Grilled mackerel set with a baby, Masan restaurant: Masan Ssamjangjip

Masan Ssamjangjip 2nd floor, 65 Haeandae-ro, Masanhappo-gu, Changwon, Gyeongnam, South Korea

Why Masan Ssamjangjip for lunch with a baby in Masan Daetgeori?

Hi, it's Nurse here! I agonized forever over what to eat with Yongsun again, and ended up at Masan Ssamjangjip. Since it was lunch, I wanted something that felt like a proper meal, and since I was going with Ihyeon I wanted plenty of side dishes a baby could eat — this place checked every box! It's right in front of Masan Marine Park, and I parked on the side street.

Masan Ssamjangjip is on the 2nd floor, so we walked up the stairs..! When I searched for it, it kept coming up as a famous Korean set-meal spot in Masan, so I was already excited 🙂🤍

Inside Masan Ssamjangjip: group rooms and a room you enter with shoes on

The interior. There are group rooms and also a room where you can go in with your shoes on, which I loved! My own family alone is now 8 people including the baby, so this place felt perfect for family gatherings.

Grilled mackerel set: 17,000 won per person, minimum 2 servings

The menu. I ordered the grilled mackerel set since I could share it with the baby. They said single servings weren't possible — minimum 2 servings required ✨ The mackerel set is 17,000 won per person.

About 30 side dishes on the table in 5 minutes

And the full spread came out in under 5 minutes. All these are just side dishes..? I was genuinely shocked. Around 30 side dishes appeared — tofu kimchi, bean sprouts, quail eggs, kimchi pancake and more — dishes I love, dishes older folks would love, and dishes even the baby liked!

Every single dish was so neat and varied — it's been a while since I had such a healthy spread.. I got genuinely excited. The kimchi pancake was really good too. It's not just about racking up the side dish count — everything actually tastes good!

Next to the kimchi pancake was steamed bean sprouts with perilla seeds..? Even picky-eater me found it clean and delicious!

Self-serve corner with a ramyeon cooker, fruit and tea

And here's the self-serve corner! I had no idea this existed — Yongsun told me there was a self-serve corner outside, and when I went to look, there was even a ramyeon self-cook station. Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I was already full from the set meal, so I skipped the ramyeon!

The self-serve bar is amazing, right? Rice cakes, snacks, fruit — all lined up. Ihyeon is a fruit lover so it was great that she could finish the meal off with fruit for dessert!

Mildly seasoned grilled mackerel: why it worked with a baby

The grilled mackerel that came with the set! It's grilled fresh to order, and the flesh was so tender and not too salty. Sometimes at grilled fish places the seasoning is way too strong to feed a baby, but Masan Ssamjangjip keeps the seasoning mild overall, so it worked well both for going with a baby and for going with mom and dad.

Yongsun, who's been in charge of deboning fish for 7 years now. When she cleanly picks out just the flesh, Ihyeon and I just get to munch away — so delicious.

With so many side dishes, Ihyeon got to try a bit of everything. Masan Ssamjangjip also has baby spoons all set up.

Gangdoenjang, not ssamjang: the paste that came with the ssam wraps

I thought this was ssamjang (dipping paste) but it was actually gangdoenjang (thick soybean paste)! I can't resist gangdoenjang!!!!!!!!!!!! Immediately wrapped it in a lettuce leaf. At first I wondered if you'd even need a wrap with a mackerel set, but nope — you absolutely need it. We finished every last wrap.

We finished off with fruit for dessert, amazingly all of it. There's also coffee and omija (five-flavor berry) tea set up front, so you can wrap up the meal however you like!

Is Masan Ssamjangjip worth it for a family meal out?

Honestly, I've been eating so much delivery food lately that I was craving a proper, neat Korean set meal like this! It felt like being treated to a real hanjeongsik (Korean set meal), and on top of that the prices are affordable — 17,000 won per person for the mackerel set, 20,000 won per person for the braised short rib set — yet the side dishes are so varied that I want to come back and pay for it myself next time! If you're in Masan Daetgeori looking for a proper lunch, or looking for somewhere to take your parents for a family meal, Masan Ssamjangjip is a serious recommendation!