Gangnam soy-marinated crab meal: Aemo Kkotgejang

I suddenly had the biggest craving for soy-marinated crab, and that is how I found Aemo Kkotgejang Apgujeong Main Branch (애모꽃게장 압구정본점) 🦀

Getting to Aemo Kkotgejang from Apgujeong Station

It is not super close to the station, so you do need to walk a little. After getting off at Apgujeong Station, you head into the side streets, and personally, it felt slightly farther than I had expected. Still, the route itself is not difficult, so turn on your map and you should get there without trouble! If you are visiting for soy-marinated crab in Apgujeong, just keep in mind that it is not a restaurant right in front of the station.

It seems they originally operated in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, before landing in Apgujeong.

It is on the first floor at 27 Nonhyeon-ro 152-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and is said to operate daily from 11:00 to 24:00. Parking is available, as are takeout, delivery, and reservations.

This is not an enormous, spacious restaurant. When I first walked in, it felt more compact than expected, but it still seemed to have everything needed: tables, a waiting area, a restroom, and high chairs. Honestly, I was fine with it—rather than some grand atmosphere for crab, it felt clean and suited to a nice, straightforward meal.

Aemo Kkotgejang’s menu and side dishes

• Spicy seasoned crab ₩26,000
• Mild seasoned crab ₩26,000
• Soy-marinated crab ₩48,000
• Blue crab stew ₩50,000
• Steamed blue crab ₩50,000
• Spicy crab ramen ₩9,000
• Crab-meat steamed egg ₩12,000
• Rolled omelet ₩12,000
• Bowl rice with flying fish roe ₩1,000

The complimentary side dishes. Something like a cabbage pancake was tasty.

The side-dish spread was nice.

Bowl rice with flying fish roe, ₩1,000. I ordered plain rice because I did not know what it was, but the owner switched it to this for me. The owner was seriously so kind ⭐️⭐️

Soy-marinated crab that was not overly salty

And finally, the soy-marinated crab I came for today 🦀 ₩96,000 for two. When I eat soy-marinated crab, the two things I care about most are, first, whether it is too salty, and second, how full of meat it is. Here, the soy sauce was not as salty as I expected. With bad soy-marinated crab, the soy sauce can overpower the crab meat so much that you keep ordering more rice, but the seasoning here was not excessively strong, which I loved.

Ahh, just look at how meaty it is.

It had been a while since I last had soy-marinated crab, so it was absolutely delicious. But…! As I was leaving, the owner told me their seasoned crab is what they are known for and said I should come back. I was already completely full by then, so I was a little sad…🥹 They have both spicy and mild versions, so next time I definitely need to try the seasoned crab too. I went for soy-marinated crab and walked out having already chosen what to order on my next visit 🦀

I want to eat it againㅠ

Such a satisfying meal. I squeezed lots of crab meat over rice and mixed in a little soy sauce—it was a total rice thief…🍚 And of course, I cannot resist mixing rice into the crab shell. Personally, I prefer this style: not too salty, with lots of meat, rather than intensely salty soy-marinated crab, so I was quite satisfied.

I even mixed noodles into the soy sauce.

Final thoughts on soy-marinated crab in Apgujeong

I was able to walk right in without waiting, and although the restaurant is not large, it was clean and had everything needed. Above all, I was happiest that the soy-marinated crab—what mattered most to me—was not overly salty and was full of meat. Recommended if you prefer a style you can enjoy comfortably with rice rather than intensely salty soy-marinated crab! If you are looking for soy-marinated crab in Apgujeong, this is worth a visit 🦀🤍