Myeongjin Jeonbok (명진전복) is the best place to eat the fresh abalone. One of the must-eat in Jeju Island!
Located on the eastern side of Jeju Island, Myeongjin Jeonbok probably is the most well-known eatery to serve fresh abalone dishes not only to locals but also to tourists. It ranked high with number one on TripAdvisor with its signature abalone cuisine.
How To Queue And Order At Myeongjin Jeonbok
Proceed to the counter located at the entrance and ask for the queuing number. The ahjumma will hand you a small yellow slip to indicate your order.
No worry about the ordering process as the picture menu is well displayed in front of the counter. Just tick and choose the abalone dishes preferred. We expected the long waiting time but seems like today is our lucky day as ahjumma asks us to come back after 10 minutes. Probably we have already passed the peak dining hour.
A waiting room is available next to the restaurant. You can take a rest or stroll around the coastal beach right in front of the restaurant. We enjoy the sunset and the sea wind keep breezing toward us.
Myeongjin Jeonbok Menu: It’s All About Abalone
The menu of Myeongjin Jeonbok is very simple. It only served four types of signature dishes but everything to do with abalone. The four famous dishes are abalone porridge, abalone stone hot pot rice, grilled abalones, and sliced raw abalones.
We ordered everything except the last item, slices of raw abalone.
Abalone Feast With Amazing Side Dishes
Thanks to the short queuing time, we are heading back to the restaurant after the 10 minutes seaside walk. The restaurant is full of customers and the delicious smell of grill abalone. A big wide window at the restaurant provides the ultimate sea view dining experience.
Side dishes are served once we are seated. I would like to give a thumb up for their fast and efficient service.
Grilled Mackerel As Part Of Side Dish
Not to forget to mention the grilled mackerel which is served as part of the side dishes at Myeongjin Jeonbok. It was served in the middle of our dining, probably due to the grilling process.
The grilled fish is so juicy and I can feel the freshness although the exterior is grilled until golden crispy. We finish the whole grilled fish with empty the bones leave.
Abalone Sizzling Stone Pot Rice
The hot and sizzling abalone stone pot rice was served fast to our table.
The rice is cooked with carrots, sweet potatoes, red dates, and pumpkin, with fresh abalones sliced and layered on top of the rice!
How To Eat Abalone Stone Pot At Myeongjin Jeonbok Jeju
Thanks to our tourist’s face, the ahjumma at the counter came and explained how to eat the abalone stone pot rice. She helped us mix and scooped out the rice to the bowl, poured the water provided into the stone pot, and covered it by the lip.
Don’t wait and eat the rice as it tastes so good at hot! I can feel the pumpkin, red dots and abalone rice taste perfectly together.
After a few minutes, the leftover nice turn into soupy charred fragrance burnt rice with the abalone essence! You’re ready for the second way of eating abalone stone pot rice. It tastes amazing!
Abalone Porridge
Jeju abalone porridge is very famous and has many health benefits, especially for women. The abalone porridge served at Myeongjin Jeonbok was very comforting, especially to our hungry stomachs.
The taste of abalone porridge is rich by its creamy, savory and delicious. The dull brown color of porridge may not look as appetizing but it was superbly excellent with slices of abalone fresh. We are very satisfied with it.
Grilled Abalone
The grilled abalones were served on a piping hot plate. It cooked just nice with a little chewy juicy texture and went well at hot. The total of 11 pieces of grilled abalones is only ₩30,000, a truly affordable luxury meal.
I like the abalone sizzling hot stone pot compared with the abalone porridge. The taste of grilled abalone is so chewy juicy and amazing! Can’t comment on the slides raw abalone as we did not order it.
Overall it’s a very good dining experience and highly recommended it to everyone. One of the must eat at Jeju!
How To Go To Myeongjin Jeonbok Jeju
We are driving along the east coastline to reach Myeongjin Jeonbok Jeju. This restaurant is not easy to access by public transport. Understand it required another 20-minute walk from the nearest bus stop to reach Myeongjin Jeonbok by bus. Driving is still the best way to enjoy the beauty and most important food at Jeju Island.
Jeju west coastline itinerary is where the beauty of the island starts with its seaside line and white sand beaches.
We spend our second day on the western coast of Jeju to taste the famous Jeju green tea and its breathtaking seaside line. Many of the attraction on the west coastline is worth spending the whole day relaxing. We spend the whole day and it seems like not enough.
