Bupyeong seafood stew restaurant, fried rice finale: Donghae

This is a Bupyeong seafood stew spot on the seafood stew street near Bupyeong Station that I've been visiting steadily for years now — my true favorite~!

My husband only just found out there's a whole seafood stew street in Bupyeong. I've been coming here on and off for ages, but this was his very first visit haha 😁

Donghae Haemultang sits right at the entrance of Bupyeong's seafood stew street, and besides haemultang (spicy seafood stew), they also serve seafood steam and monkfish steam among other seafood dishes~!

Right at the entrance of Bupyeong's seafood stew street, the sign catches your eye first

You can spot the Haemulmyeongga Donghae Haemultang monkfish steam sign from far away. It's a long-running favorite for seafood steam in Bupyeong~ Since it had been a while since my last visit, I was full of anticipation ✨

How's parking here?

Same as always, staff help with parking directly, so you just leave your keys in the car and step out. Being able to eat without worrying about parking was great 😊

It's famous enough to have been on TV consistently since 2012. Knowing it's been featured on broadcasts for that long made me trust it even more 🙆🏻‍♀️

A spacious two-floor hall, great for group gatherings too

Finally, entering Haemulmyeongga Donghae Haemultang! 🦀🦐

The restaurant spans two floors, and once inside, it was much roomier and more comfortable than I expected. Since it's such a large place, the tables have plenty of space between them, and I thought it would be perfect for big gatherings or all kinds of get-togethers! 😊

It's a spacious spot that's just as good for a family meal as it is for visiting with a larger group — I really liked that.

They also have kids' chairs on hand, so I'd recommend it as a family meal spot for visiting with children! 👶🏻🫶🏻

Aprons are neatly set out around the restaurant too, so anyone who needs one can just grab it. Seafood stew and seafood steam can splash broth and sauce around, so having aprons placed all over felt like a thoughtful touch 👍🏻

Mussel soup and the banchan spread

The moment we sat down, they brought out a spicy mussel soup~

• Seafood steam (small) ₩45,000
• Seafood stew (small) ₩45,000

The side dishes started arriving one by one, all neatly arranged, and they were all things my husband and I love, which made me even happier 😊

The mussels in the spicy mussel soup, the crispy savory pajeon (savory pancake), the soy-marinated shrimp my husband peeled for me, and the ice-cold dongchimi (watery radish kimchi) — all of it was absolutely perfect 👍🏻✨

A small seafood stew for two, and it was so convenient having it prepped for us

The lid finally came off the bubbling, fully cooked haemultang‼️ Since it was just the two of us, we ordered the small size, and I was surprised by how generous the portion was.

Once cooked, the staff prepped each piece of seafood for easy eating, so we didn't have to do any of that ourselves and could dig right in~

With so much variety of seafood in there, prepping it yourself can be a hassle, but having it done for us meant we could focus purely on eating! 😊

The haemultang, simmered generously with fresh seafood, was just wow! 🦐🦀🐙 The broth was refreshing and deep from the very first sip — clearly there's a reason I've kept coming back for years 🤭

For midodeok and omandungi lovers

My whole family knows I'm a huge fan of midodeok (sea pineapple) and omandungi (warty sea squirt)~~

The moment midodeok and omandungi turned up in the Bupyeong seafood stew spot Donghae Haemultang, my husband piled them straight onto my plate and spoon 🩶 He really does know my taste perfectly haha

I ladled some haemultang into my plate and tried a spoonful of the broth too. The broth was absolutely incredible! 🦐🦀 With that deep, refreshing flavor drawn out from the seafood, I kept going back for more broth 😋

Maybe because blue crab is in season right now, it was sweet and delicious 👏🏻👏🏻 crab tastes so good~~

Finishing with two servings of fried rice instead of rice bowls

At first we thought about ordering rice bowls to eat alongside the haemultang, but in the end we decided to finish with fried rice, so we ordered two servings of fried rice instead of rice. You have to finish off haemultang broth with fried rice to feel like the meal is truly complete, right haha

A perfect finish right to the end 🫶🏻 The combination with the haemultang was amazing, but it was also a match made in heaven with the dried shrimp and garlic stem stir-fry! Everyone should really try it this way,,

Nice things to grab after the meal

With toothpicks and floss provided, you can neatly clean out any bits of seafood or food stuck between your teeth after the meal — such a thoughtful touch.

For dessert, there was even sweet mix coffee available, perfect for cleansing your palate after the meal ☕️🤎 We tidily enjoyed every last bit before heading out~! 😊