Parkga-ne Godeungeo, Myeongdong: Oven-Grilled Mackerel with Pot Rice and Free-Refill Side Dishes
📍 Seoul / Myeongdong · Euljiro 3-ga Stn. Exit 12 · by Myeongdong Cathedral
This visit was sponsored by Parkga-ne Godeungeo. As always, all opinions are my own.
Finding a proper, healthy sit-down meal in Myeongdong can be tricky, especially if you are eating with parents or someone who wants “real Korean home food.” I had plans in Myeongdong, searched for ages, and ended up at Parkga-ne Godeungeo. It was so good that I am already planning to go back.
| Name | Parkga-ne Godeungeo, Myeongdong Daishin Finance Center branch (박가네고등어 명동대신파이낸스센터점) |
| Address | B1, 343 Samil-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul 서울 중구 삼일대로 343 지하 1층 |
| Getting there | Euljiro 3-ga Station, Exit 12, about 300 m · Next to Myeongdong Cathedral |
| Hours | Mon–Fri 11:00–20:00 (break 15:00–17:00) · Sun 11:00–15:00 (last order 14:20) · Closed Saturdays |
| Price | Mackerel + pot rice ₩15,000 · Hairtail + pot rice ₩18,000 |
| Good to know | Order at the kiosk · Self-serve side dish bar with free refills · Takeout available · Free building parking (2 hrs weekdays, 4 hrs weekends) |
| Disclosure | Sponsored visit |
Finding it
The restaurant is on the basement floor of the Myeongdong Daishin Finance Center, a sleek building right next to Myeongdong Cathedral. That makes it super easy to explain as a meeting spot. If you come by car, the building’s underground parking is free for 2 hours on weekdays and 4 hours on weekends.
Note the unusual schedule: it is closed on Saturdays, and on Sundays it only opens for lunch.
Spacious and calm
My first thought walking in was “wow, it’s big.” The tables are well spaced, the music is soft and everything is clean. I saw lots of families who had brought their parents, and it would work well for a small group dinner too.
What makes this place different: they use no cooking oil at all. The fish is prepped for the oven and grilled in a stone oven you can see right from the dining room. Watching the fish come out of the fire made me trust it even more.
Self-serve side dishes, unlimited
Near the entrance there is a side dish bar with eight homestyle banchan (side dishes), including japchae (glass noodles). Everything is free refill, so take as much as you like. Each one is lightly seasoned and tidy, and they go perfectly with the grilled fish. There is even seasoned laver (seaweed sheets) — a total “rice thief,” as Koreans say.
Menu and prices
You order at a kiosk. These were the prices on the screen:
- Mackerel + pot rice ₩15,000
- Spanish mackerel + pot rice ₩16,000
- Hairtail + pot rice ₩18,000
- Fire-grilled spicy pork + pot rice ₩14,000
- Fire-grilled spicy baby octopus + pot rice ₩14,000 (2 people or more)
The origin board says the mackerel comes from Norway and the hairtail from Senegal or Oman. Write a Naver receipt review and you get a free can of soda. Takeout is also possible.
We ordered one mackerel set (₩15,000) and one hairtail set (₩18,000).
The full spread comes with the side dishes, seaweed soup and a pot of freshly cooked rice. Tip: eat the fish while it is hot, so start picking it off the bone right away!
Mackerel
They use their own garlic-aged mackerel, and there was zero fishy smell. Crispy outside, moist inside, with just enough natural oil. Since there is no cooking oil, it tastes clean, not greasy.
Hairtail
Galchi (hairtail, also called cutlassfish) can be fiddly, but this one came out neatly grilled. The flesh is soft and moist, with a deep nutty flavor from the oven. Honestly, this was the first time I thought hairtail was really delicious.
The pot rice is the real star
The rice is cooked fresh in its own pot (sotbap), with a slice of sweet pumpkin on top. It is a generous portion and just tastes so good on its own.
When you finish, pour water from the kettle into the pot to make nurungji (scorched-rice soup), then add leftover mackerel and hairtail. It tasted a bit like Japanese ochazuke — a perfect ending.
The seaweed soup on the side makes the whole meal feel really hearty. They even hand out aprons, which is a nice touch.
Zoapik’s verdict
– Oven-grilled fish with no cooking oil — clean and not greasy – Garlic-aged mackerel with no fishy smell at all – Freshly made pot rice, then scorched-rice soup to finish – Eight homestyle side dishes, free refills – Spacious and calm — great with parents or a small group – Right next to Myeongdong Cathedral – Heads-up: closed on Saturdays, Sunday is lunch only, and there is a 15:00–17:00 break on weekdays
Tasty food, fresh ingredients, kind service and a nice room — nothing was missing. If you want a wholesome Korean lunch in Myeongdong, this is my pick.