The western coast of Jeju is the start of the Jeju coastline with beautiful sandy white beaches and an emerald-colored sea view. There are many magnificent attractions on Jeju’s west coastline itinerary and listed below are a few major attractions I wish to visit.
The three famous beaches on the west coast like Aewol Gwakji Gwamul Beach (애월 곽지과물해변), Hyeopjae Beach (협재해수욕장) and Geumneung Euddeum Beach (금능으뜸해변) is boasted by crystal clear water, the emerald color of the beach especially during sunset time.
Experience the Korean tea culture at O’sulloc Tea Museum (오설록 뮤지엄) or take a break with green tea dessert at the cafe. Have a quick shopping at Innisfree Jeju House (이니스프리 제주하우스) which utilizes the Jeju natural ingredient for their cosmetic product.
Not to forgot the Mt Sanbangsan (산방산) and Yongmeori coast (용머리해안). The Sanbangsan Temple and also the Bomunsa Temple, which holds the relics of Buddha, are also located on the mountain. While the Yongmeori Coast is a rocky coastline where Mt Sanbangsan stretches into the ocean and features unique cliff formations which have turned the coast into a stunning walk.
Jeju West Coast Itinerary
There are so many things to do in West Coast Jeju and can easily spend one or two days. As we only have a limited one day, we decided to choose some of the attractions that we like the most.
Below is my Jeju West Coast Itinerary:
Brunch at Jamae Guksu aka Sister Noodles
O’sulloc Tea Museum and enjoy the green tea dessert
Innisfree Jeju House
Yongmeori Coast
O’sulloc Tea Museum
We settle our brunch at Jamae Guksu aka Sister Noodles in the city before starting our Jeju road trip itinerary. The meal is very filling and tastes good. We continue the driving journey to O’sulloc Tea Museum for an approximate 1-hour drive.
Ample parking spaces are available located in front and nearby the museum.
Jeju Island is one of South Korea’s major tea-growing regions due to its volcanic soil and sub-tropical climate. All make this island an ideal place for tea growing.
We took some photos at the green tea garden and plantation together with the odor of green tea before proceeding to the O’sulloc Tea museum.
The ‘O’ in O’Sulloc means to appreciate and enjoy, while ‘Sulloc’ refers to a type of green tea. O’sulloc Tea museum takes the shape of a teacup and is separated into different exhibition halls, teacup galleries, and tea tasting galleries.
It was crowded at O’sulloc Tea Museum due to the weekend. Many Korean couple and family bring their kids to understand the Korean tea culture. Tourists and public buses also keep sending visitors from different locations here.
We have a quick visit to the museum and continue queueing for the main purpose of the visit, The Green Tea Dessert. It took about 15 minutes of waiting time due to the long line.
The dessert set comes with Hallabong O Fredo, green tea ice cream, and a piece of green tea roll cake at ₩17,600. I do feel the Japanese green tea product is better and out of surprise, their Hallabong O Frendo is very refreshing. Worth my queue time.
Address: 15 Sinhwayeoksa-ro, Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo, Jeju-do, South Korea
Opening Hours: Daily 9 a.m to 6 p.m
Admission: Free!
Korea GPS Tel No: 794-5351
Innisfree Jeju House
Follow the path to Innisfree Jeju House 이니스프리 제주하우스 which is located right beside the O’sulloc Tea museum. This is the flagship store of Korean cosmetic products that specialized in utilizing Jeju natural ingredients.
The crowd is much lesser at Innisfree Jeju House and we can enjoy the free time to explore the product. There is also a cafe here that served organic and healthy sandwiches, drinks, and desserts.
Innisfree Jeju House provides a unique making soap workshop made of natural ingredients from Jeju-do which cost ₩15,000. We didn’t try on it but it is fun and interesting by talking with one of the guests.
Address: 23 Sinhwayeoksa-ro, Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo, Jeju-do, South Korea
Opening Hours: Daily 9 a.m to 6 p.m
Admission: Free!
Korea GPS Tel No: 794-5351
Yongmeori Coast
We spend about 2 hours at O’sulloc Tea Museum and Innisfree Jeju House with a leisure walk and relaxing dessert break before heading to our next destination, Yongmeori Coast. It is the highlight of the second day of the Jeju road trip itinerary.
Yongmeori coast is located next to Mt Sanbangsan and is ideal to be visited at the same time. Travelers can pay a visit to the Buddha temples at the mountain or hike up to the Sanbanggul (Sanbang cave) at Mt Sanbangsan.
