Ganghwa duck BBQ with samchae duck loin roast and rice: Deok Ori

Went on a Ganghwa Island drive and hunted down a Jeondeungsa Temple restaurant while I was at it.

This is Deok Ori Jumulleok Ganghwa Main Branch. Deok Ori Jumulleok is a duck specialty restaurant near Jeondeungsa Temple where a craftsman with decades of experience runs the place — fresh duck slaughtered the same day is cured in a special house sauce before serving. I found it while looking for things to do on Ganghwa Island, or hunting for a duck restaurant near Mani Mountain.

Deok Ori Jumulleok Ganghwa Main Branch hours and visiting tips

Deok Ori Jumulleok Ganghwa Main Branch Hours 11:00–21:00 Break time 15:00–16:00 (Naver lists it as 17:00, so it's worth checking when you visit) Closed Mondays Notice from Deok Ori Jumulleok — To keep the meat fresh and tasty, we only cure and sell a set amount of meat each day. We ask for your understanding that we close once the day's meat runs out. Deok Ori Jumulleok visiting tip! It's best to call ahead before visiting!

I made a Naver reservation and visited! There's a usage guide printed right on the table. Water is self-serve, lettuce wraps are self-serve at the station, and you're told to ask the kitchen for side dish refills. It says the fried rice at this duck restaurant near Mani Mountain tastes better if you leave about a third of the meat and sauce before ordering it. Also, note that charcoal pre-grilling is only available for 2 servings or more. Leave a Naver receipt review at Deok Ori Jumulleok Ganghwa Main Branch and you get a free fried rice for one.

Menu prices, the two-serving minimum and how long you wait

On one wall there's a feature clipping from a national TV spot on Deok Ori Jumulleok. The menu board for the Ganghwa Main Branch is also up. Since pre-ordering through the reservation means cooking starts the moment you arrive, you might still wait a bit when it's busy — and being a well-known Jeondeungsa restaurant, it was crowded even on a weekday. The menu says pre-grilling starts as soon as you order and takes 8–15 minutes. Note that pre-grilling is only available from 2 servings up, so the minimum order is 2 servings per item.

Deok Ori Jumulleok Ganghwa Main Branch has been featured on several TV shows like Live Today and 6 O'Clock My Hometown — plenty of proof it's a well-known Jeondeungsa restaurant.

There are also tips posted on how to enjoy Deok Ori Jumulleok best.

• The longer it simmers, the stronger the seasoning gets.
• Eat it together with the house-made side dishes.
• Fried rice is a must! One order of fried rice pairs best with 2 servings of jumulleok.

Why samchae duck loin roast beat the spicy samchae duck jumulleok

These are the basic side dishes at Deok Ori Jumulleok Ganghwa Main Branch. I wanted to try their signature samchae ori jumulleok, but spicy food's been rough on my stomach lately, so I ordered samchae ori roseu (duck loin roast) instead. Saving the jumulleok for next time!!!

There's a sign explaining samchae from Jirisan. It's called samchae — meaning "three flavors" — because it has spicy, sweet, and bitter notes; its leaves, roots and flowers are all used as both food and herbal medicine, and it's treated as a premium ingredient in Europe. The sign says samchae contains dietary sulfur compounds essential to the body — twice as much as onion, six times as much as garlic, and sixty times as much as ginseng. I thought samchae just meant "three vegetables"!!!

Charcoal pre-grilled, then finished at the table: how the duck loin is cooked

There's a separate pre-grilling station inside Deok Ori Jumulleok Ganghwa Main Branch, and they grill it there first.

After the pre-grill, it comes straight to the tabletop grill.

They tell you it's ready to eat once the meat turns golden brown!

Why extra samchae herb is a must with duck loin roast

Add-on options at Deok Ori Jumulleok Ganghwa Main Branch include octopus, shrimp, gizzard, samchae, and rice cake — I added samchae. So much samchae! Adding samchae to duck loin roast really feels essential.

The duck loin at this Mani Mountain duck restaurant tastes even better piled with plenty of samchae! Extra samchae really makes it more delicious.

A wrap with samchae and duck loin is delicious too.

With extra samchae, eating the duck loin together with the samchae was cleaner and better than wrapping it.

Should I add even more samchae???

Rice instead of fried rice, plus the side dishes at Deok Ori Jumulleok

It's also good eaten with the self-serve radish wraps. Adding a bowl of rice felt essential!!! Since I got the duck loin, I had it with rice instead of fried rice. The side dishes were tasty enough that I thought a stone bowl of bibimbap would've been great too.

Coffee in the parking lot and how to get to Deok Ori Jumulleok

There's a coffee machine at the entrance of Deok Ori Jumulleok Ganghwa Main Branch, so it's nice to grab a cup and sit at the tables in the parking lot before heading out. Located 15 minutes from Chojido Bridge and 10 minutes from Ganghwa Luge, and just 10 minutes from Mani Mountain, it's a good stop to add to a Ganghwa Island trip, drive, or date course. I heard Naver Map or Kakao Map navigation works better than T map — using T map, it took a bit longer to get there.

Pre-grilled so it's clean and free of gamey smell, the duck loin roast at Deok Ori Jumulleok Ganghwa Main Branch was easy to enjoy. Piled high with the healthy, sharp-tasting samchae, I could finish every last piece without any greasiness. If you're planning a trip to Jeondeungsa or Mani Mountain, I'd recommend Deok Ori Jumulleok Ganghwa Main Branch for a hearty, healthy meal. Since they only cure a limited amount of duck per day, it's best to reserve ahead or call before visiting^^