Suwon Topdong grilled fish with high chairs for kids: Godeungeo

Sol's dad really likes grilled fish, but you don't really make it at home much because of the smell, right? So my husband, Sol, and I went out for dinner at Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch.

These days when we're deciding what to have for dinner, Sol's dad said he wanted grilled fish, so that's where we went. The place was bigger than I expected and there was plenty of parking, which made it nice for a family outing.

When you're eating out with a kid, the taste matters but so does whether parking is easy, whether the place is too cramped, and whether there's a chair for the kid to use. Thinking about all that, this was a comfortable place to eat.

Parking and seating at Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch: large private lot and four-person tables

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch has a spacious dedicated parking lot, which made it easy to visit by car. Parking can be a hassle when looking for restaurants around Topdong in Suwon, but here the lot was wide enough that parking and walking in was a breeze from the start. Perfect for a still-new driver like me, Sol's mom!!!

The inside of Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch was also pretty spacious, with lots of tables for four. There were other families with kids like ours, and it looked comfortable for larger groups too.

They also had a toddler chair and kids' tableware ready, which made eating with Sol much easier.

Opening hours and menu at the Suwon branch

Here are the business hours for Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch.

Check the menu link below. The actual in-store menu had a bit more than what's listed online, so it doesn't seem like everything posted is fully updated. If you're planning to visit, it's probably better to check the actual menu in-store rather than deciding based only on the online listing.

What's on the banchan and self-bar

As soon as we sat down, a bunch of banchan (side dishes) came out first.

There were quite a variety of banchan alone — chamnamul (aster) namul, cucumber namul, yeolmu kimchi, doraji (bellflower root) namul, mu namul, japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), and more. Plus a taster of gochujang bulgogi. It wasn't just grilled fish on its own — you got to eat several side dishes together, which was great for finishing a bowl of rice.

You could get more banchan yourself from the self-bar, which even had sikhye (sweet rice punch) and sungnyung (scorched-rice tea).

Eating grilled fish and then having a warm cup of sungnyung feels like it wraps the meal up nicely. The sweet sikhye was also there, good to grab a cup of after the meal.

You could see the fresh mackerel right there, and the tank was really clean, too.

Japchae with meat in it

I think Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch might be a hidden japchae spot, haha. I've seen grilled fish places serve japchae before, but this was the first time I've seen one with actual meat in the japchae. It wasn't just glass noodles and vegetables — the meat made it pretty filling as a side dish. Sol loves japchae too, and the seasoning was just right and tasty.

Grilled mackerel and whole croaker: how big is the low 20,000s won croaker?

What our family ordered was grilled mackerel and whole grilled croaker. Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch had all kinds of grilled fish beyond mackerel — Spanish mackerel, cutlassfish, Atka mackerel, croaker, and more.

We started with the grilled mackerel, golden brown and looking like the kind of thing that just makes you think of rice. Picking the meat off while it was still warm and eating it with rice — grilled fish really is best eaten right off the grill.

The whole grilled croaker we'd been looking forward to! When it actually arrived, it was bigger than expected — I was surprised. Grilled whole like that, it really had a presence on the table. 😆

You can get the whole grilled croaker for low ₩20,000s, and it's a decent size, so it'd be good for splitting among several people.

When feeding Sol, I carefully picked out the bones and gave her the flesh — grilled fish seems like a great dish to eat with kids. The croaker had a totally different feel from the mackerel, so I was glad we ordered both.

If you'd rather try several kinds of fish instead of just one, it might be worth picking a different combination menu.

The gochujang bulgogi was spicy-sweet too — I think next time I might just order that on its own.

From sashimi to braised fish and bulgogi

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch doesn't only serve grilled fish. With sashimi, grilled fish, braised fish, and bulgogi all on the menu, it seemed like a good spot for a family visit. When a family eats together like ours, everyone might want something a little different, so having options beyond just grilled fish was nice.

When we visited, there was also a premium set discount event running, with a combo of sashimi, grilled fish, and bulgogi together — great if you want to try a bit of everything at once. We only saw it after we'd already ordered, ㅠ.ㅠ a bit of a shame, but next time.

Abalone sashimi through the Naver receipt event

We also took part in the Naver receipt review event.

Through the event, we also got abalone sashimi to try alongside our meal.

Getting a proper meal plus a bonus event dish — if you're visiting, it's worth checking whether a receipt event is running.

Is Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch good for a family dinner in Topdong, Suwon?

My husband, Sol, and I had a solid grilled fish dinner together for the first time in a while. With wide parking and a spacious store, it felt low-stress to visit with a kid, and with plenty of banchan plus sikhye and sungnyung at the self-bar, we could easily grab whatever we needed during the meal.

I especially liked that you could choose from grilled mackerel, whole croaker, Spanish mackerel, cutlassfish, Atka mackerel, and more, plus sashimi, braised fish, and bulgogi options — it seemed like a solid choice for family dining. If you're looking for a grilled fish place around Topdong or West Suwon that's comfortable to eat at with family, it's worth a visit. 🐟