Hwaseong grilled fish restaurant with whole extra mackerel: Hwadamga

Hwadamga in 3 seconds

• Key info: a sponsored visit to Hwadamga, a wood-fired grilled fish and fire-grilled pork specialist in Bongdam, Hwaseong, known for that crispy-outside, juicy-inside fish
• Ordered: wood-fired mackerel set + fire-grilled pork set + extra mackerel (with the self-serve bar filling out the feast)
• Visit tip: adding mackerel gets you a big whole fish instead of cut pieces, so you can eat generously with one whole mackerel per person

Where is Hwadamga in Bongdam, Hwaseong?

Hwadamga is a wood-fired grilled fish and fire-grilled pork restaurant in Bongdam-eup, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi. Sometimes I crave properly done wood-fired grilled fish — crispy outside, juicy inside — and I'd heard there was a place doing it really right in Hwaseong, so I went to check it out.

(Address: 1st floor, 439 Maebong-ro, Bongdam-eup, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea) The name itself, Hwadamga (화담가), sounds tidy, and it turned out to already be a well-known word-of-mouth favorite among locals.

There's plenty of parking out front, which made driving there really convenient. When I have the car, I tend to avoid places with awkward parking no matter how good the food is, so no parking worries here was already a plus.

Inside Hwadamga and its self-serve side bar

Walking into Hwadamga, the interior was just as spacious as the exterior suggested, with tables comfortably spaced apart — it looked perfect for a family meal or a group gathering.

One of this place's biggest draws is the self-serve bar. Neat, homemade-tasting side dishes were set out cleanly, so you can pile your plate as high as you want without feeling self-conscious. There's a good variety, each one clearly made with care, so chopsticks were already busy before the main dishes even arrived.

Mackerel set, fire-grilled pork set and the extra mackerel

At Hwadamga I ordered a full spread: the wood-fired mackerel set, the fire-grilled pork set, and topped it off with extra mackerel.

Wood-fired mackerel set with an extra whole mackerel

• Maybe because it's grilled in the wood-fire oven, there was zero fishy smell and the excess oil was properly rendered out — textbook crispy-outside, juicy-inside.
• The flesh was thick and moist, so every bite was a pleasure to chew.
• Best of all, the extra mackerel came out as a whole fish instead of cut pieces, big enough that the two of us didn't have to fight over it — we genuinely got to have one whole mackerel each.

Fire-grilled pork set paired with the side bar

• Grilled fish alone can get a bit plain, but adding the smoky, fire-grilled pork made for a perfect sweet-salty-spicy balance.
• The meat wasn't dry at all and had that subtle charred flavor — total rice thief.
• Piling the side dishes from the self-serve bar all over the table made for a feast that had nothing to envy from a royal court meal.

Is Hwadamga worth the trip? Final verdict

If you want a proper grilled fish spread in Hwaseong, I'd recommend this place without hesitation. The combo of crispy-outside, juicy-inside wood-fired mackerel and smoky fire-grilled pork, plus the generous self-serve bar — nothing was lacking. If you love fish, I strongly suggest adding mackerel and making it a whole fish per person. I'm planning to come back soon with my parents.

Frequently asked questions

Does the self-serve bar at Hwadamga cost extra?

If you order any set menu, the self-serve bar is free to use as much as you like. You can help yourself to fresh, neatly prepared side dishes, which makes it excellent value.

How much fish do you get when you add an extra mackerel?

When you add mackerel, you get a large, fresh whole fish grilled in the wood-fire oven rather than cut pieces, so the portion is very generous.