Suwon Seobu-ro grilled croaker with brass-bowl banchan: Godeungeo

Today I'm introducing Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch, where I had a hearty meal with friends. I've featured this place before! You know it must be a real hidden gem if I've come back more than once. This time I tried some different menu items from last time, so let me report back haha

To cut to the chase: the wood-fired grilled fish was delicious, but honestly, us ladies fell head over heels for the braised cutlassfish!!! We were losing our minds

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch: location, hours and menu prices

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch is located at 1731 Seobu-ro, 1st floor, Gwonseon-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi, and is open daily from 10:40 to 22:00, with last order at 20:50. There's a large parking area in front of the restaurant, and it's genuinely spacious, so it was convenient to visit as a family by car.

Menu prices: grilled mackerel ₩16,000, grilled Atka mackerel ₩16,000, grilled Spanish mackerel ₩18,000, grilled cutlassfish ₩19,000, grilled croaker ₩20,000, braised cutlassfish (2+ people) ₩19,000, braised mackerel (2+ people) ₩18,000. Besides grilled and braised fish, they also had lots of other menu items like sashimi and pork bulgogi, and I noticed a new premium set meal!

The premium set meal, normally ₩32,000 per person, is currently discounted to ₩29,000. The lineup: for 2 — mackerel + Atka mackerel + mackerel sashimi + croaker sashimi + bulgogi; for 3 — mackerel + Atka mackerel + bakdae (sole) + Spanish mackerel + mackerel sashimi + croaker sashimi + bulgogi; another 3-person version — mackerel + Atka mackerel + bakdae x2 + cutlassfish + Spanish mackerel + mackerel sashimi + croaker sashimi + bulgogi. Now I have another reason to come back haha

Is there a wait at lunch? Inside the spacious Seobu-ro dining room

We visited Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch after 1pm and there were still lots of people eating! I heard that a wait can start as early as noon during lunch, so I'd recommend visiting either very early or very late for lunch!

The tables aren't cramped and the overall vibe is clean, making Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch a great spot for a lunch or dinner family outing~

It's especially comfortable for group visits or families with kids. With the spacious parking lot too, it seems like a low-stress place whether you're bringing your parents or eating with a big group. In fact, we saw groups of grandmothers, groups of moms, friend gatherings, family gatherings — all kinds of people eating there. And as a specialty grilled fish restaurant, being able to choose from so many kinds of fish is a big plus!

Which fish can you order, and how the wood-fired grill works

Despite the name (Godeungeo means mackerel), this place doesn't only serve mackerel. They have a wide variety of fish ready: mackerel, Spanish mackerel, cutlassfish, Atka mackerel, croaker, bakdae (sole), and more.

Since it's a wood-fired grilled fish specialist, when you order they grill the fish in the wood-fired oven for you. Maybe because of the high heat, the outside comes out golden brown while the inside stays moist.

Brass-bowl banchan and the self-serve side dish bar

The fish doesn't just show up alone — the neatly arranged banchan (side dishes) made the person who organized the outing feel pretty proud!! The friends especially loved that the banchan came in brass bowls, saying it made them feel properly treated.

A meal made by someone else, served outside the house, is precious enough — but being treated this well on top of that haha, it's a good feeling. Full stomach, good mood — two birds with one stone haha

There were also disposable soy sauce and wasabi packets tucked under the table, so it stayed neat and clean! These little thoughtful touches are what get me~

And if you run out of banchan, you can just grab more from the self-serve bar as much as you like, which was convenient. There were so many good side dishes I kept going back for refills……!!!! When you visit with a group, everyone has different tastes in banchan, so being able to just grab what you personally want is great

What four adults ordered: braised cutlassfish, premium grilled croaker and Atka mackerel

Four adults visited Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch and ordered braised cutlassfish + premium grilled croaker + grilled Atka mackerel. The perk of coming with a group!! You get to order lots of different things and try a bit of everything~~

The grilled fish had that moist yet light flavor! Grilled in the wood-fired oven, the outside browned nicely while the inside stayed tender, not dry at all~ (a moist tenderness you just can't get grilling at home). Instead of a strong fishy taste, what hits first is a light, savory flavor!!

The star of the meal: braised cutlassfish with radish and kimchi jjim

But the dish I remember most from that day was something else entirely. The braised cutlassfish!

Honestly, we went for grilled fish, so I didn't expect much from the braised cutlassfish??? But this place turned out to be a braised cutlassfish hidden gem? I was literally applauding…

The cutlassfish was bigger and plumper than I expected, with plenty of meat on it, and once you pick off the flesh and put it on rice, the sauce is so well soaked in that the rice just disappears.

And what I really loved was the braised radish and kimchi underneath! The radish, soaked through with the cutlassfish braising sauce, plus the kimchi — this combo is a total rice thief.

I ate two bowls of rice. So even though we went for grilled fish, what stuck with me in the end was that this is a braised cutlassfish hotspot in Suwon hahahahaha. Honestly, everything here is good.

Why Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda is worth a trip for Korean food in Suwon

After eating my way through the whole meal at Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch, I totally get why so many families come here!

• Moist grilled fish cooked in a wood-fired oven
• Wide variety of fish options — mackerel, croaker, Atka mackerel, cutlassfish, and more
• Braised cutlassfish that was surprisingly delicious
• Neatly presented banchan in brass bowls
• Self-serve bar for extra side dishes
• Spacious dining room and parking
• Comfortable atmosphere for family meals, group gatherings, and kids

Grilling fish at home is a hassle because of the smell, so it's a huge plus to be able to eat properly grilled fish here without any of that trouble! It works well for anything from lunch to a family dinner gathering, so if you're looking for a restaurant in West Suwon or the Homaesil area, this one is worth a visit.

If you're visiting with a group like we did, I'd recommend ordering several kinds of grilled fish plus the braised cutlassfish to share. Especially the braised cutlassfish — please, please try it,,! You might go in thinking only about grilled fish and end up having an extra bowl of rice because of the braised cutlassfish hahaha