Mokgam-dong loach soup restaurant to visit with kids: Seolak Chueotang

Lately I've been running low on energy from taking care of my kid! So I went out to properly recharge with something hot and hearty — warm chueotang (loach soup) and delicious open-fire grilled fish 🍚

🍚 Seolak Chueotang Hwadeok Saenggeongui Mulwang Reservoir Main Branch 🍚

Seolak Chueotang in Mokgam-dong, Siheung: hours and parking

Seolak Chueotang Hwadeok Saenggeongui Mulwang Reservoir Main Branch is open every day from 10:00 to 21:00, with last order at 20:00. Parking is available in the free space right next to the restaurant.

• ⏰ Hours: Daily 10:00–21:00 (last order 20:00)
• 🚘 Parking: Free space next to the restaurant
• ✅ Baby chair available
• ✅ Microwave for baby food available
• ✅ Takeout available

Where to park and what Seolak Chueotang looks like

You can use the free parking space set up right next to the restaurant! Around Mulwang Reservoir there are plenty of spots where parking is a nightmare 🥹, but here there's a dedicated parking area right next to the place, so I could visit without worrying about parking at all!

Arrived at Seolak Chueotang Hwadeok Saenggeongui in Mokgam-dong!! Let's go in and have some chueotang!

Inside Seolak Chueotang: 2nd-floor tables and the baby-food microwave

True to its reputation as a Mulwang Reservoir favorite! Even though we came early, the place was packed 👀. I guess good restaurants get crowded no matter the time haha. The interior was clean overall, and there were quite a lot of tables, so it looked good for visiting with family too!

And! There were tables set up upstairs too, and the 2nd floor was already packed with people haha. At this point it's a certified real chueotang favorite 👍🏻 With so many tables, they said you can also book ahead for group dinners or gatherings!

And! There was a microwave set up on one side that you could use freely if needed! This is a total win for parents carrying baby food 👍🏻. Great for warming up baby's food, and having this kind of thoughtful amenity made it a good spot to visit with a kid too 🧡

Seolak Chueotang menu and what we ordered

Looking at the menu, there were more types of chueotang than I expected! From the basic chueotang to whole chueotang, snail chueotang, and even abalone chueotang! There was also fried loach, which seems great to enjoy as a side with the soup haha. And besides chueotang, they also served open-fire grilled fish sets — mackerel, atka mackerel, Spanish mackerel, tilefish, and more, all kinds of grilled fish 🐟. FYI, the minimum order is one dish per person, and all menu items are available for takeout!

What we ordered was!

• ✔️ Chueotang
• ✔️ Grilled mackerel set
• ✔️ Fried loach (small)
• ✔️ Zero-sugar cola

Extra side dishes are self-serve at the bar!

Side dishes and kkakdugi (radish kimchi)

The side dishes have arrived!

The kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi) was really... so good! 🥹 It was fermented just right to go with chueotang — crunchy and tangy in the best way. I kept picking at the kkakdugi even before the chueotang arrived haha. Kimchi passed the test first! 👍🏻

How does the chueotang taste? Extra perilla seed powder on request

Our food is here!!! I'm so excited to finally have chueotang after a long time!!!

The chueotang bubbling away looks so delicious!!! It looks amazing just from the visuals!! 🫢🫢 My husband dumped in all the garlic they gave us beforehand!!! Haha

Just so you know, you can add more perilla seed powder if you want!!!

I took one spoonful and... the savory, rich broth spread through my mouth right away, with the deep, thick flavor unique to loach coming through clearly! On top of that, plenty of minced garlic added its sharp aroma, making the broth taste even richer!! 🤤 The hot broth going down my throat filled me up with warmth from the inside 🧡 Totally certified as a chueotang favorite!!!!

The grilled mackerel set: doenjang jjigae and hotpot rice included

And the grilled mackerel set comes with a savory doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) too!!

It was loaded with my beloved tofu too! So savory~~ it was so good!

And both the chueotang and the open-fire grilled fish set come with hotpot rice!!! You get to eat the rice piping hot, and at the end you can pour in water to make scorched rice — hotpot rice is just so good!! 🤎

Scoop out the rice! Pour in the water! Close the lid first! Then eat your meal while waiting!!!! Hehe

Wood-fired mackerel served as a whole fish

The grilled mackerel comes as a whole fish, not just half!!! The flesh was quite thick and generous, perfect to eat with rice! Especially since it was grilled over an open fire, the skin was grilled golden brown while the flesh inside was moist and tender, coming apart easily with the chopsticks 🤤 Putting a spoonful of hot hotpot rice on top of the salty mackerel flesh — this combo is a real rice thief!!

Fried loach and finishing with nurungji (scorched rice)

And the fried loach we ordered!!! Coming all the way to a chueotang favorite, you can't skip trying the fried loach!! 😆 Biting into the crispy fried loach, a nutty flavor bursts out right away, and I couldn't stop reaching for more!!

Once you're done with the rice! Of course you finish with scorched rice!!! 🤎 If there's a little mackerel flesh left over, gently place it on top of the scorched rice for one bite!!! The savory, warm scorched rice with the salty, clean mackerel flesh — this combo is truly

Pure. Bliss.

Is Seolak Chueotang worth a visit? Final thoughts

This visit to Seolak Chueotang Hwadeok Saenggeongui Mulwang Reservoir Main Branch in Mokgam-dong! Do I even need to say it — the chueotang was so good! And the open-fire grilled mackerel came as a whole fish with plenty of flesh, making for a hearty meal together with the hotpot rice 🤎

With chueotang, open-fire grilled fish, and fried loach, the menu is varied enough that a family can each pick what they want to eat 👍🏻. Especially since we visited with our kid, having a baby chair and access to a microwave made it a great place to eat out with a child! It's near Mulwang Reservoir so it's also nice to stop by while out for a drive, and it should be a good reference for anyone looking for good food around Mulwang-ri. Certified as a favorite for chueotang and open-fire grilled fish!!!!