Gijang, Busan crab restaurant with a baby: 1.9kg king crab ₩100,000

I wanted to share a genuine gem we hit for lunch on our way to the National Institute of Fisheries Science with my baby. My second child, who loves solid foods, started at 6 months and is already up to 100g a meal — being the second kid, I guess I've relaxed and just feed her whatever, as long as she eats well, haha. This time we had king crab, and even my 6-month-old ate it happily — here's the review.

Where Gijang Myeongpum Daegae is, plus parking and hours

Gijang Myeongpum Daegae is a crab and king crab restaurant on Chaseong-dong-ro 73beon-gil in Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan. It's near Gijang Market, so there are plenty of public parking lots around, plus the restaurant has its own private lot, so parking wasn't a worry at all. There are honestly a ton of crab restaurants around here. Our pick was Gijang Myeongpum Daegae.

• Daily 10am–9pm
• Last order: 8pm

If you search the restaurant name and head there, keep going down a bit and you'll spot it right on your right. If you park at the nearby public lot, they'll also support your parking — and interestingly, it's not a parking ticket but an actual coin. Silly detail, but why does that make me so happy, haha.

The sign is big and right in the middle, so it was easy to find.

The owner... deserves a medal from the government, honestly! A true patriot. And is it just me, or does he have like 4 or 5 sons? No wait, his wife's a patriot too. Okay okay, let's not get sidetracked from the main story here.

Inside Gijang Myeongpum Daegae and how the Naver reservation worked

The main hall at Gijang Myeongpum Daegae had wide gaps between tables, so it was comfortable even with two kids in tow. I took photos from the emptier side. There's a hall further inside too, and more seating continues past where we sat. There's also space set up for group gatherings. Not exactly private rooms, but each area felt separate enough that we could relax on our own.

We came in with a 12:30pm Naver reservation and it was already pretty packed. If you opt into notifications, there's a "₩10,000 discount coupon, baskets excluded" — make sure to grab it.

A 1.9kg king crab for 100,000 won, with a red crab thrown in free

Can you see it? We got 1.9kg of king crab, priced at ₩100,000 that day. The owner even threw in a free red crab as a treat... and we ate so well. No shady pricing tricks, no pushing us to buy something bigger — he just judged that this amount was right for two of us and went with it. I also really appreciated that the prices were clearly posted.

How a 6-month-old baby ate the king crab meat

The meat was seriously packed in tight — every single leg was stuffed full. Our youngest is 6 months and on solid foods, so I fed her some, and she loved it. That's why the plate looks a bit messy — from cutting it into small pieces — so please excuse that.

She kept asking for more, so I think she really ate through almost a whole leg by herself. Now that she knows how good crab tastes, her dad's going to have to earn even more money...

What did the free red crab taste like?

The red crab that came out afterward: if the king crab had more of a chewy texture, the red crab was really tender and sweet, haha. Not sure if that's the right way to describe it, but I can say for certain it was delicious.

The red crab meat was also packed full — I'm telling you, there wasn't a single empty spot.

Crab-shell fried rice, doenjang stew and snow crab ramyeon for the kids

When we ordered the fried rice at Gijang Myeongpum Daegae, a doenjang stew (fermented soybean paste stew) came along with it. My first kid is a picky eater who won't touch crab normally, but she happily ate the crab meat mixed into the fried rice, haha. There was even crab leg in the doenjang stew. It was so great to eat with the kids. It was so tasty that my daughter finished a whole bowl of fried rice with the tofu from the stew in no time.

She picked the meat off and mixed it thoroughly into her fried rice, eating it up neatly.

This is the ramyeon (instant noodles) my husband ordered. The crab in it was substantial too. My husband said the noodles had a nice chewy texture and were delicious. I tried a bit of the broth too, and it was refreshing and tasty.

The salad bar: fried chicken and tempura included

Gijang Myeongpum Daegae also has a separate salad bar, so my first kid, who doesn't eat crab, got to have chicken too.

Chicken, fried snacks, yusanseul (stir-fried mixed meat and vegetables), corn, and on the other side, salad plus kimchi, pickles, and cold cucumber soup. Honestly, I ended up having a beer before the crab even came out steamed. How am I supposed to hold back with all these side dishes around, right?

Final verdict on Gijang Myeongpum Daegae

Gijang Myeongpum Daegae was a Gijang Market restaurant we were satisfied with from start to finish. From the moment we walked in, the owner greeted us with a smile, and stayed kind all the way through. The second floor staff... were, well... not quite as warm, haha. But who cares, when the king crab is this delicious?

Why do I always end up writing my food posts at night... I want to eat this again, seriously. Definitely go check it out. This is the real deal for Gijang crab.

Dad, please make lots of money and treat us again.