Seogwipo restaurant with baby chairs: braised cutlassfish for three

We'd just finished a long trip to Africa with our 24-month-old, and before we'd even shaken off the jet lag, we headed straight to Jeju with my parents! Planning a trip that works for both a baby and grandparents isn't easy — from lodging to restaurants — but I found a braised cutlassfish spot that was the tastiest and best-priced meal of our 3-night, 4-day Jeju trip, so I wanted to share it :)

Where is Seongsan Bada Punggyeong? Right in front of Seongsan Ilchulbong

Seongsan Bada Punggyeong Jeju Seongsan Ilchulbong Branch is located right in front of Seongsan Ilchulbong. It's easy to reach from eastern Jeju attractions like Seongsan Ilchulbong, Udo, Seopjikoji, and Jeju Aquarium.

We'd spent the day at Udo (Seongsan Port) and Seopjikoji, and every nearby attraction was about 10 minutes away, which made it easy to fit into our schedule. (It was just 5 minutes from our accommodation!)

Parking and the photo zone at Seongsan Bada Punggyeong

A huge plus: there's a parking lot right in front of the restaurant with views of Seongsan Ilchulbong and the sea, so parking was a breeze. The location is so popular that parking can be tough during peak season, so having a dedicated lot is the best!

There's also a photo zone where you can take pictures — if you visit during the day, you could get great shots with Seongsan Ilchulbong and the ocean as backdrop. We visited in the early evening so it was already dark and we gave up. Hahaha.

Menu and portion sizes: the large-medium braised cutlassfish for 3

What we ordered was the signature bada punggyeong jorim (braised cutlassfish and mackerel)! Order this braised fish dish and you get a whole grilled cutlassfish for free — what is happening to the prices here, that's insane... Whole cutlassfish is super expensive elsewhere in Jeju, and you're just giving it away for free, boss!!???? The owner is out of their mind, in the best way.

On top of that, the sizes are divided into small, medium, and large — in an era where ordering one dish per person is basically the rule, you often end up forced to order things you don't even want because you're not hungry enough. But here, menu boards and signs all over the restaurant tell you to order freely based on how hungry you actually are, without worrying about the owner's judgment, rather than matching your order to the number of people in your party.

We'd actually eaten a lot of snacks while touring Udo so we weren't very hungry... we thought about ordering the large-small (about 2 servings) but figured, since we're eating, let's do it properly! So we ordered the large-medium (3 servings).

You have to go here... it was seriously so good, ugh, looking at these photos while I write this post makes me want to go back... Ahh... the owner even does a whole cutlassfish deboning performance(?) too haha. I recorded a video of it too, but... I'm too much of a blogging beginner to know how to rotate a video from vertical to horizontal.^^

Unlimited banchan and seaweed soup refills

You get unlimited refills on various banchan (side dishes) and seaweed soup! Actually, the night before, we'd searched for a good spot near our lodging and had a braised cutlassfish + seaweed soup set meal — the cutlassfish there was genuinely delicious, but the seaweed soup was really disappointing. Here, though, the seaweed soup was great too, so both my parents and the baby ate it happily.

Inside the restaurant: seating and atmosphere

Inside, you take off your shoes and change into slippers, so it stays clean — great for a baby to wander around in. There were also tons of autographs from famous celebrities on the walls. The owner mentioned they've lived in Jeju for over 50 years, so... haha, this is truly a certified old-school Jeju favorite.

Is Seongsan Bada Punggyeong good with a toddler? Yes — here's why

I was too busy eating my own food to get a photo of the baby eating, but they had a baby chair, a baby Pororo bowl, and utensils all ready! The baby had a full, satisfying meal too — the free grilled cutlassfish, seaweed soup, and banchan.

The owner was so kind that the baby kept showing off and being extra cute with them, and we even got free snacks as a result haha. Both the baby and my parents were very satisfied with the meal. Ahh... I want to go back again... If this restaurant were near my house, I'd probably go all the time. Next time we're in Jeju, we're definitely going again!!