Weekend dinner for four at a Yangsan crab restaurant: Deodo Gejang

(Includes a paid visit — I received a discount voucher.)

After a long time, I went on a drive with my family near Tongdosa in Yangsan and ended up visiting Deodo Gejang, a spot known for its soy-marinated crab and spicy marinated crab. The yellow crab jang wasn't fishy at all, had a nice nutty flavor, and neither the soy sauce nor the spicy marinade was too salty — I really enjoyed it and want to recommend it to you all. Let's dive into the detailed review below~

Where is Deodo Gejang and what are its hours?

• ⏰ Hours: Daily 11:00 - 20:00 (last order 19:30)
• 📌 Address: 2648 Yangsan-daero, Building 2 Unit 202, Habuk-myeon, Yangsan-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea
• ✔️ Amenities: Group seating, reservations, waiting area, parking, high chairs
• 🚗 Transit: 9-minute walk from Tongdosa Sinpyeong Bus Terminal

What Deodo Gejang looks like from outside

Deodo Gejang is a 9-minute walk from Tongdosa Sinpyeong Bus Terminal, located right below Café Sunji, a large café well-known in the area.

Going in through the entrance and taking the passage on the right leads you to Deodo Gejang's front door.

We visited on a weekend evening and got seated right away with no wait! Registering ahead through Catch Table might also be a good idea for peace of mind.

Inside Deodo Gejang: mostly tables for 4 and group tables for 10

The interior of Deodo Gejang, my Yangsan Tongdosa restaurant pick, was really spacious. Most tables were set up for groups of four, and there were plenty of families out for a weekend meal.

The space was so large that plenty of groups of ten also came in. The gaps between the front and back tables felt a bit tight, but it wasn't a big issue.

It was great that the large space meant we could get in without waiting even during peak time — clearly a popular spot that draws people through word of mouth.

Deodo Gejang menu and prices

• Assorted jang pot rice full course, 1 person ₩28,000 (minimum 2 people)
• Spicy squid & bulgogi + yellow crab pot rice set for 2, ₩48,000
• 3 grilled fish + yellow crab pot rice set for 2, ₩48,000
• Yellow crab pot rice full course, 1 person ₩18,000
• Monkfish + baby octopus spicy bulgogi ₩20,000
• 3 grilled fish ₩20,000
• Butter-fried yellow crab ₩25,000
• Yellow crab spicy marinated crab ₩11,000
• Marinated abalone (3pc) ₩10,000
• Marinated peeled shrimp, spicy (3pc) ₩5,000
• Marinated peeled shrimp, soy (3pc) ₩5,000
• Yellow crab soy-marinated crab ₩11,000
• Marinated octopus ₩6,000
• Pot rice ₩3,000
• Rice ₩1,000
• Butter fried egg ₩2,500

What to order at Deodo Gejang (my pick)

If you order the assorted jang set, it comes with a wide variety — blue crab jang, yellow crab soy & spicy jang, marinated octopus, marinated abalone, and marinated peeled shrimp in soy sauce. But since we wanted to eat nothing but crab jang, the four of us ordered the yellow crab pot rice full course with 2 servings soy and 2 servings spicy!

What comes with the yellow crab pot rice set for four?

After waiting more than 20 minutes, a hearty and neatly arranged full course arrived!

Along with a variety of basic side dishes, we got fried tofu, kimchi jeon (kimchi pancake), doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) loaded with blue crab, seaweed soup, bulgogi, and more soups and sides all served together at once.

The doenjang jjigae had a clean, refreshing broth that was just amazing... genuinely delicious.

The bulgogi even had glass noodles mixed in! It was really nice to eat alongside everything else.

Today's main dish, the pot rice! Inside were sweet pumpkin, shiitake mushrooms, and gingko nuts, and the rice was scooped out separately, with water added at the end so we could enjoy it as nurungji (scorched rice tea).

Jeju yellow crab soy-marinated crab: not salty, packed with meat

First up, the yellow crab soy-marinated crab! I honestly didn't expect much, but the first bite had so much meat packed inside, plenty to eat, and the soy marinade was mild and slightly sweet rather than salty — it was so good...

It was clean with no fishy taste at all, and it turns out why: a chef with 20 years of experience from a 5-star hotel opens each crab shell by hand and cleans out the bitter-tasting innards and roe personally, and all the marinades are made with natural fruit. I also learned that they only use yellow crab caught in the pristine waters of Jeju Island.

Spicy marinated yellow crab: sweet with a mild kick, never heavy

Personally, the spicy marinated yellow crab suited my taste even more... ♥

Deodo Gejang, which I'm recommending as a Yangsan Tongdosa restaurant, has a marinade that isn't overpowering — sweet with a spicy kick, and really delicious. I looked into why there was no heavy aftertaste and found out they use chili powder that cuts through the heaviness cleanly.

Pulling the meat out over rice scooped from the pot rice and scraping up all the marinade to eat together with the rice — how good could that possibly be... ♥ Since it's pot rice, the nutty, savory flavor doubles.

You can eat the spicy marinated crab with green chili on top for an extra kick. Wrapping it with the seaweed from the side dishes was delicious too, haha. I was worried it might be fishy or not have much meat, but the whole family enjoyed it and ate happily at Deodo Gejang in Yangsan! I was already thinking about coming back as I left, so I'd recommend it if you're out for a drive and want to stop by at least once~!

Deodo Gejang review event and parking

If you leave a review, you can get a choice of 2 pieces of marinated abalone, 2 pieces of fried crab, or 1 bottle of alcohol — worth taking part and claiming.

There's a parking lot right in front of the restaurant, so you don't need to worry about parking when you visit.

Is Deodo Gejang worth a weekend dinner? Final verdict

• If you're looking for a place near Tongdosa in Yangsan that does soy and spicy marinated crab well, Deodo Gejang is worth visiting
• A great place to bring your parents
• Not too salty, seasoned just right, no fishy taste
• A place where you can enjoy grilled fish as well as crab jang