Fish restaurant in Manuigol, Incheon: ₩15,000 mackerel & self-bar

Today I visited the Jangsu branch of Sorae-san Hwadeok Saengseon Gui (소래산화덕생선구이), in Manuigol at the entrance to Sorae Mountain! I'm a big fan of grilled fish, and this place doesn't cook on an ordinary pan. It's a grilled fish restaurant that uses a 500℃ yellow-clay oven 😆 Even if you order just the grilled fish set, you get unlimited side dishes, fish cakes, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and drinks, which was a real draw. It's a great spot when you're craving a hearty Korean meal, so let me show you around. 😊

Where is Sorae-san Hwadeok Saengseon Gui's Jangsu branch in Manuigol?

The Jangsu branch is at 5 Manuigol-ro 189beon-gil, Namdong-gu, Incheon, on the 1st floor, in Manuigol at the Sorae Mountain entrance. It's open daily from 10:00 to 22:00. At the entrance there was a sign introducing the stone-pot rice and grilled fish sets.

Savory grilled fish and hot stone-pot rice from ₩15,000! It's good for a filling meal after a hike, and it would work for a family dinner out too, haha.

What are the interior and seating like at Sorae-san Hwadeok Saengseon Gui?

The restaurant is a lot bigger than I expected! There are plenty of tables, and the whole place feels neat and tidy.

What's unlimited at the self-bar?

At the self-bar you can have plum tea, omija tea (five-flavor berry tea), a variety of side dishes, tteokbokki and fish cakes, all unlimited. One of my favorite things was the self-serve drink corner!! Plum tea and omija tea are perfect for finishing a meal, and all unlimited, haha. The cup of omija tea after the meal tasted so rich to me, and knowing it's unlimited made me so happy 😆

The self-bar is seriously well stocked! At most grilled fish places you can only refill things like kimchi or seasoned greens, but here they even had tteokbokki and fish cakes. The sweet-spicy tteokbokki and hot fish cakes are nice as a light snack before the meal, and they go well alongside the grilled fish too!

Sorae-san Hwadeok Saengseon Gui menu and prices

You can get oven-grilled sets with all kinds of fish, from mackerel to flatfish, Atka mackerel, baekdae, Spanish mackerel and hairtail. Here are the prices on the menu.

• Oven-grilled mackerel set: ₩15,000
• Oven-grilled flatfish: ₩15,000
• Oven-grilled Atka mackerel: ₩17,000
• Oven-grilled baekdae (Korean flatfish): ₩17,000
• Oven-grilled Spanish mackerel: ₩17,000
• Oven-grilled hairtail: ₩18,000
• Sorae-san oven-grilled mixed platter: ₩18,000
• Oven-grilled rockfish: ₩20,000
• Japonica eel set: ₩20,000

While waiting for the food I looked over the side dishes, and I was surprised at how many kinds there were.

How was the ₩15,000 oven-grilled mackerel set?

The ₩15,000 oven-grilled mackerel set came with a big, golden-brown mackerel that looked so appetizing 🤤 Unlike ordinary grilled fish, they say the fish here is cooked at a high temperature in a yellow-clay oven.

They apparently grill with oak firewood, which brings out the fish's natural flavor. The mackerel had a lovely grilled color and the skin looked crispy. The fish was quite large too, so it made a filling meal.

Cheonggukjang and stone-pot rice served with the set

The mackerel set comes with cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) in an earthenware pot and stone-pot rice. You can't skip the cheonggukjang served with the fish! The pot had tofu, radish and other ingredients in it. A set this hearty is such great value 😆

And my personal favorite, the stone-pot rice! Instead of plain rice in a bowl, it comes in a stone pot, which made it even more filling. Glossy, freshly cooked-looking rice topped with a piece of savory grilled fish must be a perfect match, right? Finishing with sungnyung (scorched-rice tea) isn't optional, it's a must, haha. You know, right????

A walk around the Sorae Mountain entrance after lunch

After finishing at Sorae-san Hwadeok Saengseon Gui, I looked around and met a cute black cat. There are nice paths for strolling near the Sorae Mountain entrance, so it was good for a light walk after eating. A tasty meal plus a pleasant view made it a lovely outing ☺️

Final verdict on Sorae-san Hwadeok Saengseon Gui, Jangsu branch

The Jangsu branch stood out not only for its grilled fish but also for its many side dishes and self-bar. Especially with grilled fish sets starting at ₩15,000, the whole package felt really generous.