Hwaseong Korean BBQ restaurant for relaxed group dinners: Hwadamga

Not long ago, I went out for pork belly with some friends. This time, we went to Hwadamga (화담가) in Bongdam, not far from Suwon.

When I think of a Korean BBQ restaurant, I usually picture a noisy place filled with the smell of grilling meat. But this place felt a little different the moment we walked in. With its clean, calm atmosphere, lighting, and wood-toned interior, it felt more like a Korean restaurant made for gatherings than a barbecue place. That probably made it especially nice to sit with my friends, chat, and take our time over dinner.

A Korean BBQ restaurant with a genuinely nice atmosphere

Inside, wood-toned tables, green seats, and rattan lights all came together nicely. There was enough space between tables that it did not feel cramped, and above all, there was less of that hectic atmosphere typical of Korean BBQ restaurants.

When you meet friends in a group, the food matters, but you end up sitting and talking for a long time anyway. In that sense, it was quite comfortable. Looking back at the photos, it also feels like they put thought into every light fixture. It suited those days when you want Korean BBQ but want to avoid somewhere overly noisy, or when you want a more relaxed meal with friends or acquaintances.

The side dishes won me over first

I also liked the side dishes set out on the table before the meat arrived. There was seasoned bean sprout salad, greens, pickled vegetables, kimchi, and ssam vegetables for wrapping meat—everything you would want alongside pork.

Personally, I tend to care about side dishes as much as the meat when I go to Korean BBQ, and these were so neat and tasty that I kept reaching for them. I did not just have them once; I went back to the self-serve bar two, even three times for the ones I liked. If you enjoy vegetables or seasoned greens with your meat, I think you would be pretty satisfied.

How I used the self-serve bar

It was convenient that I could get more side dishes myself instead of asking the staff every time. The self-serve bar had a separate area for rice and side dishes.

Whenever you eat, there always seems to be one side dish you especially love. That day, I kept going back for different kinds in rotation.

I came here for meat—why am I eating this many side dishes?

That was honestly how it felt. But changing up the seasoned greens or kimchi on a piece of well-grilled pork belly made the same meat taste a little different each time, which was great.

Par-cooked pork belly with bracken fern

That day, we had pork belly that came partially cooked. Since the meat had already been cooked to a certain point, we did not have to wait ages for raw meat from the start; we just finished it on the grill. As you can see in the photos, the pork belly was quite thick.

Once the surface was grilled golden, it was savory on the outside and fairly moist inside. More than anything, the thick pork belly had that par-cooked flavor, making it different from pork belly simply grilled in a pan. Everyone who came with me seemed pleased with the meat overall.

Grilling the bracken fern alongside it made it even better

Personally, this was one of my favorite combinations of the day. We put bracken fern on the grill next to the pork belly. The bracken fern, lightly coated in the meat fat, was completely different from having it as a plain side dish. It became savory and tender, and went very well with the pork belly.

And grilled kimchi goes without saying. Pork belly, grilled kimchi, and bracken fern. With that combination, you honestly do not need much else.

A ssam makes for a seriously full bite

I layered a piece of well-cooked pork belly with lettuce and perilla leaf, then added garlic, sauce, and whichever accompaniments I felt like. Making a big, overflowing ssam (vegetable wrap) like this is part of the fun of pork belly.

If you eat only meat continuously, it can start to feel a little rich. But with all the vegetables and seasoned greens, I never got tired of it until the end. That is also why I used the self-serve bar two or three times.

Why I liked it for a friends' gathering

What I remember most from this visit was actually the overall atmosphere rather than any one menu item. The food was neat, the side dishes suited my taste enough that I kept going back for more, and the par-cooked pork belly was delicious. But on top of that, the space was comfortable.

When you meet friends, food and conversation are what matter in the end. If it is too loud, it is hard to focus on talking; if the tables are cramped or the atmosphere is chaotic, it is uncomfortable to stay long. Hwadamga worked very well for us to eat meat and talk comfortably that day.

It was not one of those meals where someone says, “This place is not great, is it?” Everyone enjoyed the food and seemed satisfied. It can be surprisingly difficult to match everyone's tastes when choosing somewhere for a group meal, but this feels like a place I would think of again for the next gathering.

Why it stays in my mind more than a place with good meat alone

These days, there are plenty of places where the meat itself is delicious. So I think the places you want to revisit are decided by other things: whether it was comfortable to sit there, whether the people you went with liked it, whether even the side dishes were good, and whether you felt good when you walked out after the meal.

That day, those conditions lined up quite well. The meat came partially cooked, so it was easy to finish grilling; it was fun to put bracken fern and kimchi on the grill too; and I went back for side dishes two or three times. Most of all, I liked being able to have a meal while comfortably catching up with people I had not seen in a while.

If you are looking for Korean BBQ near Suwon for a gathering

At first, it was simply a day to go eat pork belly. But after visiting, what stayed with me more was that it was a decent place for a friends' gathering. Even though it was a Korean BBQ restaurant, the space was clean and had atmosphere; the thick, par-cooked pork belly was delicious; and the seasoned greens and side dishes we ate between bites of meat were good too.

When several people meet, sometimes one person finds the food lacking while another finds the atmosphere lacking. But that day, everyone ate well and had a good time. If you are looking around Bongdam, not far from Suwon, for a place to have a pork belly meal while chatting comfortably with friends, I think this is somewhere I would remember again.

One piece of meat topped with grilled bracken fern and a piece of kimchi, all in one big bite. Pork belly with good people is hard to get wrong.