Grilled fish restaurant in Suyeong, Busan: 5-fish set at Hanbada

A grilled fish restaurant with 50 years of tradition.

Because the fish is half-dried, it's chewy yet crispy. Let's head to the restaurant first.

How to get to Hanbada Suyeong Main Branch

Hanbada Suyeong Main Branch is at 699 Suyeong-ro, Dion Place 103, Suyeong-gu, Busan, within walking distance of Suyeong Station. The restaurant is on the 2nd floor, so you have to go up.

Looks like it won't rain for a while.

A green village bus.

Where's the elevator... where...

Mia unni's leg hurts but she has to climb the stairs anyway. Groaning the whole way up.

Inside Hanbada: 2nd-floor atmosphere and seating

The 2nd floor of Hanbada Suyeong Main Branch has a wood-toned interior with lots of plants, and partitions beside the tables so you don't feel the neighboring seats. The window seats have a nice view looking down on the road.

Coming up here feels like a different world — the view is great since it's on the 2nd floor. Mimi, who arrived first, was sitting by the window. I said let's sit inside instead, not here, and we moved seats. Window seats are nice, inside seats are nice too.

Even though it's a building right on the road, there are lots of plants, and with what must be an air purifier running, breathing here is really pleasant.

It feels comfortable. This could work as a group seating area too. They apparently do private bookings for groups too (inquire directly).

There are partitions beside the tables so you can tune out the neighboring seats.

Speaking of fish, I start thinking about drinks.

What fish comes in the 50,000 won set for 3?

Wild Half-Dried Grilled Fish Set (for 3) Patented 50-year-old half-dried grilling method & a refreshing seasonal soup

The fish soon arrives. Hanbada Suyeong Main Branch, said to have 50 years of tradition, is a grilled fish restaurant now run across three generations.

From left: mackerel, red seabream, flounder, cutlassfish, and yellow corvina.

Plump and meaty. When grilling fish, a small slit on the back helps it cook through evenly to the inside. I used to grill fish myself once upon a time... it's been ages since I've grilled fish... but now fish grilled by someone else tastes better.

Eating it with pickled chili peppers on the side makes it cleaner and even tastier.

A glass of makgeolli and Hanbada's story since 1957

At Hanbada Suyeong Main Branch, the grilled fish set comes with a glass of makgeolli (Korean rice wine). Inside the restaurant, there's a display telling the shop's story going back to 1957.

This is really nice. At samgyetang places you get ginseng liquor, which is great, but here at Hanbada you get a glass of makgeolli — totally touched by that. It seems to have some sweet medicinal herbs in it, easy to drink. Not sure exactly what's in it...

A heartwarming story. Hanbada's love passed down from grandfather to grandson. It's written that they're grateful for and cherish everything that comes from the sea, and believe in filling every set with fresh, healthy seafood for every guest who visits.

I made a short clip with some thoughts about the taste. I asked Mimi to say a word about how it tasted but she declined. So I put in Mia unni's voice instead — she said it's crispy and chewy, so you keep reaching for more.

Side dishes, rice and who eats at Hanbada

The set at Hanbada Suyeong Main Branch comes with tangy cucumber salad, seasoned fish cake, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), and salted seafood side dishes, plus a heaping bowl of rice. We had a reservation before visiting.

When we walked in, six or seven people were already eating. Even after we sat down, more groups of two and three kept coming in. It felt like the kind of place people keep coming back to once they've been.

We came with a reservation.

Mia unni's words: you have to eat plenty of seafood.

The cucumbers were thinly sliced and dressed tangy. Eating something with vinegar every day, they say, keeps colds away.

The nutty fish cake salad and the generous portion of japchae kept us eating for a while.

Ordering the set for three of us to share made for a hearty meal.

The rice was piled high too. A lot of it.

Seasonal soup with fresh anglerfish at the bottom

The set comes with a soup too — the anglerfish sits at the bottom, topped with a heap of minari (water celery) and bean sprouts.

A soup came out as the broth dish. The anglerfish was underneath. Mia unni said, "That's fresh anglerfish." Mimi asked, "Can you tell just by looking?" She said, "Yep." Mia unni's eaten enough of it that she can tell at a glance.

Topped with minari, and loaded with bean sprouts. The combination of grilled fish and anglerfish soup is clean and easy to eat.

Hanbada Suyeong Main Branch hours and parking

• Hours 11:00-22:00, break time 15:00-17:00, no break time on Sundays
• Last order at 21:00
• Facilities & services: group seating available, reservations, wifi, high chairs, takeout, delivery, disabled parking spot
• No pets allowed, no corkage
• Parking: free parking in the building (mechanical parking system), up to 1.5 hours free. Large SUVs and vans may have trouble entering/parking
• About: three generations of a fishing family's dedication, a half-dried grilled fish specialist with 50 years of tradition. Uses a patented salting method and seasonal fish
• Other menu items: fresh anglerfish steamed dish, boiled anglerfish