Suwon mulhoe restaurant, 20,000-won mackerel mulhoe: Godeungeo

My kid was shouting for grilled fish and seaweed soup again today, while I was in the mood for mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) — that's how I found Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch (고등어명품이되다 수원점)! It's about a 30-minute drive from home, but if it's a good restaurant, that's basically next door, right? So off we went.

You can actually watch the fish go into the wood-fired oven, and there's a tank of live mackerel to check out too! A treat for the eyes and the mouth — let me introduce Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda.

Where is Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch? Parking and hours

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch is at 1731 Seobu-ro, 1F, Gwonseon-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, and is open every day from Monday to Sunday, 10:40–22:00 (last order 20:50). There's a large dedicated parking lot, so it's easy to get to by car.

• 📍 Address: 1731 Seobu-ro, 1F, Gwonseon-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• ⏰ Hours: Open daily Mon–Sun, 10:40–22:00 (last order 20:50)
• 🅿️ Parking: Large dedicated parking lot
• ✔️ Other: Waiting lounge available, baby chairs available, group reservations possible, CatchTable available (parties of 6+)

Wait number 70 at weekday lunch: how the queue and reservations work

I went to Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch on a weekday for lunch, and my wait ticket was a whopping number 70. With such a clean exterior and a huge building, I walked in thinking — wait, there's a line at a place this big?

I thought, I should've booked ahead on CatchTable...! Once inside, there's a waiting lounge called the cafeteria on the left. Your number also gets called out on the TV screen, so as long as you know your number, you won't miss it.

CatchTable reservations are available, so for groups of 6 or more, I'd recommend downloading the app and booking ahead. For 1–5 people, call the restaurant directly.

Waiting with kids: the wood-fired oven and the live mackerel tank

My 7-year-old finds it hard to sit still, and with over 10 parties ahead of us, we went out to explore the restaurant — and right up front was the wood-fired oven! I'd never actually seen how the fish gets grilled before, and my kid was totally fascinated.

There are live mackerel swimming around like this. My two kids and I watched them for a good while. Coming here with kids, they definitely won't get bored, haha.

How to order and what's on the self-serve banchan bar

At Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch, you sit at the table you're shown to, order through a tablet, and pay at the counter.

There's a spacious self-serve bar set up. The first round of banchan (side dishes) is set for you, and if you want more, you just help yourself. The seasoning was just right, so I went back for refills a few times, haha.

Napa cabbage salad, mung bean jelly salad, young radish kimchi, cucumber salad, glasswort salad, bellflower root salad, radish salad, sungnyung (scorched rice tea), and miyeokguk (seaweed soup). Personally, the mung bean jelly and glasswort salad were so good. Not having to yell for more side dishes is such a plus, haha.

Small plates, kids' tableware, scissors, dishes, ladles — it's all there at the self-serve bar, and there's even sikhye (sweet rice punch) to cleanse the palate. With so much good food around, my kid downed the sikhye before even touching rice, haha.

Honest review: wood-fired imyeonsu, mackerel and the 20,000-won mackerel mulhoe

What we ordered at Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch was grilled sailfin sandfish (imyeonsu), grilled mackerel, and a 20,000-won mackerel mulhoe. When we were first shown to our seats, they brought water, and if you want more, you can use the water dispenser at the self-serve bar.

The little soy sauce and wasabi dishes that go with the grilled fish are kept in a drawer next to the table. Tissues and wet wipes were all fully stocked too, which was convenient.

They also bring out the basic banchan, the grilled fish, and a mini stir-fried pork — and wow, this was seriously delicious. We ordered sailfin sandfish and mackerel, and the wood-fired grilling rendered out the excess fat, leaving them moist and tender. If only I could grill fish like this at home, haha. The fish were also large, so we dug in with gusto!

We ordered the 20,000-won mackerel mulhoe! Raw fish, octopus, abalone, flying fish roe, and vegetables, all mixed into the mulhoe sauce for a refreshingly cool bite — the spicy-sweet broth meant no fishy taste at all, and it went down easily! They also give you somyeon (thin wheat noodles) to add in once you've eaten some of it. Adding apple to mulhoe feels like a fun twist. It was pure healing from the grind of parenting — I was so glad we came.

It was pure healing from the grind of parenting — I was so glad we came.

Is Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda good for family and group meals?

I noticed a lot of other tables ordering mackerel sashimi and croaker sashimi too at Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch. It's plenty big enough for family gatherings, office dinners, and other group outings, and with such a large parking lot, I think we'll be coming back often. Another great meal today :)

For anyone looking for a good restaurant in West Suwon, Homaesil, or Gwonseon-gu, I recommend Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch — the unlimited banchan bar is tidy and clean, and the seasoning is just right. I think both adults and kids will be satisfied :)