Gimhae Chinese restaurant with first-birthday party rooms: Dongbaek

Why we came back to Dongbaek in Gimhae

Dongbaek (동백), a Chinese restaurant on Gaya-ro in Gimhae, is clean and has private rooms, which makes it a great place to go with a baby, so we came back. I wanted a simple weekend lunch with the family, something nobody would be picky about, so we went for Chinese food. Once you go, you end up wanting to return.

Dongbaek in Gimhae: location, hours and parking

Dongbaek is at 514 Gaya-ro, Gimhae-si, Gyeongnam, on the first floor, and it is open from 10:00 to 21:00. It has its own parking lot.

Parking is hard around Dongbaek, but this Gimhae Chinese restaurant has an underground parking lot, so it's easy to park and visit.

What is the interior of Dongbaek like?

Walking in, I saw the showy red you'd expect in a Chinese restaurant mixed with pastel blue and green, and I thought, "Wow, they did a great job with the interior!" It feels calm and you can tell they put a lot of effort into it. It looks less like an ordinary Chinese restaurant and more like the perfect spot for gatherings or celebrations.

Why Dongbaek suits first-birthday (dol) and 60th-birthday parties in Gimhae

If you're looking for a place for a dol (baby's first birthday party) in Gimhae, my reason for recommending Dongbaek is the private rooms. There are rooms for small groups and a big, spacious room that can hold a large party, so it looked good for a small family dol, a parents' hwangap (60th birthday) or a chilsun (70th birthday) party.

What's at Dongbaek's self-serve bar?

In one corner of Dongbaek there's a self-bar where you can take side dishes and tableware. They had danmuji (pickled yellow radish) and jjasai (pickled mustard stem), and I went back for more.

Is Dongbaek in Gimhae good for dining with a baby?

We brought the baby to Dongbaek, and there were lots of baby chairs, which was handy. The room-style seating is the big reason we came back.

When you eat out with a baby, you sometimes end up bothering the people around you without meaning to, like when the baby gets noisy, right? Dongbaek has rooms, so looking after the baby is much easier.

What we ordered at Dongbaek in Gimhae: ganjajang and jjamppong

This time at Dongbaek we ordered ganjajang (stir-fried black bean noodles) and jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup). The jjajang I had last time was so good that I came for jjajangmyeon, but on the way in I saw ganjajang being served to another table, started drooling, and switched my order on the spot.

Regular jjajangmyeon is good too, but the ganjajang didn't disappoint either. Besides the à la carte dishes there are course meals, with plenty of options that suit bringing your parents or holding a dol or hwangap party, so keep that in mind!

How does Dongbaek's ganjajang taste?

See how glossy the ganjajang sauce is?! Ahh, this is why I come for Chinese food!

Dongbaek's ganjajang comes with chewy noodles, one fried egg, and a mix of crunchy vegetables and meat, so the moment you take a bite you think, "Yep, this is a Gimhae gem." Halfway through you start thinking it would be great over rice too.

You pour the sweet, wok-fired jjajang sauce over the noodles in just the right amount and mix it up. Who could possibly dislike that.. It's absolutely delicious.

What is Dongbaek's jjamppong broth like?

Dongbaek's jjamppong is packed with seafood, and one sip of the broth feels like a hangover cure, even though I didn't drink last night haha. With all the different seafood in it, you really taste the cool, savory depth in the broth. There are plenty of noodles too, so it fills you up.

Also, the jjamppong broth doesn't come out scalding hot, so it's just right to eat. You won't burn the roof of your mouth, hissing away as you slurp.

Why an extra bowl of rice is a must at Dongbaek in Gimhae

Whenever I go to this Gimhae Chinese restaurant, I always order one extra bowl of rice. It's great mixed into the jjajang sauce and great in the jjamppong broth, so now skipping that bowl would feel like a letdown.

There's no heavy seasoning or artificial taste, so if you're looking for a Chinese restaurant in Gimhae to take your parents to, I'd recommend Dongbaek.