Gimhae Chinese restaurant with a spacious hall seating: Dongbaek

Where does everyone go these days for get-togethers or dinners with coworkers? I had a meetup with friends coming up, so I went looking for somewhere private where we could chat quietly!

I ended up at Dongbaek, a place with a lot of local buzz and recommendations as a Gimhae restaurant known for its private rooms. Having been there myself, I think it'd be perfect not just for dinners or group meetups, but also for a parent's 70th or 80th birthday celebration down the road!

Dongbaek's hours and parking

• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:00
• Break time: 15:30–16:30
• Restaurant has its own parking lot

If you go down the alley to the left of Dongbaek's front entrance, there's a dedicated restaurant parking lot on the lower level! Plenty of spots too, so no need to worry about parking >_<

Sitting in the hall instead of a room

Dongbaek is so famous as a Gimhae restaurant with private rooms that I originally thought I'd book one, but once I got there, the hall turned out to be way more spacious and pretty than I expected, so I ended up sitting at a hall table for our meal!

You know how places famous for their private rooms often have a cramped or stuffy hall? Well, Dongbaek's hall space itself is huge and the tables are spaced generously, so you can eat comfortably without needing a room at all!

Looking around while eating, I could see the private rooms further inside were really well done. 🤭 We ate comfortably in the hall this time, but for something more formal like a parent's 70th or 80th birthday party, or a company dinner, booking a room ahead of time would be perfect👍

Self-serve jasmine tea and infant chairs

The self-serve bar was clean and well set up, and the jasmine tea was so fragrant and delicious that I drank as much as I wanted haha. Warm tea really goes well with Chinese food

There were plenty of infant chairs too, so coming with a baby felt totally stress-free and lovely

The self-serve bar had warm jasmine tea ready, but my husband, who prefers cold water, asked for iced jasmine tea instead, and they brought it out in a lovely pot 😚

How spicy is the seafood jjamppong?

First, with the seafood jjamppong (spicy noodle soup), the moment I took a sip of the broth, a sharp, refreshing smoky flavor spread through my mouth. It was packed with fresh squid, mussels, and other seafood, so the broth was clean and never felt heavy.

The noodles were also so chewy I couldn't stop eating 😙 It wasn't super spicy jjamppong, more of a sharp, savory heat — about as spicy as Shin Ramyun, I'd say. If you like really spicy jjamppong, you could always ask for it to be made hotter

Ganjajang bap — this is the real deal

And the ganjajang bap (black bean sauce rice) was seriously something else! Unlike regular fried rice or jjajang rice, the black bean sauce comes freshly stir-fried and served separately right after ordering, so the flavor was on a whole different level.. genuinely different

The crunchy onions and a smoky char that rivaled a Korean BBQ restaurant blended so well with the rice that I scraped the last spoonful clean without any greasiness hahaha. Mixing the sauce into the rice topped with a fried egg gave it this deep, rich umami that was the best 😚👍

Tangsuyuk: crispy outside, tender inside

The tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) that came alongside was amazing — the batter was thin and crispy, staying crunchy all the way to the last piece. 🤤 The meat inside was juicy, and paired with the sweet and tangy sauce, it was the textbook definition of crispy-outside, tender-inside!

Looking at other blog posts, it seems a lot of people go for the lunch specials, so next time I'll definitely have to come back and properly try the course menu :-)

Review event and takeout coffee

There's also a review event running right now, so join in and get free chili shrimp >_< And if you want to finish off with a coffee, there's a takeout coffee corner near the entrance — enjoy it iced or hot, whatever you like

If you're coming as a walk-in without a reservation, I recommend checking the wait ahead of time on Tabling!*^^* That's it for my recommendation of Dongbaek, a Gimhae restaurant with private rooms!