Suwon grilled fish near Sangsang Campus, 3 moms, 3 kids: Godeungeo

Why Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon is easy with kids

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch (고등어명품이되다 수원점) is a grilled fish restaurant at 1731 Seobu-ro, Gwonseon-gu, Suwon. The big parking lot and spacious dining room make family meals with kids easy. It is open 10:40–21:30, and there is parking.

I've honestly lost count of how many times I've been to this Suwon grilled fish spot. It's close to Topdong and Homaesil, and also to Sangsang Campus, so it's well known as a Sangsang Campus restaurant too. When you eat out with your parents or kids, nothing beats grilled fish, right? Not just my family but all my friends love it now! It's busy, but the place is big and the parking lot is huge, so every visit is comfortable. There's a large lot right beside the entrance, so even if you arrive in several cars, no problem.

What are the seats and high chairs like?

There are tables on both the left and right of the entrance, plus sofa seats, and plenty of high chairs. When you walk in, a staff member checks your party size, brings water and tells you which table to take.

I like that some spots have sofa seating like this. Today we came with 3 adults and 3 toddlers, and there were plenty of high chairs, so we used them comfortably and put them back afterwards. The interior is stylish and clean, so it looks great for family gatherings or company dinners :) We arrived around 5:30 p.m. and it was already busy, so I only photographed the empty tables to avoid bothering anyone. As you'll see when you visit, the place is really big and the tables are spaced widely, so you won't feel cramped at all.

What we ordered and which side dishes come with grilled fish

This time we ordered grilled Spanish mackerel, grilled mackerel and mackerel mulhoe (cold raw fish soup). Ordering grilled fish comes with rice, and the side dishes were seaweed soup, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), radish namul, young radish kimchi, namul, cucumber kimchi, deodeok (bellflower root) salad and gochujang bulgogi (spicy marinated pork).

Honestly, with just these, a bowl of rice disappears in a flash.

Refillable side dishes at the self-serve bar

Except for the gochujang bulgogi, you can refill all the sides as much as you like at the self-serve bar. Besides the usual sides, there's extra acorn jelly, pickled scallions (rakkyo), wasabi, nutty sungnyung (scorched rice tea) and even sikhye (sweet rice drink).

Every time I visit, it feels clean and hygienic. It's busy so the self-serve sides run low quickly, but the staff refill them fast, so you can help yourself without worry.

Do kids eat the wood-fired grilled Spanish mackerel and mackerel?

Maybe because they're cooked in a wood-fired oven, the grilled Spanish mackerel and grilled mackerel were crispy outside and moist and tender inside, and the kids ate them well once we picked out the bones! The mains came after a short wait.

Most of the bones are gone, but it isn't boneless fish, so be careful when you feed it to kids.

We used the tongs and scissors from the self-serve bar to cut the fish into easy bites, and the moment the fish arrived, we moms got busy. We all had the same thought: feed our kids first :) My kid ate both the mackerel and the Spanish mackerel evenly, and finished almost a whole bowl of rice with the seaweed soup and japchae. She's a good eater anyway, but she eats especially well at Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch, which is why we keep coming back.

Why order the 20,000-won mackerel mulhoe

The mackerel mulhoe here is ₩20,000, and it comes with mackerel sashimi plus octopus, abalone, sea snail and other raw fish, along with somyeon (thin wheat noodles). Since my first taste I've ordered it every visit, and for this lineup it's a real bargain!

The tangy mulhoe broth really wakes up your appetite, and with all the different seafood it's fun to pick through. The crunchy vegetables and soft raw fish go well together, and all the moms who came with me agreed it was delicious. Add the noodles and slurp away~ If you visit Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda, please try the mackerel mulhoe. The portion is generous and so tasty you'll end up downing the broth in one go :-) It's the kind of mulhoe that calls for soju, but today I was the designated driver, so sadly no drinking.

The mackerel tank and Korean-caught mackerel

There's a tank with mackerel swimming around, and they say all the mackerel used here is domestic (Korean). I feel sorry for the mackerel happily swimming in the tank without a clue, but we ate really well.

It's nice that my kid eats her rice well at Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda, but it also warms my heart to see her delighted by these mackerel.

Next time: the Myeongpum set discount event

The branch is currently running a discount event on the Myeongpum set (명품정식), so next time I plan to try that. It seems to come with grilled mackerel, grilled Korean sea bass-type fish (imyeonsu, Atka mackerel), mackerel sashimi and croaker sashimi (minhoe), so you can eat plenty at a good price.

I always overeat whenever I visit Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda in Suwon. Thanks for the meal again today :)