Uiwang fish restaurant, wood-fired fish: Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo

I really, really love fish. I do have sashimi and other fish dishes at home from time to time, but I just cannot bring myself to grill fish at home ㅠㅠ

So even though I love fish, it had been quite a while since I last had grilled fish. Then I discovered that a wood-fired fish place I had seen so often while passing by had opened right by Baegun Lake?! I had always been curious about Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo, and this Baegun Lake branch was especially spacious and tidy. Not only the fish but every single side dish was beautifully presented, so it feels like it is only a matter of time before it becomes a famous Uiwang Baegun Lake restaurant. (The dining room was completely full when I went for weekday lunch—just saying,,)

This is Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Baegun Lake Branch, a Baegun Lake favorite that grills many kinds of fish directly! in a wood-fired oven at over 500°C 🤍

Location, hours, and parking

📍 148 Neungan-gil, Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea (Above Jeongwon Kalguksu, opposite Maep-si Nakji) ✔️ Hours: daily 11:00–21:00 (Weekday break 15:00–17:00 / last order 20:20) ✔️ Weekday reservations available (not on weekends)

You almost always end up driving to restaurants around Baegun Lake, right?! So convenient parking is one of the things I look for when choosing a Baegun Lake restaurant. The parking lot here was so large and easy to use that even a new driver could get here without a problem.

I cannot believe there was such a clean, polished place by Baegun Lake.. 🤍 You can see the wood-fired oven from the entrance, so you can even watch how the fish is grilled. Fish grilled in a wood-fired oven.. 🤎 I went inside carrying a whole bundle of anticipation haha

An interior made for family gatherings

The interior was every bit as neat as the exterior.

There were tables that could seat larger groups like this, so it would be perfect for a family gathering too haha

Best of all, it sits right below Moraksan, so you can take in the lush green mountain. Just sitting there felt healing ෆ

Wood-fired grilled fish pot-rice set menu

• Wood-fired grilled mackerel pot-rice set ₩17,000
• Wood-fired grilled atka mackerel pot-rice set ₩19,000
• Wood-fired grilled Spanish mackerel pot-rice set ₩21,000
• Wood-fired spicy pork pot-rice set ₩18,000
• Wood-fired Yeonggwang dried corvina pot-rice set ₩22,000
• Wood-fired barley-dried corvina pot-rice set ₩28,000
• Bracken, mackerel and radish braise pot-rice set ₩19,000
• Minari fish roe soup pot-rice set ₩18,000
• West Coast marinated raw crab pot-rice set ₩23,000

There was a wider-than-expected selection beyond simple grilled fish: braises, fish roe soup, marinated crab, and even spicy pork for anyone who does not love fish. I briefly debated the two-person nourishing set with pot rice versus ordering individually, then ordered mackerel, atka mackerel, and Yeonggwang dried corvina 🤎

Wood-fired grilled fish and pot rice together—this really was the ultimate restaurant for someone like me who loves both fish and pot rice 🥹

Side dishes and the self-service bar

When you order, they set out these basic side dishes.

There were even more varied side dishes at the self-service bar, beyond what was initially set out, so there was no need to go separately to a Baegun Lake Korean set-meal restaurant. They had kimchi pancakes and muk (acorn jelly), which I love, so I quietly helped myself to some.. ෆ

Mackerel, atka mackerel, and Yeonggwang dried corvina sets

And at last, today’s stars made their entrance: ˗ˋˏ wood-fired grilled fish ˎˊ˗

We ordered atka mackerel, Yeonggwang dried corvina, and mackerel, and every one of them arrived grilled just perfectly.

How perfectly grilled were they, you ask?

The flesh slipped right off with chopsticks or tongs like this, so I was really excited to taste it. One bite, and it was even better than expected: perfectly crisp outside and moist inside, absolutely delicious from the skin to the flesh 🥹 Above all, the high heat of the wood-fired oven had rendered away the oil, leaving a clean, mild grilled fish with none of that fishy smell.

Just look at that crispy mackerel skin,,,

Even the dried corvina, which is harder to grill deliciously than you might think, was plump and perfectly cooked—just so good,, I spent ages deciding which fish set to have at first, but every fish was delicious in a way that let its own flavor shine through. I do not think you could go wrong no matter which one you order 🤍(*´˘`*)🤍

Even the rice was not just ordinary rice—it came as freshly cooked pot rice. Maybe they use really good rice, because it was sooooo delicious that I polished off a whole bowl for lunch for the first time in a while!

A lunch at Hwagan-go that could not have been more perfect! My parents genuinely loved it too, and it made me think this would be a great place for a family gathering haha Next time, I am coming back to try fish I have not had yettt 🤍🤎