Seafood stew for 4 near Bansong Market, Changwon: Dwaeji Jogae

Today I'm giving you my honest review of Dwaeji Jogae Changwon Main Branch (돼지조개 창원본점) at Bansong Market, the Changwon seafood stew place my husband names first whenever he's craving seafood in Changwon. It's his absolute favorite, so I'm introducing it with full confidence.

Where is Dwaeji Jogae Changwon Main Branch, and how do you park?

Dwaeji Jogae Changwon Main Branch is in the basement level of the Shinhyup (credit union) building you see right as you enter Bansong Market. You can park at either of two lots, the Bansong Market lot at the market entrance or the one below the church, and you can easily get a parking ticket when you park.

• Address: 17-16 Ballim-dong, Seongsan-gu, Changwon, Gyeongnam (Shinhyup building, basement level 1)
• Hours: Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat 12:00–22:00 (break 15:00–17:00, last order 20:30)
• Sunday 12:00–21:30 (last order 20:00)
• Monday 17:00–22:00 (last order 20:30)
• Parking: Two Bansong Market lots (market entrance and below the church), parking ticket provided

Inside Dwaeji Jogae: is it OK for group gatherings?

Tables are tucked into every corner inside, so there are quite a lot more of them than you'd guess from outside. It's perfectly good for group gatherings or company dinners. It was a few years ago, but it has also been featured on the TV show Saengsaeng Jeongbo, so it's a place with real credentials.

What side dishes come at Dwaeji Jogae?

The side dishes are boiled potatoes, geotjeori (fresh, unfermented kimchi), cucumber, acorn jelly and seasoned bean sprouts. When you sit down, neat, clean-looking sides are set out, and every one of them was tidy and tasty, so my chopsticks kept wandering over before the main dish even arrived.

For 4 people: Special Large (serves 3–5) at ₩109,000, what's in it?

Four of us visited and ordered the Dwaeji Jogae Special Large (serves 3–5) for ₩109,000. Octopus, squid, scallops, clams, mussels, abalone, blue crab and pen shell clam all came packed in like a gift assortment, and it looked so appetizing.

After a little while, true to its reputation as the ultimate Changwon seafood stew place, a seafood set piled so generously the pot looked ready to burst arrived. The sight was just overwhelming.

Staff prepare the seafood piece by piece

Once the stew starts boiling hard, the staff at Dwaeji Jogae Changwon Main Branch prepare everything one by one. Before the octopus gets tough, they cut it first and place it on top of the pen shell clam's shell. They also remove the abalone's teeth and slice it so it's easy to eat. The remaining scallops get their shells removed for easy eating.

They told us to eat the octopus, abalone and the rest first, so we devoured them in a frenzy before they could turn chewy. The clear broth has radish, bean sprouts and cheongyang chili pepper (a hot green chili), so it's spicy but clean and refreshing. The seafood is so fresh that it's delicious even on its own, and everyone ate it with exclamations of delight.

With snacks this good, how could we not have a drink? The booze goes down smoothly, so it's the best meal and the best drinking food in one.

After the seafood: beef brisket and minari, then kalguksu noodles to finish

The Special Large includes minari (water dropwort) and thinly sliced beef brisket, and they brought them out once the seafood had been cleared a fair bit. When meat goes into a seafood broth, you get another layer of savory depth, right? The broth was so delicious too.

And of course there's the must-have carbs, right? We ordered 2 extra servings of kalguksu (knife-cut noodles). They top up the broth on their own without being asked, and the staff at Dwaeji Jogae Changwon Main Branch are all so thoughtful~~ With the finishing noodles and the slightly sweet geotjeori, it was an extremely satisfying meal.

Look at the results of our happy eating, a basket piled full haha

Why I recommend Dwaeji Jogae as a Changwon seafood stew restaurant

Dwaeji Jogae Changwon Main Branch is my husband's favorite regular spot in Changwon, so if you're looking for genuinely delicious Changwon seafood stew, please try Dwaeji Jogae at Bansong Market at least once! It'll be a hearty, happy meal with no regrets. It's a place I can confidently recommend to the people around me.