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Jjaebo Restaurant, Gunsan, South Korea: Soy Sauce Crab Platter

A soy-marinated raw crab platter with roe-rich crab, salmon, abalone and shrimp, served at Jjaebo Restaurant in Sinchang-dong, a must-try restaurant in Gunsan.

Woolee📍 Sinchang-dong, Jeonbuk State · South Korea15 photos

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Jjaebo Restaurant sits in an alley in Sinchang-dong, Gunsan, and waiting chairs are visible just inside its wide-open folding doors. It is a popular restaurant, so go prepared to wait a little in front of the entrance during mealtimes.
The hall at Jjaebo Restaurant, with its high ceiling, white walls, and warm lighting, is crowded with customers around lunchtime. Tables extend all the way to the seats by the window, so it is comfortable to sit even with a large group.
The wall next to the counter at Jjaebo Restaurant is packed with records of TV appearances, a hygiene grade certification, and various other certificates. While you wait, it's nice to read them one by one and catch a glimpse of the restaurant's story.
At Jjaebo Restaurant, the kitchen is open beyond the solid wood counter, so you can see the busy scene of food being prepared. The greenery outside the large windows makes the interior feel much less stuffy.
The menu at Jjaebo Restaurant neatly lists soy sauce-marinated crab, spicy seasoned crab, and half-and-half crab. If you go as a pair, choosing the signature Jjaebo Soy Sauce Assortment is a safe choice.
At Jjaebo Restaurant, simple side dishes like kimchi and a warm soup are set on the table before the main dish arrives. There are only a few, but they are nice for settling your stomach while you wait for the ganjang gejang.
The soy sauce assortment at Jjaebo Restaurant comes with an egg yolk on the crab shell in the center of the plate, surrounded by marinated salmon, marinated shrimp, and marinated abalone. When you first see it, you are struck by how generous it is.
At Jjaebo Restaurant, the table is simply set with the ganjang mixed platter in the center, along with white rice, soup, and side dishes such as kimchi. A packet of seaweed comes out too, making it easy to wrap your rice.
Next to the thickly sliced soy-marinated salmon are soy-marinated shrimp, sea snail, and wasabi. The ganjang mixed platter at Jjaebo Restaurant is fun because you can pick from several flavors on a single plate.
The soy sauce-marinated abalone is served on top of a shiny shell. At Jjaebo Restaurant, eating a bite together with crunchy radish sprouts and chili pepper makes it feel less rich.
Place rice on a sheet of seaweed, add soy-marinated shrimp and wasabi, and wrap it up to eat. At Jjaebo Restaurant, eating it this way pairs the salty soy sauce flavor nicely with the rice.
Place a piece of soy-marinated salmon, wasabi, and radish sprouts on top of rice and wrap it in seaweed to eat. This is how to enjoy the ganjang mixed platter even more at Jjaebo Restaurant.
The crab at Jjaebo Restaurant has orange roe packed into every crack of the meat. Chili peppers and radish sprouts are placed on top of the plate, and it goes well with a bowl of rice on the side.
At Jjaebo Restaurant, partway through the marinated crab, you put rice in a separate bowl and mix it. A bottle labeled "soy sauce for mixing with rice" sits on the table, and it is delicious to mix the rice and top it with various things.
At Jjaebo Restaurant, you place rice on a sheet of seaweed, top it with conch and radish sprouts, and wrap it up like a ssam. The tender abalone and the fluffy rice go well together, making it easy to eat in one bite.

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Menu

Soy Sauce-Marinated Crab

  • Jjaebo Soy Sauce Assortment (2 people)36,000 won
  • Soy Sauce Assortment (3-person set)75,000 won

Half-and-Half Crab

  • Half-and-Half Crab (single dish)49,000 won

Spicy Seasoned Crab

  • Spicy Seasoned Crab (single dish, female)49,000 won
  • Spicy Seasoned Crab Set52,000 won
  • Spicy Seasoned Crab (short)20,000 won

Side Menu

  • Ramyeon10,000 won
  • Grilled Pollock Roe8,000 won
  • Tako Wasabi8,000 won

Prices may have changed since the visit.

This is Jjaebo Restaurant, located at 70 Guyeong 3-gil, Gunsan-si, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, South Korea, which I visited during my trip to Gunsan.

Jjaebo Restaurant exterior

When we arrived at the restaurant, there were about 4 groups waiting. We went in after waiting about 20 minutes. There was a notice saying you can also make a reservation through Catch Table, so booking before you go should help cut down the wait.

Jjaebo Restaurant interior

The interior was neat and tidy, so we could have a comfortable meal. The staff were also friendly.

Side dishes and menu at Jjaebo Restaurant

We ordered the soy sauce assortment (ganjang modeum). The signature dish here is the Jjaebo Ganjang Modeum Set, which I'm told comes with ganjang gejang (soy sauce-marinated raw crab), marinated salmon, marinated abalone, marinated shrimp, and sea snail. The side dishes weren't many, just a simple selection.

Main dish at Jjaebo Restaurant

First, the ganjang gejang was generously filled with crab innards, and the rich, creamy flavor was great. The yolk-like roe in the crab goes well with any food, and every time I eat it, I think it's cheating. The marinated shrimp was delicious too, and the marinated abalone had a tender texture. The marinated salmon was also better than I expected.

Above all, the combination of putting the crab on top of rice was truly excellent. When I put rice into the crab shell and mixed it, the rich flavor of the roe and innards soaked into the rice and made it even more delicious.

If I go to Gunsan again, I'm planning to visit again.

Detailed ratings

Taste
Value for money
Ambience
Service
Would go again
Yes
🕐 Hours
  • Monday: 11:00 AM ~ 8:00 PM
  • Tuesday: 11:00 AM ~ 8:00 PM
  • Wednesday: 11:00 AM ~ 8:00 PM
  • Thursday: 11:00 AM ~ 8:00 PM
  • Friday: 11:00 AM ~ 8:00 PM
  • Saturday: 11:00 AM ~ 8:00 PM
  • Sunday: 11:00 AM ~ 8:00 PM

As of my visit.

Good to know

  • Parking available
  • Free parking
  • Reservations accepted
  • Pet-friendly