We save our energy for the coming Mt Hallasan hike and only visit the Yongmeori coast which is located opposite Mt. Sanbangsan.
There is two entrance to the Yongmeori coast, either following a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. We follow the clockwise entrance and regret seeing the downhill stone step path. No handrails, big steep rocks, and people keep coming up from down.
Take the courage to walk down as the awesome view is waiting at the front.
Unique Cliff Formations Rocky Coastline
Yongmeori Coast is a rocky coastline where Mt Sanbangsan stretches into the ocean and features unique cliff formations after thousand years.
Its rough and dramatic coastline shaped from lava eruptions has turned the coast into a stunning walk.
The spectacular view of the rocky coastline is so magnificent with the emerald ocean and blue sky! Its unique cliff formation is like the mini version of America’s Grand Canyon but Yongmeori can be reached and touched by your hand.
You will admire the graceful curves of nature with the amazing landscape at Yongmeori Coast. Sometimes rocks were slippery due to the seawater will splash to the onshore.
One of my favorite photos at the side of a rock formation and emerald ocean! I had the BEST time at Yongmeori Coast and keep on taking photos while walking along the coast.
Meet the barnacles at Yongmeori Coast, seashells that build their houses on rock and are only exposed to sunlight during low tide.
Meet The Woman Haenyeos
Women Haenyeos at Jeju are extraordinary with their spirit and determination.
They can go diving up to 30 meters under the sea to gather shellfish, such as seaweed, abalone, sea urchins, and sea cucumber without an oxygen tank just by holding their breath. Nowadays, sea diver ladies which are only found in Japan and Jeju have dwindled in numbers due to the work being dangerous and hard.
There are a few stalls on the Yeongmeori coast run by Haenyeos, women sea-divers of Jeju who sells fresh raw seafood like sea cucumber, sea snail, and sea squirt.
I use my body language to ask for the price and one of the ahjumma reply me in mandarin. Such a weird feeling. We choose the red sea squirt which we have never tried before in raw. It cost us ₩10,000 for it.
See our raw seafood platter at Yongmeori Coast together with spice dipping sauce and spring onion on the side.
I can’t describe the feeling of enjoying the fresh sea squirt by sitting on the plastic short stool. You need to chew longer for the sea squirt with skin. The unique experience is priceless when enjoying it with the blue sky, formation rock, and emerald ocean with breezing sea wind.
I’d say the Yongmeori coast is one of the places you HAVE to visit when you come to Jeju!
We exit the Yongmeori coast on the right side by walking throughout the coastline from one to another end. The visit takes almost two hours including the relaxing and eating time.
There is the Hamel Castaway Memorial, in remembrance of Hamel who drifted to this place in 1653 near the entrance. One of the family-run ice cream shops catch our attention when we pass by toward the car park. We can’t control it and get another ice cream for the snack.
Address: 218-10 Sanbang-ro, Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo, Jeju-do, South Korea
Opening Hours: Winter Season 08:00-17:00 and Summer Season 08:00-18:00
Note: Subject to change as it will be close if high ties or bad weather
Closed at 5 p.m during our visit in May
Admission: ₩ 2,000
Korea GPS Tel No: 794-2940 (Mt Sanbangsan)
Jeju Aurum Pension At Seogwipo
We end our second day of Jeju west coastline itinerary and continue to drive to the accommodation for that night. Jeju Aurum is a pension located in southern Jeju 10 minutes away from Seogwipo city.
The pension is run by Mr. Kim together with his lovely wife. The location of Jeju Aurum is excellently located in front of a beautiful lava rock beach and in the middle of Jeju Olle trail 6, the most beautiful walking trail. Beautiful sunrise and sunset can be enjoyed at both ends of the beach.
The total driving journey is approximately 83km from Hotel Whistle by visiting multiple famous attractions on Jeju west coastline. The second-day road trip journey ended at the southern coastline at Jeju Aurum pension.
Looking at the places visited in Jeju’s west coastline itinerary, some are hard can be reached by public transport. I enjoyed my second day of sightseeing road trip journey. I highly recommended renting a car to explore the beauty of Jeju. We choose to rent a car from AJ (Avis in Jeju) after comparison on RentalCars from Booking.com. The car renting process is easy and cheaper if you have members to share in the expenses.
