was packed with roe and innards, and the crab meat was decently full too. Pressing into it, the soft crab meat blended with the savory roe and innards and the flavor really came alive. Above all, ganjang gejang can get overwhelming if it's too salty and you tire of it after a few bites, but here the soy sauce itself had umami without being salty, so I could still taste the crab underneath. Eating it with rice, it really was a proper rice thief.

Especially the part where roe and innards stick to the meat — eating it all together in one bite gave a rich, deep, savory flavor. This is exactly why you eat ganjang gejang, haha.

It was tasty piling crab meat and roe on rice with a little extra soy sauce, and also great wrapped in seaweed with rice and crab meat. Having a fried egg alongside was nice to mix in between bites too. White rice is really an essential pairing with ganjang gejang, and having the fried egg on top made it even better, haha.

Shrimp, abalone and salmon jang: how the textures compare

The shrimp jang had a springy yet soft texture, and the soy sauce had soaked all the way through, so it paired well with rice. The abalone jang had a chewy texture, giving a different feel from the crab or salmon jang, and the salmon jang had its characteristic soft, fatty texture enhanced by the soy sauce marinade, tasting good even on its own. Crab, shrimp, abalone, and salmon each had different textures and flavors, so rather than eating just one kind the whole time, I never got tired of it, haha.

The soup and side dishes served with the set

The accompanying side dishes also fit well with a proper Korean meal set. Seaweed came alongside too, which was great for wrapping rice and crab, the soup was nice to have in between bites, and I also ate the braised fish, stir-fried fish cake, and salted seafood side dishes — it was nice not just getting the main dish but having various things to go with it.

I'd already been eating my way through Jeonju's famous restaurants and was pretty full, but this was tasty enough that I wanted another bowl of rice. If I'd had more room, I really could have gone for two bowls, haha haha. I used to travel all the way to Jeolla-do just for good food, and coming back after a while to eat here again, I thought — Jeolla-do really is Jeolla-do.

Naver receipt review: 2 free pieces of marinated shrimp

There was also signage on the table about a Naver receipt review event. Writing a Naver receipt review via QR code gets you 2 random pieces of soy or seasoned shrimp jang free, once per table. Worth knowing if you visit. The seasoned shrimp jang also had springy, soft shrimp meat well coated in a spicy-sweet sauce, and it paired really well with rice too. Mixing in a piece here and there while eating the ganjang gejang gave a nice change of flavor.

Takeout, nationwide delivery and the neungi mushroom duck soup

Probably because they use Gomso fish sauce, the flavor was deep and clean with umami rather than heavy saltiness, really bringing out the crab's natural taste. On one side, there were crab, shrimp, salmon, and abalone jang products for sale, displayed along with packaging containers and packaging samples. Delivery boxes were also prepared separately, so you can enjoy it not just by dining in but also as takeout or delivery, and they also sell gift sets combining ganjang gejang and seasoned gejang, which would be great for gifts or eating at home.

Besides the jang dishes, there was also a neungi duck imperial soup available by reservation only. It's a nourishing dish with neungi mushroom, octopus, abalone, and duck, deepened with fish sauce, so I'd like to try it next time with a group, haha.

Even though it's a soy-marinated crab specialty restaurant, the menu was more varied than I expected, with various jang dishes and nourishing soups also available. I visited while wondering what to eat in Jeonju, and what I liked most was that instead of just eating ganjang gejang alone, I got to try crab, shrimp, abalone, and salmon all in one go. If you want a solid, proper Korean meal while traveling in Jeonju, or if you love ganjang gejang, this is a place worth stopping by.