Seogwipo Korean restaurant with 480 seats and bus parking: Jungmun

Today's post is about a mackerel restaurant I visited in Jungmun, Jeju, during my trip. After eating nothing but greasy food the whole trip, I was craving something spicy, so I found Jungmun Godeungeo Ssam-bap (중문고등어쌈밥).

A roomy Korean restaurant near Jungmun Tourist Complex

It's just 5 minutes by car from Jungmun Tourist Complex and the Jusangjeolli cliffs, and 15 minutes from Seogwipo Natural Recreation Forest, so it's very accessible.

You can use the large private parking lot in front of the restaurant — it was big enough to fit more than 10 large buses.

Once inside, you register for waiting,

We visited around 2pm on a weekday for a late lunch, so we didn't have to wait and were seated right away. If there's a wait, there's a waiting area near the entrance.

There's also a coffee corner and various Jeju snacks for sale after your meal.

With 480 seats, this is the spot if you're looking for a group meal restaurant in Jungmun, Jeju!

What comes with the aged kimchi mackerel ssam-bap and abalone hot stone rice set

• Old kimchi mackerel ssam-bap + abalone hot stone rice ₩18,000 x2
• Buttery grilled abalone, 4 pieces ₩15,000
• Tangerine juice ₩3,000
• Zero-sugar cola ₩2,000

The basic table setting came with neat side dishes and a basket of fresh wrapping greens. There's also a self-serve bar further inside,

and it had stir-fried pork bulgogi and japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) that rivaled the main menu, plus sikhye (sweet rice punch) and abalone porridge.

You can take as many extra side dishes and wrapping greens as you need.

☝️ If you sign up for Naver Place notifications, you get free abalone porridge. The condition is one menu order per adult before noon.

How is the braised mackerel in its shallow broth?

The earthenware pot was piled high with thoroughly fermented old kimchi!

It had that deep, rich umami flavor unique to old kimchi.

Piling moist mackerel and well-cooked old kimchi onto the abalone hot stone rice completely cut through the greasy fatigue in my stomach.

Abalone hot stone rice, packed with nutrition

Sliced abalone, sweet pumpkin, even tot (fusiform seaweed). The clean, savory abalone hot stone rice paired well with the rich mackerel stew.

I always thought mackerel stew at Jeju tourist spots tends to be pricey, but the old kimchi mackerel stew here comes as a set with hot stone rice, which makes it feel like great value.

Buttery grilled abalone, four pieces for 15,000 won

The menu my abalone-loving daughter picked.

Chewy abalone with a rich buttery aroma added — there was no way this wasn't delicious.

The large garden to walk off the meal

Jungmun Godeungeo Ssam-bap is already a well-known Jungmun, Jeju restaurant that's been featured on several TV programs.

After the meal, stepping outside the restaurant revealed a large garden, said to be about 3,500 pyeong (roughly 11,570 square meters).

I visited in September, so it wasn't quite the peak season for roses in full bloom, but it was still perfect for a post-meal stroll.

A place to eat old kimchi mackerel stew at good value in Jeju! With abalone porridge, and even warm, savory nurungji (scorched rice) after finishing the hot stone rice, I'd also recommend it as a warm, easy-on-the-stomach Seogwipo breakfast spot. With its huge store and large parking lot, it's also a great pick for group dining in Jungmun, Jeju. I definitely want to come back when the flowers are in full bloom.