Weekend couples' lunch of clay-oven mackerel and pork at Hwadeogeuro

An honest review of Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo, a Sangseo-dong restaurant with easy parking — highly recommend the Korean set meals (visited in August 2026).

I usually buy grilled fish instead of cooking it myself, since parking is easy and grilling fish at home is such a hassle — especially in this heat, when the smoke and smell just take over the kitchen. Among Sintanjin restaurants, this place has built a reputation for its crisp, wood-oven-grilled fish and its varied self-serve bar.

Looking for somewhere easy to eat out with my husband on the weekend, I found this newly opened, clean-looking spot after seeing reviews on Instagram and blogs. It's hygienic and something everyone can enjoy — today I'm introducing Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Sintanjin Branch.

Location, hours, and parking basics

• Location: 490 Sintanjin-ro, Daedeok-gu, Daejeon (396-3 Sangseo-dong)
• Hours: Daily 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m., open year-round
• Group seating, takeout available, separate men's and women's restrooms, self-serve bibimbap and pork cutlet corner

I liked that there's a large parking lot right in front of the restaurant, plus an EV charger, so I could visit without worrying about parking at all. It's convenient even for large vehicles or new drivers.

What's the interior like

Walking into this Sangseo-dong restaurant, I was pleased to see the tables and floors kept spotless, fitting for a recently opened place. The tables are spaced generously, so families with kids or guests using wheelchairs can eat comfortably without worrying about their surroundings.

Inside, there are partitioned booth seats — great for family gatherings, group meet-ups, or date nights. There's a counter near the entrance and the hot wood-fired oven sits behind it. Since the grilled fish is cooked in the oven, you get to enjoy food that's hard to make at home, in a space that's pleasant and cool.

The self-serve side dish bar

All the side dishes are self-serve, which makes it feel like a Korean buffet. Basically, once you order a set, the sides are already there — you don't need to line up from the start. There's a wide variety of seasoned vegetables (namul) and several kinds of kimchi, from crunchy asari kimchi to chonggak kimchi and baechu kimchi. If you run out of rice, there's a big rice cooker at the self-serve corner where you can scoop more.

There's also japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), pork cutlet, french fries, and tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) — dishes kids love too. It really felt like visiting a Korean buffet. At lunchtime, office workers and people of all ages were eating there.

What we ordered and the prices

The menu is quite varied, with grilled fish sets, bulgogi, soups, and other Korean dishes. I ordered the wood-fired grilled mackerel set for 16,000 won and the wood-fired stir-fried pork set for 16,000 won.

The table setting and the pork came out quickly right after ordering, followed by the mackerel. I liked how fast everything arrived — great for office workers on a tight lunch break.

Wood-fired grilled mackerel set

The wood-fired mackerel is grilled at 500°C, so it comes out crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. The typical fishy smell or greasiness was well controlled, and the flesh kept its juicy texture. Grilled fish usually gets tiresome after a few bites for me, but this one was clean-tasting enough that I enjoyed it down to the last piece.

Wood-fired stir-fried pork set

The wood-fired pork set wasn't spicy at all, so it's good for kids too. It's nice with the shredded green onions on the side, but the pork sauce was so tasty that it was even better mixed into rice.

Mixing the seasoned vegetables with the pork and rice, then taking a bite of mackerel alongside it, was pure bliss.

To finish, there's sujeonggwa (cinnamon-persimmon punch), plum tea, and mix coffee for dessert — the perfect way to end the meal.

Final thoughts

A grilled mackerel restaurant that families, groups, kids, and adults alike can all enjoy. Very satisfied! It's a Sintanjin restaurant I'd love to visit again.