Wondang, Goyang crab refill restaurant: four spicy crab plates, Deodeo

Why I chose Deodeo Ganjanggejang in Wondang, Goyang, in crab season

Deodeo Ganjanggejang is a crab restaurant in Wondang, Goyang, where you can eat soy-marinated crab (ganjang gejang), spicy marinated crab (yangnyeom gejang) and blue crab stew all-you-can-eat. It's right in blue crab season, so I kept craving marinated crab and a hot crab stew. While searching for where to go, I found Deodeo Ganjanggejang, famous as an Ilsan soy crab spot.

It has been on TV several times and has been listed in the Blue Ribbon guide for several years in a row. But the best part: soy crab + spicy crab + crab stew, all-you-can-eat! I wanted both the crab and the stew, so it was perfect and I went right away.

Deodeo Ganjanggejang hours and ordering rules

• Address: 357-1 Wondang-ro, Deogyang-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi, 1st floor
• Hours: daily 11:00–21:20 (last order 20:30)
• Break time: weekdays 15:20–16:20; no break on weekends and holidays
• All-you-can-eat requires at least 2 servings
• One all-you-can-eat order per person, children included

Where is Deodeo Ganjanggejang and what does it look like?

I thought, wow, there's a crab place like this in Wondang, Goyang. When you arrive, a huge sign reads "Ilsan soy crab restaurant, Deodeo Ganjanggejang all-you-can-eat." It's not like the sleek new trendy spots. The exterior has a real old-school favorite vibe.

When I visited, people were already waiting in front of the shop. There was a separate sign-in list at the entrance for your name and party size. I came after 2pm on a Saturday and was surprised how crowded it was.

Deodeo Ganjanggejang has a spacious parking lot

There's quite a lot of parking in front of the restaurant. There were really a lot of cars when I went, and plenty were parked there, and since it's right in front it's easy to get in. Lots of people drive around Wondang, so not worrying about parking was nice.

Saturday afternoon wait at Deodeo: about 40 minutes

When I got to Deodeo Ganjanggejang after 2pm on Saturday, there was a wait and I waited about 40 minutes. Being the weekend and a popular spot, the waiting list kept going afterward too.

Featured on Korean TV several times

From the entrance to the inside, there were so many photos from TV appearances on the walls. They've been on shows like KBS's Saengsaeng Jeongbo and SBS's Live Today. In particular, the photo from KBS 2TV's Saengsaeng Jeongbo in 2024 showed the exact soy crab + spicy crab + crab stew all-you-can-eat setup.

Blue Ribbon stickers from several years in a row were also on the door, which added to the feeling of a long-running favorite.

How much is the all-you-can-eat crab at Deodeo Ganjanggejang?

The all-you-can-eat set is ₩24,900 per person and lets you eat soy crab + spicy crab + crab stew together. Rice is separate at ₩1,000. All-you-can-eat starts at 2 servings, and you must order one per person, children included. Children aged 6–10 are ₩10,000 according to the menu.

There's also a one-crab set meal and extra menu items.

• One-crab set meal ₩15,000
• Extra soy crab ₩8,000
• Extra spicy crab ₩6,000
• Tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patty) ₩8,000
• Crab stew ₩5,000
• Steamed egg ₩2,000
• Rice ₩1,000

We ordered the all-you-can-eat without a second thought.

Inside Deodeo Ganjanggejang

Inside, it's roomier than I expected. Long rows of tables are separated by wooden partitions, and there were quite a lot of customers. The tables seemed to be full almost the whole time I was there.

It's less a flashy or stylish interior and more a place where families can comfortably sit down to a crab feast. The tables are somewhat separated, so it didn't feel like you were squished right up against the next seat.

The ₩24,900 all-you-can-eat crab set and side dishes

The set is all-you-can-eat soy crab + spicy crab + crab stew, with rice separate at ₩1,000.

When you order at Deodeo Ganjanggejang, side dishes come out first along with the crab. We got bean sprouts, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), cucumber kimchi, burdock root and so on, plus gim (seaweed).

Honestly, you don't need many sides when eating crab. Rice and crab meat on a sheet of gim works great, and the kkakdugi or bean sprouts were nice to have in between.

