Group Korean restaurant, self-serve pork bulgogi bar: Jungmun

Hours: Daily 09:30–20:00 / Last order: 19:00

What is Jungmun Godeungeo Ssam-bap

The place I visited today has a really, really pretty garden, group seating, delicious braised mackerel, and fresh vegetables straight from the garden out back. It's the kind of spot in Jungmun, Seogwipo, Jeju, that so many celebrities from the Saturday show Babi-joha have visited — tasty, great value, a filling meal, and a big garden with all sorts of photo zones. That's Jungmun Godeungeo Ssam-bap (중문고등어쌈밥, "Jungmun mackerel wrap rice").

Right from the entrance there's a huge dol hareubang (stone grandfather statue) wearing a pretty flower headband — quite a memorable first impression haha.

Parking, the garden, and group visits

There's a spacious parking lot too. No problem parking even if you come as a group!

Out back there's a really wide garden and a separate annex building — big and pretty enough that you could hold an event here.

There's a garden and photo zones that are great for a walk after eating. Pretty flowers bloom here with each season, and there's even a garden they grow themselves — which is why there are so many fresh wrap greens.

This is also a restaurant featured on the Saturday show Babi-joha, and there were seriously so many autographs from famous celebrities haha. The dining hall itself was really clean and spacious, which I loved.

Garden wrap greens and the self-serve bar

There are over 6 kinds of super fresh vegetables grown right in the garden behind the restaurant. Since they're homegrown, the shapes are all a bit different, but you could really taste the freshness.

And then there's the self-serve bar with side dishes — over 10 kinds, and every single one was seasoned well!

And another rice thief: pork bulgogi and japchae (glass noodle stir-fry)! You can have both for free.

Plus soup and a delicious dessert, sikhye (sweet rice punch)! Truly a perfect self-serve bar haha.

Once the side dishes, wrap greens, and the pork bulgogi I brought over were all set on the table, I was ready to eat!

Menu and prices

This is the Jungmun Godeungeo Ssam-bap menu board. Take a look at the photo above and order — one menu item per person! We ordered the great-value set menu.

Today's order: the aged kimchi mackerel + abalone hot stone rice set, ₩18,000 per person.

The taste of aged kimchi mackerel

The aged kimchi (mukeunji) looked really delicious right off the bat, and the braised mackerel had thick, plump flesh with zero fishy smell — a total rice thief. This is a dinner dish you absolutely have to try haha. The seasoning was just the right balance of sweet and salty, and the aged kimchi was truly the best part!

Abalone hot stone rice

The abalone hot stone rice that came alongside had sweet pumpkin, abalone, and tot (seaweed) piled on top, along with rich abalone innards mixed into the rice — the rice grains were delicious, and the combination of abalone and tot worked really well.

Eaten together with the rice, it's seriously delicious! The rich, varied flavor of the abalone hot stone rice paired with the salty, rice-thief aged kimchi mackerel.

Wrapping it all up with the braised radish from the mackerel made it even more delicious! Even the fragrance of the fresh vegetables was perfect haha.

After finishing the rice, having the leftover crispy rice (nurungji) made into a soupy dish was also just right. And to finish it all off, a sweet cup of sikhye!

What's at the restaurant

• Various discount coupons displayed inside the restaurant
• A space for gifting local specialty products
• Fully equipped with phone chargers

Would I go back

Today I visited Jungmun Godeungeo Ssam-bap, a place I'd really, really, really want to visit again for aged kimchi mackerel, located in Jungmun, Seogwipo, Jeju, and I had a very, very satisfying meal. The aged kimchi was truly delicious, and the mackerel had such plump, tasty flesh. The dining hall was really pretty and spacious, and the garden was big too, making it a great place to eat, take photos, watch the sunset, and let the food settle. The restaurant was also huge, so it was really good for group visits. I think I'll definitely come back next time I travel here!