Cheonan Love Card payback at Dujeong-dong sashimi spot Donghae Bada

+ paid for with my own money

This weekend I took my parents out to Donghae Bada Hoetjip (동해바다횟집) in Dujeong-dong, Cheonan. It's a place where you can enjoy chewy, in-season raw fish and a hearty, spicy seafood stew all in one meal! With a big dedicated parking lot and private rooms, it seemed like the perfect spot for a proper family gathering with my parents, so I went to check it out haha. So let me get right into the review after a meal that left the table groaning under the food!

Where is Donghae Bada Hoetjip? Parking and opening hours

Donghae Bada Hoetjip is at 1F, 5-11 Neulpureun 6-gil, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do (602 Dujeong-dong), open daily from 11:30 to 22:00. There's a wide dedicated parking lot right in front of the building, so even though it's in the busy Dujeong-dong restaurant street, parking was surprisingly easy.

• By public transit: about a 3-minute walk from the bus stop after getting off bus 14
• By car: about 8 minutes from Dujeong Station
• Parking: dedicated lot right in front of the building, very convenient
• Nearby: near Baekseok The Sharp Apartment and Dujeong Segwang & Richville, across from Baekseok-dong Manghyang Bibim Guksu
• Discount tip: Cheonan Love Card accepted (about 10% payback)

We finally arrived at Donghae Bada Hoetjip! There's a spacious dedicated parking area right in front of the restaurant, so even in the crowded Dujeong-dong restaurant street, we didn't have to worry about parking at all.

Private rooms and baby chairs: inside Donghae Bada Hoetjip

Inside, Donghae Bada Hoetjip is divided into a spacious wood-toned hall and private rooms set along the walls. Baby chairs are available too, so it worked well for a family outing with both parents and a little one.

The interior overall has a warm, bright wood-tone design that felt cozy, and it was clean and comfortable with not a hint of fishy smell. The tables in the hall were spaced generously too, so we could eat at ease without worrying about the next table over. The private rooms set along the wall especially seemed great for anyone who wants a quiet meal. There were also baby chairs well set up in one corner for families, so I thought it would be a great spot for a family meal on an important day, whether you're bringing your parents or your kids haha.

Tablet ordering and the sashimi platter + seafood stew set for 3

Donghae Bada Hoetjip has a tablet ordering device installed at every table, so ordering is simple. We went straight for the sashimi platter + seafood stew set for three, the best-value combo we'd already picked out before arriving.

Each table has its own tablet ordering machine, so ordering was so convenient! From the sashimi platter to various à la carte sashimi and seafood dishes, the lineup was substantial, and everything was laid out clearly on screen — my parents took one look and said ordering was so straightforward, they loved it haha. We quickly placed our order for the sashimi platter + seafood stew set for three, the best-value combo we'd been planning to get before we even arrived!

What comes on the sashimi platter, plus the banchan (side dishes)

Donghae Bada Hoetjip's sashimi platter came out on a wooden tray over jade stones, piled thick with flounder, sea bream, tuna belly, swordfish belly, and even jeoksin (fatty tuna cheek meat), cut generously by part. The basic side dishes — seafood pancake, bossam (boiled pork), seaweed soup, herring grill — were a compact, no-filler lineup that all got picked at.

The moment we'd been waiting for — the main sashimi platter arrived! Neatly arranged jade stones sat inside the wooden tray, piled high with thick-cut sashimi by part, and the plating alone felt like a high-end Japanese restaurant. It wasn't just a few pieces of standard raw fish; the lineup was genuinely substantial. Chewy, springy flounder sashimi was a given, and there was sea bream with the skin (maskawa) left on for a nice chewy texture, along with pink tuna belly that melted in your mouth, swordfish belly, and jeoksin, all mixed in! They piled on refreshing lemon slices and fresh radish sprouts in the middle too, perfect for pairing with the fish.