Is the soy-marinated crab at Deodeo Ganjanggejang salty?

What I loved most about the soy crab here was that it's not salty. The soy crab came out first, a generous plate of prepared crab already cut up so you can dig right in.

You can snip it with the scissors provided to make eating easier, and best of all, it's not salty!

There's meat and roe inside the shell too, so scraping it out with a spoon is fun. Soy crab really goes best with rice. I picked out the crab meat, put it on rice, dabbed it in a bit of soy sauce, and wrapped it all in a sheet of gim, and the rice just kept disappearing. Crab takes a lot of handiwork, but this day I put on gloves and went all in.

You are now looking at a rice thief (that's what we call soy crab: "bap-dojuk")...

The highlight of soy crab is mixing rice into the crab shell! I scraped out the roe and soy sauce left inside the shell with a spoon, added warm rice and stirred it all together, and it was salty and nutty, truly a rice thief. Picking out the meat is delicious too, but you haven't really had soy crab until you've mixed rice in the shell, you know what I mean~~

Why I refilled only the spicy marinated crab, four plates

I'm a spicy crab person over soy! What I was really hooked on at Deodeo Ganjanggejang that day was the spicy marinated crab. You can see from the photos how thickly the sauce coats the crab. The generous red sauce went great with the crab meat, and with rice I kept reaching for more.

I finished the first plate and refilled, ate again and refilled... In the end I refilled the spicy crab 4 times. We're at an all-you-can-eat place, so I had to do it properly. haha

It does get a little spicy when you eat a lot, but with rice and steamed egg it vanishes in no time, a magic spicy crab. At first I thought, how much crab can I even eat? But once I started on the spicy crab, it just kept going down. That day, my vote goes to spicy crab over soy crab.

I ended up adding an extra bowl of rice

Controlling your rice is the hardest part of coming for crab. After four plates of spicy crab I ran out of rice, so I ended up ordering an extra bowl. It's only ₩1,000, so no pressure. Put crab meat on the rice, mix in a bit of sauce, and a bowl of rice disappears faster than you'd think.

4 plates of spicy crab + extra rice. I think that explains how well I ate that day, right? haha

Steamed egg in a stone pot mid-meal

They also brought out steamed egg partway through. It came in a bubbling-soft earthenware pot full of egg, and a spoonful here and there between bites of crab was great. Especially with strongly seasoned dishes like the spicy crab, it's a combo that resets your palate.

Blue crab stew is included in the all-you-can-eat set

The all-you-can-eat set includes crab stew as well. And that's not all! It first arrives with a clear broth, vegetables like bean sprouts, perilla leaves and enoki mushrooms, and blue crab, and you boil it at the table.

As it starts to bubble, the flavor comes out of the crab and the broth gets deeper in color. The broth is so refreshing that I could keep eating forever, haha (out of courtesy to my stomach, I didn't refill the stew).

After eating soy crab and spicy crab for a while, the seasoning lingers in your mouth, and sipping the warm crab stew broth in between worked really well. There's crab in it too, so fishing it out is fun, and with the hot broth the whole meal felt much more satisfying.

Eating frantically, before I knew it one plate was piled high with soy crab shells. It was the picture of a happy meal. This is what you call a crab bargain ("ge-ideuk", a pun on crab and "gain")!! haha

Is Deodeo's ₩24,900 all-you-can-eat crab worth it?

At ₩24,900 per person, the all-you-can-eat is a good deal if you love crab and tend to go for several refills. At first I wondered how much I'd have to eat to make ₩24,900 worthwhile, but it's not just one kind that's unlimited: you get soy crab + spicy crab + crab stew together, which I liked.

We refilled only the spicy crab four times, so I'd say we ate properly. Crab is a rice thief, so not just us but other tables ordered lots of extra rice too. The staff were also really kind, so you can refill without feeling self-conscious, which is nice.

Who Deodeo Ganjanggejang suits best

• People who like both soy crab and spicy crab
• People for whom one or two crabs isn't enough
• Families looking for a hearty meal
• People looking for a Wondang, Goyang favorite with roomy parking that's easy to reach by car

Being all-you-can-eat, the more you eat, the more satisfied you'll probably be. There may be a wait, so on weekends or at mealtimes it's best to allow some extra time.