Suwon grilled mackerel restaurant, regulars' geotjeori tip: Godeungeo

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch: when to go for a shorter wait

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch (고등어명품이되다 수원점) always has a wait on weekends, so I recommend a weekday visit or arriving right at weekend opening. It is open 10:40 - 21:30, last order is at 20:30, and parking is available.

This is the place we come back to whenever we crave fish!! I honestly can't remember how many times we've been~~ It's famous as a Suwon favorite, so it's really packed.

It's a standalone building with a really big parking lot~~~ so no parking worries. We usually go for weekday lunch, at a time with a relatively short wait 😎 After we came on a weekend lunch and waited an hour, we only come on weekdays.

Inside the restaurant and how to join the waitlist

The restaurant is spacious, so there are lots of tables~~ There's a waiting area off to one side, and you can join the waitlist with the Catch Table device inside the restaurant!

Mackerel is the star here, so of course there's a mackerel tank!! So cute 🐟🎣🐟🎣

Aprons and baby chairs are provided too, so just grab what you need~~

The self-bar at Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda: where's the geotjeori?

At the self-bar you can get extra side dishes and desserts like sungnyung (scorched rice tea), sikhye (sweet rice drink) and coffee. The first table setting comes ready, and for more side dishes you just help yourself at the self-bar!

The self-bar has a hotel-buffet feel and is nice and tidy. The side dishes are all so good that I always end up fetching more, haha.

Tip from a many-time visitor❗️ The first table setting doesn't include geotjeori (fresh kimchi). It's only at the self-bar! Keep that in mind and go grab some〰️

The regulars' go-to order: grilled mackerel + gochujang bulgogi

You order on the kiosk at your table, and the menu covers set meals, grilled, braised and raw (hoe) dishes. Our go-to order is grilled mackerel + gochujang bulgogi (spicy marinated pork).

Every time we come, the food arrives fast. Love that, haha! The water is bottled too, which is even better, haha.

Side dishes and soup

Ta-da~~ So many side dishes, right?? The soup seems to be sometimes doenjang-guk (soybean paste soup) and sometimes miyeok-guk (seaweed soup)~~

The sides include my favorite doraji muchim (seasoned bellflower root), radish namul, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), young radish kimchi, oi-sobagi (stuffed cucumber kimchi), perilla leaf namul and seaweed soup~~ Lots of variety, and tasty. Best of all, jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork) comes as a side dish!! My husband loves it so much that he always orders it instead of fish 😊

How was the grilled mackerel?

The grilled mackerel here is crispy on the outside and juicy inside!! No fishy smell at all, and the meat is thick and plentiful, so it really feels like eating fish~~

Mackerel is an oily fish, and it had just the right amount of richness. The flesh was warm, tender and moist, so good 👍🏻

Gochujang bulgogi: a two-bowls-of-rice dish

The gochujang bulgogi is basically jeyuk-bokkeum, but my husband says the sauce is great, haha. Even I, who don't really like jeyuk-bokkeum, enjoy it, so at Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda I eat it wrapped in lettuce. My husband always finishes two bowls of rice whenever we come here!!

Who is Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch good for?

It's a good place to bring your parents, and with lots of group seating it works for family gatherings, company dinners and more. I recommend it as a Suwon grilled fish favorite ◡̈