On my most recent visit to Pyongyang as part of a delegation to the 24th Pyongyang Spring Trade Fair I was afforded the chance to visit a bunch of great restaurants, new and old. One of the gems of this was the iconic Taedonggang Seafood Restaurant.
Why iconic you ask? Because at the 2018 inter-Korean summit banquet in Panmunjom, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shared a highly symbolic state dinner featuring dishes linked directly to the same culinary tradition as this restaurant. So if it was good enough for these chaps, surely it would be good enough for me?
Click to read about the Taedonggang Beer House.
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What the Taedonggang Seafood Restaurant?
The Taedonggang Seafood Restaurant is one of Pyongyang’s better known seafood restaurants and sits firmly in the state showcase dining category. It is heavily associated with official banquets and high-level diplomatic visits.
Its modern fame really comes from the 2018 inter-Korean summit, where seafood dishes like steamed fish, croaker dumplings, sea cucumber dishes and cold fish plates were served as symbolic representations of both the eastern and western coasts of the Korean Peninsula. It was not just food, it was messaging. Unity through cuisine, or at least that was the idea.
Taedonggang Seafood Restaurant
Located as you might expect down on the Taedong River (gang) this place was famous way before Mr Moon came along. A huge affair, you are initially greeted by many tanks of huge sturgeon, the fish the restaurant is most famous for. There are then choices of restaurants, such as Asian (noodles?), European (sushi on pizza), sushi (self-explanatory) and Korean.
We opted for the large Korean restaurant – I mean when in Rome right. This was well laid out with public areas, private ground-style tables and regular private rooms. Both of which we were to utilize this due to our mixed contingent.
The Food at Taedonggang Seafood Restaurant
We ended up doing a fully Korean table, as well as a fish-less vegetarian friendly one. You can probably guess which one was more fun and where I mostly sat!
On the Korean table we had sturgeon sashimi both with local hot sauce and wasabi, which was amazing. The place is actually famous for sashimi, so we hit it in a big way and well it was quality.
The non-fish veggie friendly table helped show the range of dishes at the restaurant. Really good tempura, some simple chicken dishes and most impressive a pine-nut gruel. Sounds terrible right? Actually they did a decent job, at least as gruel goes.
Not my favourite meal in Pyongyang, but definitely one of the top ten restaurants in the city AND I even got to sit at the same table as Marshal Kim Jong-un and the South Korean fella.
Where the Taedonggang Seafood Restaurant?
Taedonggang Seafood Restaurant, Taedonggang District, Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Located along the Taedong River waterfront in central Pyongyang.
Not one usually included in tours from KITC, so therefore extra charge. Well worth the trip though.