Anyang Korean restaurant for grilled mackerel: Hwaddeugeuro

Grilled fish that feels like too much work to make at home

Every now and then, I crave grilled fish with its nutty, clean flavor, but when I think about cooking it at home, the fish smell that lingers through the whole house makes me hesitate. And no matter how hard I try, it is not easy to get it crisp outside and moist inside at home.

So, wanting delicious grilled fish without worrying about smells or grease, I headed to Hwaddeugeuro Gan Godeungeo Bisan Branch (화덕으로간고등어 비산점).

Location, parking, and hours

Hwaddeugeuro Gan Godeungeo has several branches, and the one I visited is in Bisan-dong, Dongan-gu, Anyang.

It is conveniently located whether you are coming by car or public transportation, so it seemed like a good meeting spot too. You can get two hours of free parking in the building's basement garage—just let the counter know before you leave.

• Location: Kids Mom Center Blue Building 1F, 272 Gwanak-daero, Dongan-gu, Anyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: 11:00–21:30 (last order 20:40; closures announced separately)
• Parking: Free parking in the building basement garage (2-hour parking support)
• Note: The entire inner window room can be booked for groups of 22 or more

A spacious dining room for group gatherings, too

As soon as I stepped inside, I could see the pleasant, roomy space and Hwaddeugeuro Gan Godeungeo's large wood-fired oven. There was plenty of room between seats and lots of tables, so it did not feel cramped at all.

Because the space is so large, it seemed well suited not only to family meals but also to bigger group get-togethers or company dinners. The inner room can also be booked for groups of 22 or more, so keep that in mind.

Grilled Spanish mackerel, spicy direct-flame pork, and a self-serve bar

We could order at the kiosk, and we ordered the restaurant's signature grilled Spanish mackerel set meal along with the wood-fired direct-flame grilled pork. I also liked that you can choose your rice when ordering; between white rice and brown rice, I chose brown rice.

After ordering, a generous selection of neatly arranged basic side dishes came out with the table setting.

You can refill any side dishes you run out of at the self-serve bar as many times as you like. There is also tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), which does not come with the table setting, so make sure you check it out!

There is a bibimbap (mixed rice) station among the offerings, and as someone who loves bibimbap, I especially liked the wide variety of vegetables available to mix in.

Crisp and mild grilled Spanish mackerel

The grilled Spanish mackerel set meal is cooked in a high-temperature wood-fired oven over 500°C, giving it a golden, crisp exterior and a mild flavor.

They say they season it with salt that has been drained for more than 10 years. Maybe that is why it was not overly salty, just pleasantly seasoned, and the Spanish mackerel's naturally mild, nutty flavor came through nicely. I also saw many tables with young children ordering grilled fish to share.

Wood-fired direct-flame grilled pork with a subtle smoky aroma

Next came the wood-fired direct-flame grilled pork, seasoned with a spicy sauce and a subtle smoky aroma. As someone with a low spice tolerance, I found it a little spicy, but alternating bites of pork and grilled Spanish mackerel made for such a good combination that I really enjoyed it.

From wood-fired grilled fish that is crisp outside and moist inside—a taste that is hard to recreate at home—to smoky grilled pork and neatly prepared vegetable bibimbap, this is a place for a satisfying meal. If grilling fish at home usually feels like a burden, or you are looking for an Anyang restaurant where everyone from children to adults can dine together, I recommend visiting Hwaddeugeuro Gan Godeungeo.