Goyang fish restaurant with serving-robot hall for groups: Min Cook

I was looking for a solid meal on the Goyang side and ended up going for grilled fish for the first time in a while. This time I visited Min Cook Apbadang in Seongsa-dong.

If you like grilled fish, you may have heard of this place before — its defining feature is that the fish served on the grill changes with the season. I visited after hearing you could taste several kinds of fish in one sitting, and after actually eating there, it felt less like a place that just grills you one fish and more like a full Korean-style spread with proper banchan (side dishes) and rice.

Where Min Cook Apbadang Seongsa is, plus parking and hours

Address 60-1 Heungdo-ro 415beon-gil, Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea ⏰ Hours Tuesday–Friday 10:50 ~ 21:00 Saturday–Sunday 10:50 ~ 20:30 (Closed every Monday) 🚗 Parking Parking available around the restaurant and in a dedicated lot

It's a decent spot to stop for a meal after visiting IKEA Goyang or a nearby golf course, and it wasn't stressful to get to by car either.

What I liked most was the parking. There's space set aside around the restaurant, so it was fairly easy to use even if you drive there.

A wide hall for family gatherings, with a serving robot

Once inside, the space was noticeably bigger than it looked from outside.

The gaps between tables weren't cramped either, so it looked fine for dining with several people, and I actually saw a lot of families there.

Overall the vibe was clean and comfortable, so it felt like a fine spot for a meal with parents or a family outing.

Ordering was easy to do right at the table, and while waiting for the food I got to see a serving robot in action.

A traditional grilled fish spread alongside a robot felt like a slightly novel combination.

Which fish comes in the seasonal grilled fish set?

The menu I ordered here was the seasonal grilled fish set. At Min Cook Apbadang, the fish served changes depending on the season or what's available that day.

So it's not the same fish every time you visit — you get to try several kinds that happen to be good that day, which I found fun.

On my visit, several kinds of fish came out together, including cod and flounder.

The fish were quite large too, so there was never a feeling of not having enough to eat. But what impressed me as much as the fish itself were the side dishes.

Self-bar banchan and the buckwheat pancake that arrives first

The table was set with a variety of banchan including namul (seasoned vegetables), japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), kimchi, salad, and doenjang soup, along with wrapping greens you could add according to taste.

Best of all, you could go back to the self-bar for more banchan whenever you wanted.

Rather than piling your plate high at the start, you could try a bit of everything first and go back for more of what you liked.

Personally, the namul dishes were quite good. Eating rice alongside grilled fish, the light, clean-tasting vegetables worked well to reset my palate in between bites. Before the main grilled fish arrived, a buckwheat pancake came out first, thinly fried so it was easy to eat without feeling heavy.

The outside was slightly crisp and the inside light, making it good to pick at while waiting for the meal. Having these small extras alongside made the meal feel much more substantial than just eating grilled fish on its own.

How did the cod and flounder taste?

When the main dish finally arrived, big fish filled the whole table. The outside was grilled to a golden brown, and pulling the flesh apart with chopsticks showed it was moist inside.

Each fish had a slightly different texture, so it was more fun to switch between several kinds rather than just eating one type start to finish.

The cod had thick, tender flesh that went well with rice, while the flounder was light yet moist.

Overall the seasoning wasn't heavy, so it was easy to taste the fish itself. Rather than relying on a salty sauce for strong flavor, it leaned toward grilling the fish well and letting its natural flavor come through.

If you like grilled fish, I think you'd especially enjoy this clean, light style.

Finishing the meal with sotbap and sungnyung

The rice came out as warm sotbap (hot pot rice) rather than a plain rice bowl.

Piling flaked fish on top of the rice with a bit of namul or jeotgal (salted seafood) was plenty tasty without needing extra side dishes. And of course, sotbap has to end with sungnyung.

After eating some of the rice, pouring in hot water to make sungnyung left my stomach feeling settled even after eating my fill of grilled fish.

Who should book Min Cook Apbadang Seongsa, and when

This Seongsa-dong spot, Min Cook Apbadang, felt less like a place defined by grilled fish alone and more like a full Korean-style spread bringing together seasonal fish, various banchan, and sotbap.

What I especially liked was being able to try several kinds of fish at once,

and being able to add more banchan from the self-bar meant there was never a shortage during the meal.

Grilling fish at home is oddly troublesome because of the smell and cleanup, so being able to eat several kinds of neatly grilled fish at once is one of the perks of eating out.

If you're looking for somewhere to eat with family in Seongsa-dong, Goyang, want a light Korean-style meal with your parents, or need a filling meal near IKEA Goyang, this is a place worth stopping by.

Above all, since the fish lineup changes with the season,

it seems like I'd get to try different fish on my next visit, so I'm already looking forward to finding out what will be on the grill next time.