Guwol-dong tent patio seafood: 600g salt-pot shrimp for two, Veteran

The kind of weather where I think about tented patio dining every single day!!!! On a day I even took a half-day off to leave work early, I wanted a drink at a patio raw fish spot, so while searching for one in Guwol-dong I found Veteran General Fish Market Incheon City Hall Branch! I'd been satisfied eating sashimi indoors here before, and when I heard they set up an outdoor patio too, I picked it right away! This place often comes up as a Guwol-dong raw fish spot near Incheon City Hall Station, and this time instead of sitting indoors I sat on the patio and enjoyed the refreshing shrimp salt-grill.

Where is Veteran General Fish Market Incheon City Hall Branch, and what are the hours?

Veteran General Fish Market Incheon City Hall Branch is located at 120 Guwolnam-ro, Namdong-gu, Incheon. Hours are Mon–Thu 11:30–00:30, Fri–Sat 11:30–01:30, and Sun 11:30–01:00, open every day with no regular closing day. Parking is available inside the building, and nearby public parking is recommended when the lot is full.

What the tented patio seating in Guwol-dong is like

Veteran General Fish Market Incheon City Hall Branch has a tented patio area in front of the store, great for enjoying the atmosphere on a nice evening like these days. The indoor seats had all their glass walls fully opened too, so it almost felt like half-patio dining!

Salt-grilled shrimp prices: how much to order for two

This time we decided on the seasonal dish, shrimp salt-grill, instead of sashimi! The nice thing is you can order starting from 400g, so you can order exactly the amount that fits your party size or appetite. It's ₩32,000 for 400g, ₩45,000 for 600g, ₩59,000 for 800g, and ₩69,000 for 1kg, and you can also order the currently popular raw shrimp sashimi. My husband and I ordered the 600g shrimp salt-grill, and it turned out to be just the right amount? Not too little, not too much — perfectly balanced!

I noticed gizzard shad had just come into season too. Already planning a return visit on the patio for fall gizzard shad.

Once the order goes in, they take live shrimp straight out of the tank and prepare them right there — watching this really builds confidence in the freshness.

Side dishes and the free self-serve kimchi pancake

The side dish spread at Veteran General Fish Market Incheon City Hall Branch was also solid. It came with hoemuchim (spicy mixed raw fish salad), baek-kimchi (white kimchi), seaweed soup, and myeongran (seasoned pollock roe), and each one had a flavor that felt carefully made. The sweet-and-tangy hoemuchim was great for whetting the appetite, and the crisp, refreshing baek-kimchi cut through richness. Adding the warm seaweed soup — which somehow always tastes better at a raw fish restaurant — made my stomach feel at ease! Oh, and you can also make your own free self-serve kimchi pancake toward the back of the store.

As you keep eating, grilled saury even shows up as part of the basic spread — plump, savory flesh that was delicious. Nicely browned saury, light and clean-tasting, pairs really well with soju too!

How to grill live shrimp in the salt-lined pot

It came out with a thick layer of salt lining the bottom of the pot and live shrimp placed on top. The moment the lid went on, the shrimp flopped around like crazy.

After lighting the tabletop burner and letting it go for about 5 minutes, they quickly turned a delicious reddish color. Once cooked, turn off the burner, let it rest for 1–2 minutes, then open the lid and peel away.

The shells peeled off really easily too, super convenient to eat. Plump, great texture — seasonal shrimp really is the best.

The sweetness of the shrimp meat and the salt seasoning were perfectly balanced, genuinely delicious. At bad places you often get shrimp that's small or dried out, but this place is the real deal!

A cold glass of soju is absolutely essential with this dish~~~!

Buttered grilled shrimp heads for 3,000 won

I cut off the heads and set them aside to order the grilled shrimp head with butter. You can add it on for ₩3,000. The head is just as much of a delicacy as the body, and grilled golden in butter, the rich savory aroma is intense — you really shouldn't skip it~!

Is salt-grilled shrimp on the Guwol-dong tent patio worth it?

Whenever fall comes around, I always end up thinking about patio dining and shrimp salt-grill. Veteran General Fish Market Incheon City Hall Branch, where you can enjoy proper shrimp salt-grill on a patio without having to travel far, right in Guwol-dong, comes highly recommended. Besides shrimp, they also sell a variety of sashimi, live squid, gizzard shad and more, so anyone who loves sashimi and seafood should consider paying a visit.