Alternative check out the local day tour which helps arrange for your pleasant vacation at Jeju Island. The Western Island Exploration run every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and will cover most of the west attraction; Hallim Park, Hyupjae Beach, O’sulloc Green Tea Field, and more with an experienced local tour guide.
6 Days in Jeju Island With Self-driving
Read more on 6 days 5 nights Jeju itinerary with the best things to do and great food to eat for your wonderful road trip.
Jeju city (Jeju-si), the northern part of Jeju Island is the central transportation for flight, ferry, and public transport connections. It can easily access major attractions like Yongduam Rock, Dongmun Market, Mt Hallasan, and more.
Our flight landed at Jeju International Airport in the afternoon and we spend about two hours passing through the regular custom check and picking up our rental car from AJ Rent-A-Car Company. The picking up process is pretty easy with well-arranged transportation provided by the rental car company.
The major sightseeing attractions which are easily accessed from Jeju-si are Yongduam rock, Mt. Hallasan, the highest mountain in South Korea, the Dongmum market, Jeju city 5-days market, Iho Taewoo Beach, the mysterious road, and many more.
Jeju Road Trip Day 1 Itinerary
Jeju city served as the point for me before and after landing at Jeju Island. We planned to stay a night at Jeju city before departing for our Jeju road trip journey. The first day ended with Jeju city exploration and Korean food hunting.
The first stop of our Jeju journey is Yongduam rock, which is located nearby Jeju Airport within a few minutes’ drive. Situated at the northern end of Jeju City, Yongduam rock is one of the popular oceanfront volcanic rock formations in the shape of the dragon’s head created by strong winds and waves over thousands of years.
There are downhill stairs that allowed travelers to walk down to the coastline to view the “dragons’ head” with a closer look. However, beware of the jagged coastline as the rock is sharp and uneven with strong winds keep on blowing toward you.
Some travelers also enjoy their fresh seafood at the stall opened by Haenyeo with a plate of seafood chosen at the price of around ₩10,000. We follow the downhill stair walk down to the coast and take some the nice photos with the “dragons’ head”.
Address: 15 Yongduam-gil, Yongdam 2(i)-dong, Cheju, Jeju-do, South Korea
Admission: Free!
Parking Fee: ₩2,000
Opening Hours: Anytime!
Korea GPS Tel No: 728-3918
Dongmun Market (동문시장)
Whenever I go to a country, I always like to pay a visit to a local traditional market to absorb the local vibes.
Dongmun market is a regular Korean local market that opens daily. Located in old Jeju city and is very famous for locals and tourists for local Jeju snacks and souvenirs. There are many entrances to enter the Dongmun market and most are selling fresh local produce like seafood, meats, fruits, vegetables, kimchi, and more. The hallabong – Jeju’s iconic mandarin oranges are all around.
At night, the stalls at entrance 6 of Dongmun market will be selling Korean street food like fried chicken, topokki, fish cakes, and grilled octopus.
We checked in at Hotel Whistle Lark for the first night at Jeju Island and take a short walk to Dongdum market. The Dongmun market is located nearby less than 10 minutes walk distance from Hotel Whistle. We spend almost one hour exploring this Korean local market before heading to our dinner.
Address: 20 Gwandeong-ro 14(sipsa)-gil, Idoil-dong, Cheju, Jeju-do, South Korea
Admission: Free!
Opening Hours: Daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Korea GPS Tel No: 752-3001
Dinner At Black Port Street (Heuk Dwaeji/흑돼지거)
Similar to Dongmun market, black pork street is also located nearby our hotel. From the Dongmun market, you will walk past the black pork street before reaching Hotel Whistle Lark.
The entrance of the street has a signboard with the little pig on it. There is a wide range of restaurants that specialize in black pork in a row at Black pork street. Without hesitation, we choose the Michelin star-rated restaurant, Dombedon for our first dinner at Jeju Island.
Address: 25 Gwandeong-ro 15(sibo)-gil, Geonip-dong, Cheju, Jeju-do, South Korea
Opening Hours: Daily from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Korea GPS Tel No: 753-0008
Hotel Whistle Lark
Hotel Whistle Lark is our first night staying at Jeju Island. It is strategically located in the Jeju old town within walking distance to Dongmun market, black pork street, sashimi street, 7-11, and E-mart nearby.
The interior design is new, clean, and simple. The price is reasonable for the 4-star rated hotel. We choose Hotel Whistle Lark for the strategic location as many eateries nearby although we have the car.
