Live rockfish hongyeon at Gang's Duck, a Suwon Chinese restaurant

I had plans with a friend couple of my partner's, and after some back and forth about what to eat, we landed on duck. While searching for a good duck spot, I found Gang's Duck, which is emerging as a go-to restaurant in Suwon's Ingye-dong. Hearing it was a somewhat unusual Chinese restaurant built around Peking duck and dongpo-yuk (braised pork belly), we headed over curious to see for ourselves.

When you think of a Chinese restaurant, you usually picture something classic and a little old-fashioned, but Gang's Duck's vibe was completely different from the start. Here's my honest review of enjoying hard-to-find Chinese dishes in a hip, trendy space.

Where is Gang's Duck, and why book ahead?

Gang's Duck is near Suwon City Hall Station, so it's easy to reach by public transit. That said, there's no parking at the restaurant itself, so if you're driving, keep that in mind. Parking at nearby Suwon City Hall and walking over is a much more convenient option — worth noting!

🚩 46-9, 1F, Hyowon-ro 249beon-gil, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea / ⏰ Daily 11:00–23:00 (break 15:30–17:00) / 🅿️ No parking

If you're planning to visit Gang's Duck, I'd really recommend booking ahead. The signature Peking duck and dongpo-yuk are managed by quantity to keep quality consistent, so reservations before your visit are encouraged. If you try to order them same-day, the ingredients may already be sold out — so it's best to decide whether you want duck or pork belly and reserve in advance.

For reference, the steamed rockfish and rockfish hongyeon dishes can't be reserved on the day of your visit, so plan ahead if you're hoping to try them. We had already booked half a Peking duck, dongpo-yuk, and uereok hongyeon before arriving.

Black exterior and red lanterns: the mood at Gang's Duck

Let's start with the exterior. The big, clean GANGSDUCK sign against a black backdrop caught my eye right away. It felt distinctly different from a typical Chinese restaurant, giving off a trendy, polished vibe right from the entrance.

Near the entrance, red awnings and lantern props created an exotic atmosphere that would make for great photos. Right next to the entrance there's also an atmospheric outdoor terrace with a duck figure, firewood, and a fire pit prop. Just looking at it, I imagined how great it would feel to eat outside on a nice day.

Stepping inside, the mood from the exterior carried right through. The interior is done in a modern, hip style centered on black tones, and with the soft lighting and unique props, it almost felt like stepping into a hip lounge bar. It seemed like a solid date spot, and equally suited to a special gathering with friends.

At the center of the restaurant is a counter-slash-open-kitchen area with an eye-catching red GANGSDUCK neon sign. With the dark black tones paired with red lantern lighting, it struck an odd but appealing balance between a traditional Chinese restaurant and a modern pub feel.

To the right of the counter, I spotted a roasting rack with golden-brown Peking ducks hanging on display. You could watch them get carved fresh as orders came in, which made me trust the place even more.

The reserved table setting and what we ordered

Since we'd made a reservation, our table was already set when we arrived. It came with shredded scallion, shredded cucumber, house-made sauce, and crystal sugar for the Peking duck.

We had to re-enter our reserved dishes through a tablet at the table, and beyond the signature Peking duck and dongpo-yuk, there was a wide range of other Chinese dishes available.

There were some dishes you don't easily come across, so it was fun going through the menu one by one. We ordered our pre-booked half Peking duck, dongpo-yuk, and uereok hongyeon.

There was also a guide on how to best enjoy Peking duck, which seemed helpful for first-timers. Then the dishes started arriving one by one.

Half a Peking duck: my first time trying it

The first dish to arrive was the half Peking duck. This was my first time ever eating Peking duck, so I was really curious what it would taste like.

A staff member explained how to eat it — dip the skin in crystal sugar, and wrap the meat in a pancake.

Since it was my first time, I wanted to taste it on its own first, so I tried the skin by itself. One bite in, it was crispy and nutty — much tastier than I expected.

The meat itself was clean-tasting and moist. Wrapping the duck meat in a pancake with cucumber, scallion, and the house sauce made for a really great combination. Eating duck meat alone can sometimes feel greasy, but the crisp vegetables and sauce cut through it cleanly, so I kept reaching for more without getting tired of it.

They also brought out the remaining duck parts fried, seasoned with what seemed like cumin. It was salty and spicy, and I thought it would go perfectly with beer. Trying Peking duck for the first time turned out to be a much better experience than I expected.

The best dongpo-yuk I've had anywhere

Personally, the dish that impressed me the most was the dongpo-yuk. I can confidently say it was the best I've ever had — even the appearance looked tender and soft.

One bite in, it was truly tender. It barely had the greasy quality dongpo-yuk usually has, so I could keep eating without feeling weighed down.

I haven't eaten a huge amount of dongpo-yuk in my life, but out of what I have had, this was by far the best. Everyone in our group enjoyed it too, which made it even more satisfying.

Uereok hongyeon, cooked from live rockfish that day

Next up was uereok hongyeon — softly steamed rockfish topped with a red spicy sauce and finished with seasonal wild chives and cilantro, a special Gang's Duck original. Apparently, their rockfish dishes are made by catching a live fish to order on the day of your reservation.

Maybe that's why the rockfish flesh felt so fresh and firm. They said this particular rockfish caught that day was bigger than usual, so we got lucky with a generous portion. There was no fishy taste at all, and the sauce wasn't as spicy as it looked. It had a slight kick that kept me coming back for more. It was a different style from the Chinese dishes I usually eat, and even though it was a first for all of us, we enjoyed it a lot.

Extra orders: Hong Kong-style egg noodles and butter kkwabaro

After eating so many good dishes, we were pretty full, but it felt like a shame to stop there, so we added butter kkwabaro (sweet-and-sour pork) and Hong Kong-style egg noodles.

We started with the Hong Kong-style egg noodles, which are stir-fried quickly over high heat with various vegetables, so the noodles' signature nutty aroma really came through.

The vegetables added a nice crunch too. The flavor was reminiscent of Thai pad thai, a taste I think almost anyone would enjoy.

And then the butter kkwabaro. Unlike typical kkwabaro (Chinese-style sweet-and-sour pork), this version uses butter to deepen the flavor.

It was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside — a great texture. Even though we were already full, I kept going back for more, haha.

Who should eat at Gang's Duck in Suwon?

This time, we went looking for something special to try with a friend couple, and in the end, everyone came away satisfied at Gang's Duck. From my first-ever Peking duck to the best dongpo-yuk I've ever had, to the fresh, mildly spicy uereok hongyeon, it was great to enjoy such a variety of Chinese dishes you don't usually come across.

Above all, the hip, polished atmosphere — so different from a typical Chinese restaurant — was a huge draw. If you're looking for a good-vibe spot in Suwon's Ingye-dong, or want to try uncommon, special Chinese dishes, I'd recommend Gang's Duck. That said, since the Peking duck and dongpo-yuk can sell out, I'd suggest reserving ahead before your visit.

• Anyone looking for a good restaurant in Suwon's Ingye-dong
• Anyone who wants something other than a typical Chinese restaurant
• Anyone who wants to properly try Peking duck or dongpo-yuk
• Anyone looking for an atmospheric date spot in Ingye-dong
• Anyone looking for a special gathering spot with friends
• Anyone who wants to try Chinese dishes that are hard to find elsewhere
• Anyone who loves a hip, trendy restaurant atmosphere