Braised mackerel set with kids in Jowon-dong, Suwon: Hwadeogeuro

A Suwon Korean restaurant find, Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Suwon KT Wiz Park Branch — a family meal out.

Last weekend we were in Suwon and had a family meal at Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Suwon KT Wiz Park Branch. Let me introduce this Korean restaurant known for wood-fired grilled fish plus a hearty self-serve bar.

Where is Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Suwon KT Wiz Park Branch, and is there parking?

Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Suwon KT Wiz Park Branch is at 229 Suil-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, about 3 minutes by car from KT Wiz Park in Jowon-dong. It's right next to Jowon High School, so it was easy to find.

It's about 3 minutes by car from KT Wiz Park in Jowon-dong, right next to Jowon High School.

For parking, there's a lot behind the store building you can use.

Weekend lunch wait and what the dining room is like

Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Suwon KT Wiz Park Branch takes up a spacious 2nd floor, so even at weekend lunch we could sit down right away without waiting. You could even see the fish being grilled over the wood fire inside.

There were quite a lot of guests for a weekend lunch, but thankfully the space was large with plenty of tables so we didn't have to wait.

Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, making it bright, comfortable, and clean.

Since it's a wood-fired fish grill place, you could watch the fish being grilled right there.

What is on the self-serve corner?

The self-serve corner at Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Suwon KT Wiz Park Branch is in the center of the restaurant, stocked with tteokbokki (spicy rice cake), freshly made pumpkin jeon (pan-fried pumpkin) and sausage jeon, fried dumplings, and japchae (glass noodle stir-fry). You could also help yourself to sungnyung (scorched rice tea), seaweed soup, Korean side dishes, wrap vegetables, namul, and drinks all from one corner.

There was a self-serve corner right in the center of the restaurant.

Tteokbokki and freshly made pumpkin jeon, sausage jeon,

fried dumplings, japchae, and more — there was a lot to eat. There was also sungnyung and seaweed soup,

and I loved that there were all sorts of Korean side dishes, wrap vegetables, and namul that are great for making bibimbap.

There was even coffee, plum tea, and peach iced tea, so dessert was covered too.

Menu and prices at Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo

Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo offers a variety of grilled fish — mackerel, saury, atka mackerel, Spanish mackerel, hairtail, sea eel — plus a jeyuk (spicy pork) set and braised mackerel with radish, so there were plenty of choices.

What comes with the set: the basic table setting

After ordering, they set up the basic side dishes — kimchi, lotus root, salted seafood — for you. Anything else you want, you can just grab from the self-serve corner yourself.

Grilled mackerel set 16,000 won vs braised mackerel with radish set 18,000 won

We tried two things at Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo: the grilled mackerel set (₩16,000) and the braised mackerel with radish set (₩18,000). One was a clean grilled fish, the other a braise soaked in seasoning — we wanted to try both.

The grilled mackerel is said to come out of a 500-degree wood fire — the skin looked golden and crisp, and honestly mouthwatering.

Wood-fired grilled fish can get dry if it's grilled too long, but here it was grilled just right, so the flesh underneath was still moist.

The flesh was quite thick, and as the savory oils from the salty fish came up, it got more and more delicious the more you chewed.

The flesh was tender, and eating it with warm rice was plenty tasty even without any extra seasoning. Especially since it wasn't fishy at all and was clean-tasting, the kids ate it happily too.

How is the braised mackerel with radish served?

The braised mackerel with radish came with mackerel soaked in a red sauce with big chunks of radish. There were two pieces of mackerel and one large radish chunk, which we cut into bite-sized pieces with scissors.

The seasoning had soaked all the way through, and it was cooked until soft enough to fall apart. Dipping the mackerel flesh generously in the spicy-sweet sauce made it a real rice thief (something that makes you eat more rice than you meant to).

Piling the radish and mackerel on top of warm rice, the spicy, salty sauce added even more savory depth — it was even better that way. In the end, we refilled our rice.

How was it as a family lunch with kids?

Between the savory, flavor-packed grilled fish and the spicy, umami braised mackerel with radish, it was a satisfying family meal at Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Suwon KT Wiz Park Branch. When eating with kids, just the adult menu items can sometimes feel lacking, so it was great that we could also enjoy a range of dishes from the self-serve corner.

Hope this helps if you're looking for a good Korean restaurant or grilled fish spot in Suwon!

Opening hours and last order

Open daily 11:00–21:00, last order at 20:20.