Located by the sea and harbor, Hotel Whistle Lark is a good choice for sea view lovers. There is a walkway along the sea coastline in front of the hotel and many locals and tourists are enjoyed their evening walk with the sea wind breeze. After dinner, we slowly walk back to Hotel Whistle from black pork street. Take a good rest for tomorrow’s road trip!
Jeju Travel Tips And Foodie Guide
Read more on 6 days 5 nights Jeju itinerary with the best things to do and great food to eat for your wonderful road trip.
Most of the attraction in Jeju is hard to reach by public transport or time-consuming. So, the best way to explore Jeju city is by self-driving. We booked a car and traveled through RentalCars from Booking.com, and rented through AJ Rent A Car Company. It was reliable and cheapest after comparison with other rental car companies in Jeju.
Read more if you need help to rent and pick up a car on Jeju Island.
Dombedon is a popular restaurant, that served the traditional Jeju dishes Dombe aka black pork meat raised on Jeju Island.
Black pork is Jeju’s famous dish, one of the must-eat when visiting Jeju. It is not only tasty, and is said to be beneficial for health and beauty purposes, especially for women.
We are wondering how well the food quality in the Jeju restaurant, especially for a special dish of grilled black pork. As a result, we are voted for Dombedon (늘돔베돈) for our first dinner at Jeju.
Jeju Must Eat, Dombedon Restaurant
Dombedon Restaurant is located at the Jeju black pork street with a wide range of restaurants that specialize in black pork in the same row. This restaurant is hard can’t miss as it is the busiest shop located at the entrance of the street with the little pig welcome signboard.
How To Order At Dombedon Restaurant
We reach Dombedon at around 7 p.m after the walk from the Dongmun market. The waiting time is just 5 minutes for the previous table to clean up.
The menu is in Korean with English/Japanese/Mandarin translated below. The picture and price are also well listed on the menu. So it is not difficult to order at Domdedon Restaurant. We choose the 450g of black pork set for 2 pax at 43,000 won, a bowl of rice at 1000 won and additional order of the soju at 4,000 won.
Dombe Meat And Side Dishes
The whole restaurant is full of the delicious smell of grilled pork. Most guests are groups of Korean adults and couples. Please take note that Dombedon does not serve solo travelers unless ordering for 2 pax.
A wide selection of banchan (starters/side dishes) is served including raw garlic, mushrooms, dwejeong (red bean paste), bean sprouts, kimchi, seaweed, coleslaw, steamed egg, and tofu soup. I enjoy Korean food so much and especially love their Korean banchan.
A plate of cooked roasted black pork belly is served as complimentary from the 2 pax meal set.
Without a long wait, the black port is served by staff to our table. Firstly, he started to grease the grill with a big cube of pork fat and then place the pork and mushroom on the grill.
Once everything was ready, he smile and ask us to wait for the pork to be well cooked before cutting it into slides. We also added the garlic, kimchi, and bean sprouts to grill together with the meat.
Golden Brown Grill
Wait for the meat to change to golden brown and you can start to enjoy it. We also wrapped the pork belly with the Perilla leaves or lettuce served together with banchan.
The meat is too delicious and tasty even without any marinated on it. The restaurant prepares its meat using traditional cooking methods, as opposed to simply grilling the meat like many restaurants in the downtown area do.
Our dinner at Dombedon is really enjoyable. We like their food, the atmosphere, and the service.
How To Go To Dombedon Restaurant
Dombedon is strategically located at Black Pork (Heuk-dwaeji) street. It is also nearby Dongmun market and Jungang underground shopping street in the old town area.
We went to Dombedon after a short visit to the Dongmun market by a few minutes of walking. Our dining experience in this Jeju must eat, Dombedon is a pleasant dinner with great food and friendly staff. Worth a try for their famous grilled black pork.
Address: 25 Gwandeong-ro 15(sibo)-gil, Geonip-dong, Cheju, Jeju-do, South Korea
Opening Hours: Daily from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Korea GPS Tel No: 753-0008
Top Five Jeju Must Eat Restaurants
Still wondering what you should eat at Jeju? Check out our top five eateries at Jeju Island. We have tried all of them during our Jeju road trip and highly recommended you to try at least one of them.
Exploring Jeju by car for 6 days at your own pace is very relaxed, fun, and enjoyable. If possible, consider renting a car to travel around in Jeju. There are many things to do and food to eat on this wonderful island.
