Ganghwa duck restaurant with perilla-leaf stir-fry: Deok Ori Jumulleok

Fire-kissed duck jumulleok on a Ganghwa day trip

I took a weekend trip to Ganghwa—visited a café I had wanted to try, then wondered what to have for an early dinner. I had duck roast before, but suddenly I wanted duck jumulleok (spicy marinated stir-fried duck) so badly?? So we visited Deok Ori Jumulleok (덕오리주물럭) Ganghwa Main Branch, where you can enjoy duck jumulleok loaded with smoky fire flavor.

Location, parking, and what to know before visiting

Deok Ori Jumulleok Ganghwa Main Branch sits on a hillside road toward Yeougogae in Gilsang-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, near Onsu-ri. The sign pops into view as you approach, so it is easy to find. It is 15 minutes from Chojidaegyo Bridge and 10 minutes each from Ganghwa Luge and Manisan, making it a perfect Ganghwa day-trip stop :)

Parking is easy right in front of the restaurant. It has that little countryside-restaurant mood! The weather was lovely that day too, which made me even happier, hehe.

Green rice fields and blue sky together—this was a proper outing, hehe. Deok Ori Jumulleok ages and sells only a set amount of meat each day to maintain freshness and flavor, and closes once it sells out. If you are visiting for dinner, I recommend checking ahead of time. Naver reservations are available too :)

• Weekdays and weekends: 11:00–21:00
• Break time: 15:00–17:00
• Closed Mondays

There can be a wait during weekend peak hours. If there is, write your name on the waiting list—and if you do not have a reservation, reserved guests are seated first, so keep that in mind.

We visited at 2 p.m.—not really lunch or dinner time, haha—so there was no wait, lol. Still, quite a few groups were enjoying their meals. The interior had such a warm, familiar countryside-restaurant vibe! It suited the mood of the day so well, and I loved it, hehe. The staff were also so kind, making it a really pleasant mealtime.

From duck jumulleok to plain grilled duck

The marinated options include duck jumulleok, samchae duck jumulleok, shrimp duck jumulleok, and webfoot-octopus duck jumulleok. The plain grilled options are duck roast and samchae duck roast. For fried dishes, there are fried duck gizzards and potato pancake. Since the restaurant is named Deok Ori Jumulleok, I am guessing jumulleok is the signature dish :)

Deok Ori Jumulleok says its flavor stands apart from commercially seasoned duck. Fresh duck, slaughtered that day, is aged in a special house sauce created by an owner who has continued the craft of duck-specialty restaurants, then pre-grilled over briquettes for that smoky flavor :) The fresh side dishes and vegetables are made with produce grown directly in Ganghwa. The house sauce and all dishes contain no MSG, so the seasoning may taste slightly mild—let's enjoy this clean, simple countryside food :)

Duck dishes are pre-grilled as soon as you order, which takes around 8–15 minutes. Pre-grilling is available from two portions, so the minimum order is two portions. Water is self-service, and after the side dishes are set out, you can request extra sides from the kitchen.

Neat side dishes made with Ganghwa vegetables

Wow, look at these side dishes!! Is this not the definition of countryside banchan (Korean side dishes)? Beautifully prepared sides made with sweet potatoes and vegetables grown directly in Ganghwa came out. The wrap vegetables included lettuce, perilla leaves, and peppers; the lettuce and perilla leaves were so tender, and even the peppers were delicious, hehe. The doenjang (fermented soybean paste) was completely countryside-style too! It had been so long :3

Plain grilled duck and duck jumulleok with a child

The main dish is duck jumulleok, but... we wondered what to do because our child cannot eat spicy food. I asked whether we could order one portion of plain grilled duck separately, and they said it could not be pre-grilled but could be cooked directly on the grill, so we ordered it, haha. But the duck jumulleok was not very spicy, so our child actually ate the jumulleok better, lol. The plain grilled duck was mild and absolutely delicious too.

Ahh, this is exactly it. The duck jumulleok fire show from the master owner who has carried on the duck-specialty tradition!!!! I wondered where that smoky aroma was coming from, took a little look, and found them pre-grilling it so deliciously over briquettes. It had me salivating before we even ate, haha.

The pre-grilled duck jumulleok is cooked again on the grill like this. A staff member briskly cooks it for you. Once it is partly done, they pile on heaps of perilla leaves to add another layer of perilla aroma :3 Koreans really do love a good seasoning, haha.

Duck jumulleok made by aging fresh duck slaughtered that day, then seasoning it in the master's special sauce! The seasoning had soaked in beautifully, so it was completely delicious. I think it tasted even better because it was not overly salty. It is great on its own, but even better wrapped in greens :3

The unmissable crispy-bottomed fried rice

And the fried rice you cannot skip!! When you come to Deok Ori Jumulleok, fried rice is simply essential. They say one fried rice is best for two portions of jumulleok. I wanted two, but I fiercely held myself back, haha. You know the rule for fried rice, right? It tastes better when the bottom gets just a little crisp! We waited patiently, then ate it up happily.

Deok Ori Jumulleok Ganghwa Main Branch was even more enjoyable with the beautiful view on such a fine day. Next time, I am planning to stop by when I bring my parents on a day trip. I am curious about the samchae duck jumulleok, and the webfoot-octopus duck jumulleok looked delicious too. I need to come with a bigger group and try a variety of dishes.