Suwon fish restaurant for braised cutlassfish: Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda

Today, I visited Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda (고등어명품이되다), a Suwon favorite for grilled and braised fish, for lunch. I think I’ve been here three? Four times? It’s seriously one of my go-to restaurants!! Since getting married, making grilled or braised fish at home has been hard... So whenever I’m craving it, I find myself coming here now and then!

Getting there and parking

This is Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch. There’s also a Pyeongtaek branch, so I think it’s best to go to whichever one is closer!

The parking lot here is really spacious! It’s easy to come by car, which is probably why I visit more often~ I came at weekday lunchtime, and there weren’t tons of spaces left. Still, tables turn over quickly here, so if you wait a bit, a parking spot will probably open up soon!!

After parking, I went into the restaurant.

Lunch wait and the dining room

If you visit on a weekend or at lunchtime, hurry over and put your name down for the waitlist....!!🏃🏃♀️🏃♂️

This is the waiting area. When I came around noon on a weekday, there were about seven parties ahead of me, and I think I waited around 20 minutes!

Or, the day before your visit, you can reserve your preferred time through Catchtable. If you’re bringing your parents or planning something similar, it would be a good idea to book ahead on the app.

When I came back this time, they were running a discount event for the premium set menu~ It’s a set where you can enjoy sashimi, grilled fish, and bulgogi all at once! ₩29,000 per person doesn’t seem bad, does it?

The grilled fish is cooked directly in a wood-fired oven, so it’s delicious! Totally crisp outside and tender inside! And something fascinating about this place is that you can see live mackerel!! That must be why the mackerel sashimi sushi is so fresh~~

One little disappointment is that there aren’t any private rooms! Still, the restaurant is spacious and the tables are nicely spread out, so it’s a comfortable place to eat.

They have high chairs too!👼 When you enter, they give everyone one bottle of cold water.

Once you’re seated, you order on the tablet! The older guests beside me seemed to find the tablet difficult, and I was wondering whether I should help, but a staff member came over and helped them! Nice!👏

Ordering braised cutlassfish and mackerel sushi

Whenever I come here, I always order two servings of braised cutlassfish and mackerel sushi!! The braise here is seriously delicious~~

After ordering, in not even five minutes? The table is completely filled with food!!

I tend to love Korean food, so I love every side dish that comes out here! Especially the small serving of jeyuk (spicy stir-fried pork) they give you for free—it’s so good that I could probably finish a whole bowl of rice with that alone~

And seaweed soup comes too. If you want more side dishes, you can help yourself to as much as you like at the self-serve bar.

How was the braised cutlassfish?

The main dish!! Let me introduce the braised cutlassfish~~ You can’t order just one serving of the braise; orders start at two servings. Two servings are ₩38,000.

Look at how meaty that cutlassfish is!!!! Crazy, right?!!!!

It’s so delicious that I feel like I overeat every time I come here..

There’s kimchi underneath the cutlassfish too!! Pull the kimchi into strips~ and wrap it with rice—it’s really delicious. The radish is refreshing and tasty as well!!

Mackerel sushi on the side

The mackerel sushi is ₩20,000, and you get 10 pieces. That’s probably one whole mackerel..?

I usually don’t eat much blue-backed fish because I worry it might taste fishy, but here I can’t get enough of it!! Dip it lightly in soy sauce and it’s absolutely heavenly!

The two of us left absolutely stuffed.. Finishing with sikhye (sweet rice drink) or sungnyung (scorched-rice tea) makes the meal just perfect!!👍

I’ll definitely be back again~~ I’ve tried both the braised mackerel and braised cutlassfish, but I liked the cutlassfish more~~ I haven’t tried the grilled fish yet, so maybe I’ll have something grilled next time!! haha