Keunkiwajip — Restaurant in Seoul

Another Overprice, Overhyped Michelin ruined restaurant! I believe this place was better before getting all of the recognitions from around the world! We weren’t going to this place but we walked by and realized this place is the “best” cold crab restaurant in Seoul! Highly regarded! We are waiting in line at 5:15, we didn’t get in the restaurant until 6:55 in -10 degree! It would be nice if the owner can set up a heater or two for ppl like us, so we won’t be freezing to death, i didn’t know it will be this long of wait, I was Naive and thinking to wait for 30 mins, try it out and be gone! I guess it’s the longer the wait, the higher the expectations! Not to mention you pay $53000 won for 1 crab! You starting to have expectation, I would think. The crab taste is quick unique on the first few bites, nothing taste like that, but after that, it becomes too much of it! If you want to order the first time, I suggest only order 1 to try! If you like it then you can order more! We ordered 2 of 4 of us, we forced ourselves to finish it since they are expensive but we tried but still didn’t finish! We also ordered the crab meat soup, the pork belly cold dish and the crab meat binbinbob, to be Frank, I think they are nothing special, if you are not a crab person, I wouldn’t recommend to try this place! We spent $207000 Won and we are still hungry and didn’t finish the dishes because we are tired from waiting and the foods are pretty bland! If you want to try the cold crabs, I suggest go another place for 1/2...

We went here for a weekend lunch on a friend's recommendation which was a business lunch. As a party of 4 adults, we tried the signature dish the gejang (marinated open crab), the gochujang (spicy red pepper chili with sesame seeds) crab, the ribs and the crab soup. With the accompanying side dishes, this was just the right amount.The immediate taste is freshness and a taste of the sea. We could not sense any shortcuts taken on the dishes. Everything was very clean and sincere in taste if you could describe it that way. It seems that the restaurant lost their Michelin star from the previous year. My deep suspicion is that this was an outcome of the restaurant's popularity. The wait staff seems to be unprepared and still in training as the owner was running around shouting instructions. The restaurant which is housed in a 30 year old or so korean house seems chaotic with rooms on the main floor and smaller claustrophobic rooms a half step down past a lavatory and one small room with 3 tables a floor above. The decor can best be described as eclectic storage rooom meets aspiring gallery as interesting original art works are scattered amidst items which should be hauled away and stored.The weekend crowd seems to be about 50% tourists which led me to believe that the restaurant is becoming a victim of its own success.Go and dine here. Forget the tourists in this cramped space and really enjoy an authentic clinary experience. This restaurant is unique in Seoul and...

What I had: Crab Marinated in Soy Sauce (大, Large) Price: 50,000 KRW

Conclusion: Keungiwajib serves authentic crab marinated in soy sauce, and probably one of the best ones in Seoul. The service, however, could be better.

Food and Price (4.5/5): Keungiwajib probably had the best crab marinated in soy sauce I have ever had. Its price may seem a bit high, but it is worth for what you get; the crab is bigger than you think plus you get delicious side dishes that will definitely fill you up. The restaurant is mentioned in MICHELIN GUIDE 2017 Seoul, and I definitely recommend tourists and even local people to visit at least once in their lifetime.

Service & Atmosphere (3/5): One of the drawbacks of this restaurant is its service. The servers are extremely busy, but they need to be more friendly and cautious when serving. Most of them spoke both Korean and Chinese.

Bottom line: You can get a lot of good food for 50,000 KRW in Korea, and some people may wonder if it is truly worth spending that much for crab marinated in soy sauce. I personally recommend the reader to visit this place at least once, whether you're visiting Korea or live there.

This was a review based on my personal experience; I acknowledge that every person has unique preferences...