Gimhae Chinese restaurant on Hwacheon-gogae: samsun jjamppong dinner

Went down to my hometown after a while and stuffed ourselves at our family's favorite Chinese restaurant with tangsuyuk and jjamppong! 🫶🏻 Not too noisy, so it was perfect for a family gathering — great variety of dishes, easy parking, all around satisfying. Here's my review of the Gimhae Chinese restaurant with rooms < Dongbaek > 𓂃 𖧵

Where is Dongbaek, and is there parking? Hwacheon-gogae, 20-car private lot

Dongbaek is a Chinese restaurant located near Hwacheon-gogae in Dongsang-dong, Gimhae. If you're taking the bus, take route 100, 8-1, or 912 and get off at Handeok Apartment stop — it's a 1-minute walk from there!

🅿️ There's a private parking lot ✔️ Setting your navigation like this makes entering the parking lot easier Waypoint: Donggwang Elementary School (534 Dongsang-dong, Gimhae) Destination: Dongbaek (514 Gaya-ro, Gimhae)

A generously sized private lot that fits about 20 cars 🚗 ✔️ Parking hours: 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM ** The lot locks after closing, so you can't move your car out after hours

Dongbaek's exterior and mood: a surprisingly upscale Chinese restaurant in Gimhae

Since when did Gimhae get such a high-end Chinese restaurant...? Unlike the noisy, typical Chinese restaurant feel, the exterior is clean and sophisticated — a quiet, private room restaurant 𓂃⋆｡🏮

Weekend lunch and dinner get quite busy, so there are waiting chairs and a table-ling machine out front — if there's a wait, you can just put your name down

A Chinese-inspired interior that looks straight out of a wuxia movie 🪭 — the design was so upscale I fell for it right away haha

The place itself is spacious enough to eat comfortably ´⌣` ,, I personally prefer places with wide table spacing, and this one had exactly that — generous gaps between tables, and an overall clean, pleasant feel

Private rooms, baby chairs and a self-bar: why Dongbaek works for family meals

They even have private rooms, so it'd be perfect for family gatherings, get-togethers with friends, company dinners, even first-birthday parties 🥺..!!!!! I loved the room here so much I decided I definitely have to bring my grandmother next time ~

✔️ Baby chairs are provided too When I visited, most of the other customers were families

My family chose this round table seat because we liked the cozy Chinese-style atmosphere 🪑

✔️ At the self-bar you can freely help yourself to pickled radish, onion, jjachai and more!

What a family of four ordered at Dongbaek for dinner, and what it cost

✔️ Dongbaek is famous for its lunch special course, but unfortunately we visited in the evening, so we ordered plenty à la carte — almost as much as a course ✨

• Seafood jjamppong ₩11,000
• Shrimp fried rice (double portion) ₩11,000
• Samsun jjamppong ₩15,000
• Fresh sirloin tangsuyuk (medium) ₩28,000
• Chamisul soju ₩5,000

Pickled radish, onion, and chunjang (black bean paste) come out as the basic side dishes 〰️

Fresh sirloin tangsuyuk (medium), 28,000 won: sauce poured on, still crispy

🏷️ Fresh sirloin tangsuyuk (medium) - ₩28,000 The long-awaited Dongbaek fresh sirloin tangsuyuk finally arrives 🥺 Freshly fried, super crispy on the outside, and the meat was incredibly tender since it's fresh sirloin. It came with the sauce already poured over it, but it wasn't soggy in the sauce, so you can eat it crispy all the way through ♥

The moment you think 'wow this tangsuyuk is good!' they quickly whip up the sauce you can't do without: soy sauce + vinegar + chili flakes = done ✨

Even before the main dishes, my appetite was already fully awake, and dipping it in the sauce it just melts in your mouth haha. The portion of tangsuyuk was decent-sized, and the taste was truly top-tier 💯

Samsun jjamppong, 15,000 won: abalone, scallops and a huge portion

🏷️ Samsun jjamppong - ₩15,000 My dad, who loves jjamppong, ordered the samsun jjamppong — packed with seafood like abalone, mussels, scallops, squid and more, so it's fun tasting each fresh piece one by one, and the broth had deep, spicy umami! Not just plain spicy — there's a hint of smoky wok-hei flavor too

Anyway, Dongbaek's samsun jjamppong fully satisfied my jjamppong-loving dad ✨ And the portion is REALLY huge!!!! Our family is known for having big appetites •• but the jjamppong portion was so big that both my dad and I ended up leaving some noodles behind

Shrimp fried rice (double portion), 11,000 won: textbook Chinese-restaurant fried rice

🏷️ Shrimp fried rice (double portion) - ₩11,000 And here comes the shrimp fried rice my sister ordered! She was craving rice, so we got this, and the shrimp piled generously on top looked so plump and delicious that I stole a bite ..🍤 lol

Fluffy fried rice paired with a not-too-salty, just-right savory jjajang sauce 🍛 My sister said it's nothing super special, but it's the textbook version of Chinese restaurant fried rice

Seafood jjamppong, 11,000 won: a light, clean broth

🏷️ Seafood jjamppong - ₩11,000 And finally, my order — seafood jjamppong. Just as loaded with seafood as the samsun version, and especially.. the broth was so clean 🥺 ❤️ I'm someone used to strong flavors, so at first it seemed a bit bland, but as I kept eating I fell completely for the light, clean broth unique to this jjamppong ..!

The broth has a slight smoky flavor to it, but it's light, soft, and not too intense, so I personally really liked it haha 👉🏻 I highly recommend ordering the seafood jjamppong and fresh sirloin tangsuyuk without fail 〰️

✔️ There's also a review event like this, so don't miss it — first prize is even chili shrimp ..!!!!!!!

Is Dongbaek worth it for a family gathering in Gimhae?

My family loves Chinese food so we've been to quite a lot of Chinese restaurants, but it's been a while since every single dish was this good ..! Maybe next time we'll try the lunch course ..? 😝 With its private space and upscale interior, I'd recommend the Gimhae restaurant with rooms < Dongbaek > for family gatherings, dates, and get-togethers with friends alike ❤️