Bongdam Korean restaurant open through Chuseok, with potato jeon

I'm bringing you a review of Hwadamga, a genuinely brand-new restaurant that just opened in Hyohaeng-gu, Hwaseong, right near a clean new-town apartment complex! The neighborhood itself is pleasant and comes with a spacious parking lot, so accessibility alone sets it apart. But what really got me was the hearty, thoughtfully made Korean set menus and the all-you-can-eat self-serve bar. They're open as normal during the Chuseok holiday, so go check it out!

Where is Hwadamga in Bongdam, and what are its hours?

📍 58 Namnaegi-gil, Bongdam-eup, Hyohaeng-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

✔️ 11:00–22:00

Suhyangmi rice sacks stacked at the Hwadamga entrance

The moment you walk in, you see sacks of Gyeonggi Hwaseong's suhyangmi (수향미) rice stacked up. Suhyangmi is Hwaseong's famous, high-quality rice, so my expectations for the rice alone shot right up.

Hwadamga's private rooms for family gatherings

Stepping into this Bongdam favorite, Hwadamga, I felt a clean, warm atmosphere right away. The private rooms looked perfect for family gatherings or group dinners.

What's on Hwadamga's self-serve namul and side dish bar?

The first thing that caught my eye was the self-serve bar, freshly prepared every day with a variety of namul (seasoned vegetable side dishes) and Korean banchan. It's kept hygienically, with all sorts of namul and side dishes laid out — I think older family members especially will love it!

I loaded up on ingredients for bibimbap along with a few side dishes: eggplant namul, sautéed mushrooms, mu-saengchae (spicy radish salad), sukju-namul (mung bean sprouts), and even the spicy-sweet bibim sauce. Every single namul was fresh, not overseasoned, and let the natural flavor of the ingredients shine — this is what 'getting the basics right' tastes like! And you can pile up as much as you want at the self-serve bar — that much generosity for this price! You could really feel the owner's generous spirit.

Doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) and kongbiji (soybean pulp stew)

The doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) was seriously savory too. It was good enough to eat on its own. And then there was the soybean pulp stew on top of that. At this point we didn't even need to order a main — my husband and I ended up joking about it.

Why the barley rice bibimbap at Hwadamga tasted so good

I piled on plenty of namul, drizzled on the sauce and sesame oil... mixed it all up. Insane — was barley rice always this delicious?! Ah, and white rice is available too.

Hairtail set, pork bulgogi set and a side of potato jeon

I was so absorbed in the barley rice I nearly forgot the mains were coming ^^ We ordered the hairtail (galchi) set, the pork bulgogi (jeyuk) set, and a side of potato jeon (pan-fried julienned potato pancake). The hairtail, grilled to a nice golden brown, had big flakes of flesh I lifted off with chopsticks and laid over warm suhyangmi rice — the savory flavor filled my whole mouth. Seasoned just right, with that clean, light taste unique to hairtail — it was excellent. The kids ate it up so well, I was glad we ordered it.

The pork bulgogi, spicy-sweet and appetite-stirring, had a gentle smoky char that really won me over. The meat was tender, not tough at all, and the sauce soaked in well — a total rice thief.

Last but not least, the potato jeon we ordered as a side! So satisfying to tear off piece by piece. The potato, cut into fine strips and pan-fried, kept its crisp-yet-chewy texture intact. The outside was so crispy you could practically hear the crunch with every bite — clean and nutty, a dish the kids loved too.

Hwadamga as a Chuseok holiday family meal in Bongdam

Since they're staying open as normal through the Chuseok holiday, go enjoy a hearty meal with your family here!!

One-line review ✨ Won over by crisp-outside, tender-inside hairtail, smoky pork bulgogi, and crunchy potato jeon — and won over all over again by the generous self-serve bar. That's Hwadamga.