110,000 won sashimi and seafood stew set in Dujeong-dong: Donghae Bada

I went to Cheonan for a test drive of the newly launched Grandeur, and afterward I was craving raw fish so badly! So I stopped by Donghae Bada Hoetjip, a well-known raw fish restaurant in Dujeong-dong, Cheonan.

Where is Donghae Bada Hoetjip, and is there parking?

Donghae Bada Hoetjip is across from Manghyang Bibim Guksu in Dujeong-dong. The parking lot was huge, and unlike lots shared with other restaurants, it's a private lot used only by Donghae Bada. When a restaurant builds a parking lot this big, it's such a convenience for customers, haha.

Another perk is that this place has no break time. Whenever my meal timing gets awkward, I used to search 'Cheonan restaurant no break time' to find somewhere to eat — but I think I'll just come back to Donghae Bada from now on. I visited in late August, still hot out, and they had just started salt-grilled king prawns and gizzard shad.

The fresh sea squirts on display right at the entrance! I didn't get to eat any since they weren't part of my order, but they looked so good.

Donghae Bada Hoetjip menu and prices

The signature dishes are listed on the menu board, and there's an even wider selection on the ordering tablet at the table. I went with the assorted sashimi + seafood stew combo for ₩110,000!

They also sell salt-grilled king prawns (500g) — the big white-legged shrimp! Great price too, and so tempting. I hadn't had grilled prawns yet this year and almost ordered a 500g plate on the side, but I held off after hearing my sashimi + stew combo was already massive.

They even have butter-grilled lobster, wow. If you're looking for lobster in Cheonan, Donghae Bada has you covered.

For reference, you can order sashimi alone or the seafood stew alone as well.

So many extra dishes and drinks on the menu! I wanted to try the fried rice too, but I was way too full by the end...!

What the dining room and private rooms are like on a Sunday evening

I visited on a Sunday evening and the place was packed. A busy restaurant = a good restaurant. There's a private room inside too, which looks great for reservations.

Free side dishes: boiled pork bossam, savoury pancake and grilled herring

They bring out sesame oil dipping sauce to eat with the tuna (if you know, you know — tuna needs sesame oil sauce) along with some good-looking wasabi.

I loved how many side dishes came out — maybe for guests who aren't big on raw fish? There's bossam (boiled pork wraps), buchimgae (savory pancake, and it was genuinely crispy and delicious), and even miyeokguk (seaweed soup).

And then grilled herring shows up as a banchan — I was expecting something like flounder, so getting herring was such a nice surprise. It tasted exactly like gizzard shad... it satisfied my craving for gizzard shad completely.

There was salad too, so I got my veggies in for the day! I skipped the beondegi (silkworm pupae, not my thing), but there was also aged kimchi that goes perfectly with white fish.

The assorted sashimi: sea bass, rockfish and bigeye tuna

My assorted sashimi came out fast, one after another.

The plating, with wooden bowls, stone bowls, and a maple leaf garnish, was so pretty I thought it'd be perfect for a company dinner too.

Unfortunately the server didn't give any info on the fish types or cuts. Sea bass (I'm guessing) — soft yet chewy, seriously delicious.

Rockfish (I'm guessing) — chewy, dense, and truly tasty.

Bigeye tuna (I'm guessing) — didn't seem to be bluefin, more like bigeye. The upper cut, maybe near the gills, was so fatty and delicious. Even the red pieces had zero fishy taste and were just so rich and savory.

They gave us gim (seaweed sheets) too, so I dipped the tuna in sesame oil and wrapped it in gim — seriously so good... (heart)

The seafood stew: octopus, roe, blue crab, nakji and abalone

And then the seafood stew arrived looking absolutely epic. Whoa, that octopus is huge! The tentacles were as big as my fist! Octopus, roe, crab, nakji (baby octopus), abalone — this stew had the entire ocean in it.

After taking photos, the staff came and cut everything up into easy-to-eat pieces for us.

From the crab to the thickest octopus I've ever seen in my life — the tentacles were absolutely massive, lol. I heard bigger octopus costs more, so now I'm curious how many kilos this one was.

I'm not sure which fish the roe was from, but it was the biggest I've ever seen. Comparing it next to chopsticks, you can really see how thick and plump it is! So savory and delicious.

And there was shrimp inside too? Not frozen-shrimp texture at all — it seemed like the same fresh shrimp they use for the grilled king prawns. Fresh right down to the head!

And plenty of my favorite tender nakji packed in there too.

And finally, abalone —! For someone who can't handle much spice, it was slightly spicy but not overwhelming at all, a heat level everyone could enjoy.

Taking the leftover seafood stew home for two more meals

It felt like such a waste to leave the leftovers, so I asked to pack it up. Good thing I did too — once I got home, there was way more seafood hidden inside than it looked like on the table! I ate two full meals at home off of it, lol.

When you ask for leftovers to go, they pack it into containers like this. Since they apparently serve jeongsik sushi at lunch too, mine came in a jeongsik sushi bag.

Wrapping up with the country-of-origin labeling!