Jungmun, Jeju Korean restaurant with attraction discounts: set for 3

Why Jungmun Godeungeo Ssam-bap for our first meal in Jeju

Jungmun Godeungeo Ssam-bap is a mackerel ssam-bap (mackerel with leaf wraps and rice) restaurant near Jungmun Tourist Complex that serves breakfast, so we went there for our first meal of the Jeju trip. How you start your first meal on a trip changes the whole day!! If you fill up in the morning, you have energy all day and can enjoy sightseeing in a much more relaxed way, right? haha

So I looked for a place near our accommodation by Jungmun Tourist Complex that serves breakfast, and ended up here. It's famous enough to have been on TV, so I had high hopes, and it was much bigger than I expected, with a really generous spread!!

• Hours: daily 09:30–20:00, last order 19:00
• Full parking lot
• Baby chairs available
• Check reservation availability on Catch Table before you go!

Parking and size at Jungmun Godeungeo Ssam-bap

Besides the main building, there is a separate annex, and the parking lot is so big that it fits rental cars and even several tour buses at once. When I arrived I was surprised by the size, with space for large groups, and the lot was really roomy. Jeju gets a lot of group and family trips, so I think this is a big plus!

The rose garden in front of the restaurant

There is a large garden in front of the restaurant. It's far too prettily done to call it just a restaurant front yard, great for a short stroll, and lots of tourists were taking photos. The flowers change with the seasons, and when I visited the roses were in beautiful bloom, so it was nice to look around before and after the meal haha

There's also a well-arranged space to wait in if there's a queue! Lots of celebrities have visited too, apparently^^

A spacious dining room with garden views through floor-to-ceiling windows

The inside was also very large and comfortable! The tables are spaced generously so it never felt cramped, and from the window seats you can see the garden, which made the mood really nice throughout the meal. There were lots of group tables and plenty of families, but the place is so big that it didn't feel crowded haha Tourists and locals both come here, they say?

How much are the set menus at Jungmun Godeungeo Ssam-bap?

The signature sets include the aged-kimchi mackerel ssam-bap + abalone stone-pot rice set for 2 at ₩36,000 and the abalone stone-pot rice set for 3 at ₩54,000. The set lineup was really well put together, with plenty of combinations to choose from.

We ordered the mackerel ssam-bap set for 3 that includes abalone stone-pot rice! Since we were in Jeju, I felt we had to eat both mackerel and abalone, and this set lets you enjoy both at once, so, great, great

Free abalone porridge until noon

Oh, and until noon, if each adult orders one menu item, they give you rich abalone porridge made with the abalone innards, free! Just so you know~~ That's a really good reason to come as your first stop of the trip, right? heh

The 16-dish self-serve side bar and wrap greens

The self-bar offers as many as 16 side dishes for free. Even before the main dishes arrive, the basic side dishes get set out one by one, and there's a real variety haha Just looking at them makes you say "what a spread" haha From japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) to jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork), seasoned vegetables, kimchi and pickles, there's so much that my chopsticks were busy before the main dishes even came haha

The ssam greens come in a big variety too, and they say they use vegetables they grow themselves, and they were so fresh haha There's lettuce and several other kinds of greens, and you just help yourself from the self-bar haha Wrapping the spicy pork was delicious, and putting mackerel on top was really good too!

How do the mackerel ssam-bap and abalone stone-pot rice taste?

The mackerel here was quite large and full of meat, with almost no fishy smell. The mackerel ssam-bap, the main dish!! It looked appetizing from the start. It felt so fresh! When I pulled the flesh apart with chopsticks it came up thick, and even for 3 people the portion was big haha Eaten with the aged kimchi, the richness of the mackerel and the deep flavor of the kimchi come together, great, great~~

And the abalone pot rice that came with it! As soon as I lifted the lid, it was full of abalone and tot (hijiki-like seaweed). There was more abalone than I expected, with a great chewy texture, and the fragrant tot added to it, a very Jeju meal^^ The rice itself was glossy and cooked fluffy, so it was delicious even on its own.

Plump flesh, doesn't it look delicious? The aged kimchi, and even the radish, an explosion of savoriness!!!!

A spread the kids enjoyed too

If you pick out the bones well, the mackerel is tender enough that the kids could eat it without trouble, and they liked the nutty abalone pot rice too, I think? haha There were also side dishes like spicy pork and japchae, so there was plenty for the kids to eat!

Is there a better place for a Jeju breakfast!!? Starting the day with a full stomach feels great, doesn't it! hahaha

Finishing with nurungji (scorched rice) from the stone pot

Even the final nurungji (scorched rice) was done right!! It's easy on the stomach, and a bite topped with kimchi jjim (braised kimchi) and mackerel is just honey~~~ A famous place is famous for a reason^^ Jungmun Godeungeo Ssam-bap has been featured on the TV shows Live Today's Dinner (생방송 오늘저녁) and Saturday Is for Rice (토요일은 밥이 좋아), they say. Being on TV doesn't automatically make a place good, but after eating here I understood why they featured it... haha

Partner tourist-site discounts at Jungmun Godeungeo Ssam-bap

When I paid after eating, I saw that there were lots of partner tourist sites! You can get discounts at a variety of attractions, so you can plan your trip itinerary well too! haha

Is Jungmun Godeungeo Ssam-bap a good Jeju breakfast spot?

With 16 basic side dishes, fresh ssam greens, meaty mackerel and stone-pot rice packed with abalone and tot, there was nothing I felt was lacking. The rich abalone porridge offered until noon is a big plus for travelers wondering about breakfast^^ I think it suits family trips, trips with parents, Jeju trips with kids and group tours, as well as anyone looking for a hearty lunch in Jungmun!