Haeundae Korean restaurant for family crab sets: Deodo Gejang

Over weekend lunch, we went for a seriously delicious marinated-crab set. I had no idea people in Korea loved marinated crab this much. I was surprised by the long wait and all the diners. These days, the food my daughter is into after yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) and salmon is marinated crab! There is no stopping a 10-year-old's appetite. Let me introduce Deodo Gejang (더도게장) in Haeundae Marine City, where our family—with our slightly different tastes—was very happy.

Deodo Gejang location, waiting, and parking

Deodo Gejang is in units 103–106 of Hanjil Ordue, 37 Marine City 3-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan. Hours are 11:00–21:00, and you can use the building's underground parking lot. Remote queueing through Catchtable is available, as is takeout.

Deodo Gejang, located in Marine City, has newly opened. Its main branch is in Yangsan and is already widely known as a great place to eat there. Yangsan was a bit far for us, so I was glad the closer Marine City branch had opened.

The restaurant is large, and the landscaping outside the building is really pretty. Since there can be a wait, you can sit on the outdoor benches. This photo was taken when we came out; there was a wait at lunchtime, of course, so we waited a little before going in too. Since Catchtable remote queueing is available, I recommend joining the wait in advance.

A spacious, comfortable dining room

The restaurant is large and very comfortable. The tables are fairly well spaced, so you can eat at an easy pace. There were all kinds of diners—couples, families, and groups—and I saw many families visiting with children like us. Kids at a marinated-crab restaurant? There was a reason.

Deodo Gejang set menus and prices

• Assorted marinated crab and nutrient-pot rice set: ₩28,000 per person
• Soy-marinated yellow crab and nutrient-pot rice set: ₩18,000 per person
• Spicy monkfish and webfoot octopus bulgogi + soy-marinated yellow crab nutrient-pot rice set for 2: ₩48,000
• Three grilled fish + soy-marinated yellow crab nutrient-pot rice set for 2: ₩48,000
• Spicy monkfish and webfoot octopus bulgogi: ₩20,000; three grilled fish: ₩20,000; butter-fried yellow crab: ₩25,000
• Soy-marinated and spicy yellow crab, 2 crabs: ₩11,000; marinated abalone, 3 pieces: ₩10,000; marinated octopus, 1 piece: ₩6,000
• Soy-marinated and spicy peeled shrimp, 3 pieces: ₩5,000; nutrient-pot rice: ₩3,000; steamed rice: ₩1,000; butter fried egg: ₩2,500

Deodo Gejang serves full table sets, so you can order based on what you tend to eat most.

After ordering, they gave us scissors, disposable gloves, water cups, and a bowl for shells and scraps. Once the rice was ready, the whole table was set at once; I think it took about 10–15 minutes.

Assorted marinated crab and nutrient-pot rice set for two

We ordered the assorted marinated crab and nutrient-pot rice set for two. It included blue crab, soy-marinated yellow crab, spicy yellow crab, marinated octopus, marinated abalone, and soy-marinated peeled shrimp. Best of all, every order comes with an impressively generous spread of basic side dishes: blue crab doenjang-jjigae (soybean-paste stew), pork bulgogi, jeon (savory pan-fried batter), braised kimchi, grilled fish, fried tofu, and assorted banchan (side dishes).

My daughter is on team soy-marinated crab, and I'm on team spicy marinated crab! We had no choice but to order the assortment. It is a meal everyone can enjoy, with plenty to eat and a chance to try everything at once.

Deodo Gejang says it uses only yellow crabs from Jeju, using fresh rather than frozen pre-caught crabs, preparing them by hand as orders come in, and using no artificial seasonings.

A basic spread that was great with a child

The set also comes with its signature yellow crab and blue crab, so we could try both. I thought crab was just crab, but they definitely tasted different.

This was the bulgogi that came as part of the basic spread. Since there is bulgogi children can eat, it is really nice for visiting with young kids! It was so tender; I ate it without expecting much, but it was delicious. It would hold its own as a menu item.

The crispy fried grilled fish was tasty too.

The set came with pot rice rather than ordinary steamed rice, so we could eat it hot and even enjoy sungnyung (scorched-rice tea). Of course, we added steamed rice and ate even more, though.

What the yellow crab and blue crab tasted like

Yellow crab can have a bitter taste from its innards and roe, but Deodo Gejang prepares it all by hand, so there was none of that at all. Instead, it was sweet, with lovely crab flavor. They say it is aged only with natural fruit. Yellow crab is small, so it does not have a lot of meat, honestly. But it is that much more tender and full of savory flavor. My daughter ended up eating all the yellow crab, in fact. She said the yellow crab was delicious hahaha.

Next came the meatier blue crab. The blue crab was definitely packed with meat. There was a little spicy Cheongyang chili pepper on top, which gave it a nice bite. It was not spicy enough to be a problem for a child, of course. My husband ate all the meaty blue crab hahaha. Saying, “Can I really enjoy such a luxury?” he ate a very filling meal. Hahaha.

The abalone and octopus were wonderfully tender, and the seasoning was not salty, so you could eat them on their own. All three of us enjoyed the marinated octopus and abalone!

My favorite: spicy marinated crab!!! The seasoning was exactly my style—not the thick, sweet kind, but a clean seasoning that let the crab shine through with chili flakes. One good thing about yellow crab is that, because the crab itself is small, its shell is not hard, making it easy to eat.

We even put rice into the crab shell and mixed it around. It was so delicious because it was not overly salty.

My daughter finished a whole bowl of rice, squeezing out the crab meat to mix with it, then sucking up what was left. The shells were soft, so it was easy for a child to eat too.

And just like that, the three of us each said the crab we focused on was the best. I liked the spicy marinated crab more, while my child said the soy-marinated crab was better hahaha. Marinated crab is usually expensive, but Deodo Gejang is reasonably priced too, so I think we will visit often. I cannot believe the basic spread is this generous; it is a shame we could not finish all the other side dishes because we were eating crab. Every single one was delicious. If you are near Marine City or Haeundae, I really recommend trying Deodo Gejang!!