Fish grill set meals compared: mackerel, atka & Spanish mackerel

I finally visited a grilled fish place I'd only heard about around the neighborhood. I tried the grilled mackerel set meal, the Spanish mackerel set meal, and the atka mackerel set meal — here's my review~

Location and hours of Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Bansang Handaeap Station Branch

• Location: 1 Songho 1-gil, Sangnok-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 1st floor
• Parking: Available / space for about 4 cars next to the restaurant
• Hours: Daily 10:30–21:30
• Break time: 15:00–16:00
• Last order: 21:00

The exterior and interior

Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Bansang Handaeap Station Branch is located in an eatery alley near Songho High School. It's right at the entrance of the alley so it's easy to spot.

There's a parking space next to the restaurant that fits about 4 cars, so I parked and went in haha. If it's full, you'd probably need to park on the nearby street.

The interior was really clean and had a bright feel.

The windows are big so a lot of sunlight comes in, making it feel even brighter haha. The tables were spaced well apart too.

Even after the busy lunch hour, there was a steady stream of customers.

There was a self-serve corner on one side, set up so you can refill the side dishes and lettuce wraps that come with the grilled fish.

True to the restaurant's name haha, there's a big wood-fire oven, so I snapped a photo! The fish really is grilled in the wood-fire oven, which was cool to see.

Menu and ordering system

I checked the menu on a standing sign at the entrance before going in — it had photos and prices, so it was really intuitive.

Each table has a tablet, and the system runs from ordering the menu all the way to payment.

Grilled mackerel, atka mackerel, and Spanish mackerel set meals — one each for three of us

There were three of us, so we each ordered a different menu item: the grilled mackerel set meal, the grilled Spanish mackerel set meal, and the grilled atka mackerel set meal.

Grilled mackerel set meal

First up, the grilled mackerel set meal! You can feel the pride in the restaurant's very name with this one haha. The outside was crispy and golden, the inside moist. The fatty, savory flavor unique to mackerel really came through, and the salty seasoning paired perfectly with rice.

Grilled atka mackerel set meal

This is the grilled atka mackerel set meal! There was genuinely no fishy taste at all — just the right balance of oiliness and lean, clean flavor. The flesh was flaky and not dry, but still had a moist feel.

Grilled Spanish mackerel set meal

Lastly, the grilled Spanish mackerel set meal! The flesh was the thickest of the three, and it was lean and clean through and through... When you took a big bite, it broke apart softly along its grain, with a subtle savory taste that made it easy to eat without feeling heavy.

Aerial shot, click! Since these are set meals, each of us got a tray with grilled fish, rice, soup, and side dishes haha. All three had almost no fishy smell and a clean flavor, which was really satisfying.

The mackerel — need I say more? Haha. It wasn't hard or dry at all, and that rich, oily fish flavor was truly the best...!

With the atka mackerel, once you remove the big bones first, the flesh is really easy to eat.

I hadn't had Spanish mackerel in a while, and that clean, lean grilled-fish flavor was so appealing, ㅜㅜ

Seaweed soup, side dishes, and lettuce wraps

The seaweed soup exceeded expectations too. It has a clean flavor that doesn't get in the way of enjoying the grilled fish, but is still totally moreish.

There were four side dishes, and eating them with the fish, I especially kept reaching for the zucchini side dish haha. It wasn't just simply stir-fried in oil — it had a slight kick of spice, which was perfect to eat every now and then between bites of fish.

And a surprisingly delicious combo was lettuce wrap plus grilled fish. Flaking off some fish, putting it on a lettuce leaf with a bit of rice, and wrapping it up added a clean, crunchy texture that made for a fun, different way to eat it haha.

Final thoughts — which of the three was the best?

A place where you can properly enjoy delicious grilled fish. The owner was kind too, so everyone in our group was satisfied!

We tried mackerel, atka mackerel, and Spanish mackerel, and each had slightly different texture and flavor, which made it fun to pick and choose haha. The mackerel had the most noticeably rich, savory flavor, the atka mackerel had a nice clean, flaky texture, and the Spanish mackerel had thick, tender flesh that was especially great with rice!

The owner told us, 'Mackerel, then atka mackerel, then Spanish mackerel is the order of deliciousness, right?' but honestly I liked all three...haha. It's hard to grill fish well at home, so I'm glad I found a great grilled fish place! If you're craving grilled fish, I recommend Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Bansang Handaeap Station Branch!