Ansan fish grill restaurant with thick Spanish mackerel: Hwadeogeuro

My husband and I really love grilled fish, so we grill it at home quite often. But once you grill mackerel or fish at home, the smell just does not leave easily no matter how much you air the place out, and dealing with it afterward is tough. 😂 So when we eat out, we sometimes go to a grilled-fish restaurant instead. This time, my husband and I found a place we were both so happy with that I had to introduce it!

It is Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Bansang Handaeap Station Branch (화덕으로간고등어반상 한대앞역점), a premium grilled-fish specialist newly opened near Handaeap Station. It is a great Ansan spot where fish is grilled in a 500°C wood-fired oven, so it is crisp outside and moist inside! It even has a self-serve side-dish bar, so the spread was much more substantial than I expected.

Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Bansang Handaeap Station Branch: Basics

It is at 1 Songho 1-gil, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, and is open daily from 10:30 to 21:30. Break time is 15:00–16:00, last order is at 21:00, and you can use the ground-level parking lot in front of the building. 🚗

A clean, comfortable interior without the smell of grilling fish

First of all, I was surprised by how spotless and clean it was. I actually thought, “Is this really a grilled-fish restaurant?”

Normally, grilled-fish restaurants are filled with the smell and smoke of cooking fish, and the odor clings to your clothes. Maybe because the fish is oven-fired, there was no fishy smell or grilling smell at all. As you would expect from a newly opened grilled-fish restaurant near Handaeap Station in Ansan, the interior was extremely neat and clean. The tables were well spaced, and there were all kinds of seating options.

There are large tables too, so I highly, highly recommend it for an Ansan family meal with parents or children! There were lots of families visiting with children when I went as well.

There were also dedicated one-person seats by the window for solo diners! These days, lots of people want a proper, healthy meal even when eating alone, so I think it would be great for anyone looking for a good solo meal near Handaeap Station. You can easily order and pay at the kiosk at each table.

A varied menu, from grilled fish to kids' meals

The menu had much more than grilled fish: spicy pollock roe stew, braises, tteokgalbi (Korean grilled meat patties), eel rice bowls, spicy pork rice bowls, and even pizza! Along with individual set meals, there were set menus for sharing several dishes and kids' meals, so families can choose according to everyone’s tastes.

• Wood-fired mackerel set meal ₩13,000
• Wood-fired Spanish mackerel set meal ₩16,000
• Wood-fired atka mackerel set meal ₩15,000
• Wood-fired spicy pork set meal ₩13,000
• Eel rice bowl set meal ₩16,000
• Spicy pollock roe stew set meal ₩13,000
• Tteokgalbi set meal ₩12,000
• Kids' mackerel set meal or kids' tteokgalbi set meal (preschool children) ₩9,000 each
• Wood-fired Gorgonzola pizza ₩14,900

I also loved that they have kids’ and side menus! Just a note: the delivery-menu prices shown on Naver differed a little from the in-store prices. The prices I wrote down are what I confirmed at the restaurant, so please keep that in mind! Delivery orders kept coming in while we ate. Grilling fish at home can mean odors and a lot of cleanup, so on those days, it would be nice to order wood-fired grilled fish for delivery and eat comfortably at home. :)

What is at the unlimited self-serve bar?

One thing I liked about Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Bansang Handaeap Station Branch was the unlimited self-serve bar! It had a variety of items, including lettuce, seasoned deodeok (bellflower root), young radish kimchi, black-sesame lotus root, garlic scapes, and japchae (stir-fried glass noodles). True to a good Ansan Korean restaurant, we could enjoy not only grilled fish but lots of side dishes too, making for a genuinely healthy and generous meal!

At first I wondered, why would a grilled-fish restaurant need lettuce? They do have spicy stir-fried pork on the menu, but wrapping grilled fish in lettuce was honestly so delicious! Haha. We eat fish at home often, but I had never thought of wrapping it in lettuce. I am going to try it this way at home from now on!

Wood-fired mackerel and Spanish mackerel set meals

You can see the truly huge wood-fired oven in the kitchen—right there!! You can watch them grill the fish in it. According to the restaurant, the fish is cooked in the 500°C oven to preserve its natural moisture and juiciness, then seasoned with salt that has been aged to drain its brine for more than 10 years. I had only grilled fish at home in a frying pan or air fryer, so I was really curious about fish cooked fresh in a wood-fired oven haha.

First, my husband’s grilled mackerel arrived. The tray came with side dishes, miyeokguk (seaweed soup), and grilled fish, and it was all served so neatly and beautifully!! 😍 A presentation that immediately makes you happy!! It felt like being treated to grilled fish rather than simply having a meal.

It had been cooked beautifully in the wood-fired oven, starting with the golden-brown skin. The outside was crisp while the inside was moist rather than dry, so my husband absolutely wolfed it down, haha. If you want delicious grilled fish near Handaeap Station, I really, really recommend it!

Then came the grilled Spanish mackerel I ordered—wow... I was so surprised when I saw its size haha. Oh my goodness... It was so big and thick that I wondered whether I could finish it alone. Unlike mackerel’s rich, oily flavor, Spanish mackerel is appealing for its clean taste and thick flesh, right? It was seriously so thick... you really have to see it to understand! The photos do not capture that thickness at all 😂

It came out beautifully golden brown on both sides after being grilled in the wood-fired oven.

A bite of Spanish mackerel with rice and a little wasabi was so delicious, but...

It was also incredibly good dipped in wasabi sauce, wrapped in lettuce, and topped with ssamjang (savory dipping paste) made with ground soybean pulp! The Spanish mackerel was really so huge that I could not finish it alone, so my husband and I shared it haha.

The miyeokguk that came with it was not overly seasoned either, and it paired so nicely with the fish!

Both the mackerel and Spanish mackerel were delicious, so even on my next visit, I think I would order one of each like this! My nieces and nephews love grilled fish too, so I absolutely have to come back with them and my parents.

Why I recommend it for family meals or solo dining

There are many types of fish, plus pizza, spicy pollock roe stew, tteokgalbi, and spicy stir-fried pork to eat alongside it, so it would be great for families or groups too. Above all, there is wood-fired grilled fish and a self-serve bar where you can enjoy as many different side dishes as you like!! We left feeling like we had truly enjoyed a proper grilled-fish meal! 😊

The restaurant is clean and comfortable, so it would be lovely to bring your parents. I would recommend it for a family meal or when you want a hearty meal alone! If you are looking for delicious grilled fish in Ansan, make sure to visit Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Bansang Handaeap Station Branch at least once!