Doan-dong lunch special braised pollock, 16,000 won: Myeongtaerang Ryu

Where is Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho Main Branch, and where do you park?

Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho Main Branch is a braised pollock Korean restaurant located at 51-5 1F Doan-dong-ro 31beon-gil, Seo-gu, Daejeon, South Korea. It's open 11:00–21:30 with last order at 20:30, and closed on Thursdays.

• ⏰ Hours 11:00 - 21:30 (closed Thursdays / last order 20:30)
• 🅿️ Parking available — 4 spots to the right of the restaurant, plus streamside parking in front
• Using Yongso-ro Park L&S parking lot gets you 1 hour per table at lunch / 2 hours per table at dinner
• 🐶 No pets allowed
• 🗺️ 51-5 1F Doan-dong-ro 31beon-gil, Seo-gu, Daejeon, South Korea

Today I went to 'Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho Main Branch,' famous as a Korean restaurant in Doan-dong, to eat the braised pollock lunch special. I parked in the space next to the restaurant, and since I visited after the weekday lunch rush, the place had a relaxed vibe.

I sat down at a comfortable table and looked over the menu.

The 16,000-won pork belly braised pollock lunch special

Since we came on a weekday during lunch hours, we chose from the lunch special menu, and ordered the pork belly braised pollock at 16,000 won *3 people 🍀order complete🍀

Inside Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho: hall seating and the private room

Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho Main Branch has a spacious, comfortable hall that can seat over 60 people, plus a private room, making it a great spot for family gatherings or company dinners.

There are windows all around, so the inside felt bright and clean, which I liked! Apparently the owner of Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho Main Branch spent years traveling the country researching braised pollock restaurants before landing on this recipe! (Totally hyped now)

Side dishes and the self-serve corner

The basic side dishes include dolgim (laver), stir-fried siraegi (dried radish greens), tot (seaweed) salad, diced radish kimchi, and stir-fried potatoes, plus warm bean sprouts. Neat, tidy side dishes❣️ The siraegi is especially good mixed right into the braised pollock, and this laver in particular is nutty and crispy — really tasty!

You can help yourself to extra side dishes at the self-serve corner. However, laver and siraegi have to be requested from staff☝🏻 * Cups, scissors, tongs, and small plates are also provided there.

How the braised pollock tastes and how spicy medium really is

And here's today's star, the pork belly braised pollock! Three big pollocks and well-grilled beef pork belly — looks delicious just from the photo, right? Editing these pictures now and my mouth is watering just thinking about the taste. 💦

We ordered it at medium spice, and even at medium it had a pretty sharp kick, so if you really can't handle spicy food, I'd recommend asking them to make it milder🌶️

Mix the bean sprouts and siraegi that come with it✨ into the braised pollock, then take a big bite with rice — you'll get the spicy-sweet, savory flavor of the braised pollock at its peak. Wrapping the sauce-soaked pollock and beef pork belly in the crispy laver is also pure bliss💛

The spicy-sweet braised pollock gets twice as good with the nutty, rich beef pork belly added✌🏻 It's much richer and more savory than a regular braised pollock, with a stronger umami kick. Eaten with rice, the sauce, pollock, and beef pork belly blend into a rich, meaty, fatty combo that just demands more rice👍🏻 A total rice thief, if you will🫪

Adding a pork cutlet to the meal

On a whim, we suddenly added pork cutlet😅 I'm a dip-it-myself type, but this one was fried crispy and had great texture. The sauce was the familiar sweet-and-sour kind we all know and love♥ Eating it alongside the spicy braised pollock made both dishes even better :)

Finishing with self-serve nurungji (scorched rice)

After finishing most of the meal, I grabbed some scorched rice from next to the self-serve corner🩷 Ending with warm, nutty scorched rice felt refreshing and made the meal absolutely complete! * They also sell the laver that comes as a side dish separately! If you liked the taste, it's worth buying some to take home.

Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho Main Branch is currently running a seed hotteok scorched rice review event for pregnant customers, so definitely check that out!🤰🏻

Who should eat at Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho

• Anyone who loves spicy-sweet braised pollock
• Anyone who wants to try pork belly braised pollock
• Anyone looking for great-value lunch specials in Doan-dong
• Anyone searching for a good Korean restaurant or rice place in Doan-dong