The basic side dishes were especially great! There weren't a huge number of items, but each one was exactly the kind you'd reach for, served cleanly. There was freshly pan-fried, crispy seafood pancake, and tender bossam served with sweet-and-spicy pickled radish, perfect for anyone missing having meat on the table. The seaweed soup, served piping hot in a stone pot, had a deep, clean broth that was great for settling the stomach before the meal. The plump grilled herring was oily and savory — so good. On top of that there was crunchy salad and salty, nostalgia-inducing beondegi (silkworm pupae) that you just keep picking at one by one... They even set out a clean stack of Wando gim (dried seaweed) for wrapping the tuna sashimi, so our chopsticks were busy even before the raw fish itself arrived haha.

The moment of truth — a piece of tuna sashimi! I laid down a crispy sheet of the Wando gim they'd given us, placed a piece of the fatty tuna belly with its gorgeous rosy marbling on top, added a touch of fresh wasabi, and dipped it in the oil-based sauce... Wow...! The savoriness hit me the second it went in my mouth, honestly incredible. Anyone who loves tuna sashimi is guaranteed to cheer over this one!

The seafood stew arrives fully prepped by the staff

As soon as Donghae Bada Hoetjip's seafood stew was served, a staff member used tongs and scissors to cut the whole squid, octopus legs, and conch into bite-sized pieces right at the table. Packed with whole crab, egg roe, and abalone, the portion was generous, and the sauce had a savory, spicy-and-tangy kick.

Right as we were happily deep into the sashimi, another main star arrived — the seafood stew! A huge plate came out piled high with a mountain of red-sauced seafood, and I was floored by the sheer visual the second I saw it, haha.

The moment it was served, a staff member picked up tongs and scissors and, with dazzling knife-and-scissor work, cut everything down into big, easy-to-eat pieces — whole squid, octopus legs, conch, all of it — so we didn't have to lift a finger, just pick it up and eat. So convenient, and honestly such a treat (when you're dining with your parents, this kind of thoughtful service is the best, right? haha). Starting with a whole crab and moving through thick, chewy octopus legs, whole squid, curly savory egg roe, and big chunks of abalone, it was loaded with every kind of seafood. The sauce wasn't an artificial capsaicin-style heat either — it was a savory, deeply flavorful spicy-and-tangy kick! (Those who can't handle spice, be warned...!) (Honestly, exactly my style haha)

Why the seafood stew fried rice is a must at Donghae Bada Hoetjip

The seafood stew sauce was too good to pass up! So we immediately added the fried rice haha. They mixed the leftover sauce right on the flat pan, loaded it with seaweed flakes, flying fish roe, and sesame oil, spread it out thin, and brought it over. Left to crisp slightly on the bottom, then scraped up with a spoon, it was bursting with savoriness from the popping flying fish roe. My parents kept saying they were full but never put their spoons down, haha. We ended up scraping the pan clean to the very bottom. If you order the seafood stew, this fried rice is absolutely a must.

Free snow crab tempura from the receipt review event

There was a receipt review event notice on Donghae Bada Hoetjip's tablet, and after joining right away, they brought out four pieces of freshly fried crab tempura. Crisp on the outside, packed with crab meat inside — definitely worth grabbing if you visit.

The crab tempura was especially crispy and delicious! I noticed a receipt review event notice on the ordering tablet, so I joined right away. Sure enough, they brought out four plump pieces of freshly fried crab tempura! The outside was audibly crispy, and the inside was packed with soft, sweet crab meat — genuinely touching. Taking a bite while it was still hot, the savoriness was incredible! If you visit, definitely take part in this generous event and grab some for yourself haha.

After a delicious meal, there's a coffee machine and a mix-coffee vending machine near the exit! You have to have a coffee to freshen up after the spicy seafood stew, right? There were also small tables and chairs set up right outside the restaurant. I saw other customers sitting there chatting over coffee, so I snapped a picture of my own cup too, haha.

Is Donghae Bada Hoetjip worth it? Final thoughts

It's usually hard to find a raw fish restaurant where the seafood stew is also top-notch, but Donghae Bada Hoetjip's sashimi platter + seafood stew set in Cheonan let us enjoy fresh raw fish and a hearty stew dish at the same time — the best of both freshness and quality, haha. With ample parking and no stress about finding a spot, plus well-equipped private rooms, if you're looking for a generous, delicious seafood gathering spot in Dujeong-dong, Cheonan, this is well worth a visit!