Korean restaurant in Hwaseong for wood-fired mackerel: Hwadamga

The weather has been getting cooler lately, right? At times like this, I keep craving a hearty meal that feels nourishing, too.

So my husband and I headed to Hwadamga (화담가), which is known as a great grilled-fish spot in Bongdam! I’d heard so much about its wood-fired grilled fish that I went in equal parts expectant and excited ♡

Hwadamga near Bongdam IC: parking and first impressions

Hwadamga is open daily from 11:00 to 22:00, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00 and last orders at 21:30. There’s a large parking area right in front, so it was really convenient to visit by car, haha.

It’s near Bongdam IC, so it was easy to get to and we could come for a relaxed meal without worrying about parking. We visited on a Saturday afternoon, and wow, it was really busyㅠㅠ If we’d been even a little later, we might have had to wait...! That must be how popular it is for grilled fish in Bongdam, right?

A spacious interior with private rooms

I was surprised by the scale as soon as we walked in. It was much larger than I expected, with plenty of space between the tables, so we could eat comfortably. Each table had high partitions, too, so we could enjoy our meal without paying attention to the next table.

There were several private rooms further inside, so I thought it would be great for family gatherings or a date as well. They even had high chairs, making it an easy place to visit with children, haha. Maybe it was the warm lighting, but the atmosphere felt both upscale and cozy for a Korean restaurant.

Set meals and à la carte dishes to mix and match

Ordering was easy on the tablet at each table.

• Wood-fired grilled mackerel set: ₩16,000
• Herbal traditional boiled pork set: ₩17,000
• Direct-fire grilled spicy pork (à la carte): ₩10,000
• Suhyangmi pot rice: ₩2,000

We ordered the wood-fired grilled mackerel set and the herbal traditional boiled pork set. We chose the spicy pork as an à la carte dish instead of a set, and only I added the Suhyangmi pot rice. You can choose different set meals for each person or add individual dishes, so the combinations were really flexible.

A self-serve bar with lots of side dishes

And then there was the self-serve bar with such a great variety of banchan (Korean side dishes)! Since kimchi was already available at the bar for the boiled pork, it didn’t come separately, haha.

There were so, so many choices, including seasoned vegetables and japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), and I was so happy lol.

The set meals come with doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew) like this. The rich ssamjang-style soybean paste and one vegetable side dish that weren’t at the self-serve bar came separately, and that vegetable dish was seriously so good.

Wood-fired grilled mackerel: moist and clean-tasting

The outside was beautifully golden, while the flesh inside was incredibly tender and moist, with no fishy taste at all. Picking off the meat and placing it over rice made for a perfect meal in itself.

Herbal traditional boiled pork with salted shrimp

It came with salted shrimp, and the pork was simply boiled with no off smell, pulling apart tenderly along the grain.

I really recommend the boiled pork... it was so delicious! A light dip in the salted shrimp kept it clean rather than rich, so I just kept eating it, lol.

À la carte direct-fire spicy pork added to the set meals

We ordered it à la carte instead of as a set, and that was honestly such a brilliant move lol. It had a lovely smoky fire-grilled flavor, while the seasoning soaked in without being excessive—an absolute rice thief ♡

It was loaded with vegetables, too, so it was perfect for making wraps...

Suhyangmi pot rice and self-serve-bar bibimbap

I was the only one who added pot rice because I don’t like barley rice. Every grain was moist and grew nuttier as I chewed, making it a real treat. You know you have to order pot rice for the scorched-rice soup, right...?

My husband mixed the banchan from the self-serve bar into his standard barley rice to make bibimbap (mixed rice), and he said that was so delicious, too. Sesame oil and gochujang (red chili paste) were even set out on the table, which made it just right for mixing.

Hwadamga, a popular grilled-fish restaurant in Bongdam, seemed like it would be wonderful for a family gathering or bringing your parents, and it was equally good for a date. From the number of self-serve-bar side dishes to the quality of the mains, it was a thoroughly satisfying grilled-fish spot in Bongdam. It’s better for a generous meal with family or your partner than for dining alone, so next time I definitely want to try the herbal traditional boiled pork set and stone-plate grill, too. I’m 100% planning to return :)