Cheonan fish grill regular's revisit: Atka mackerel and 12 side dishes

Today I visited Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo Cheonan Main Branch (화덕으로간고등어 천안본점), which anyone in Cheonan who loves grilled fish has probably heard of at least once. For me it's a again-and-again-and-again place! Grilled fish is so delicious, but cooking it at home is a hassle and the smell makes it hard to eat often, right? This place lets you enjoy plenty of oven-grilled fish, so I visit a lot, haha.

Where is Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo Cheonan Main Branch? Hours and parking

Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo Cheonan Main Branch is a fish grill specialist that cooks fish in a 500°C oven, at 46-5 Handeul 2-ro, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan, Chungnam (Baekseok-dong, Cheonan). It's open daily 11:00–21:30 with last order at 20:50. The weekday break time is 15:30–16:50, and there is no break time on weekends.

There's a large private parking lot, so getting there by car was convenient.

It's popular enough that there's a wait at weekend mealtimes, so keep that in mind before you go. It's been on TV too, so it's already well known as a fish grill spot in Cheonan.

What are the interior, seating and wait like at Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo?

The inside is spacious and clean, with generous space between tables, so it's good for family meals or bringing your parents. Weekends get a lot of waiting, so there's a waiting device, and booking ahead through Tabling or Naver reservations makes things easier.

Maybe because so many famous people come, there are lots of autographs near the counter. Some seats have partitions, and there's plenty of group seating too. The whole place is bright and pleasant, so I was comfortable the whole meal.

The staff were friendly in guiding us, so even first-timers can use the place without worry. I went on a weekday and still there were lots of customers of all ages eating. Home-style cooking really is the best.

Watching the 500°C oven in the open kitchen

I've been here often but never thought to look at the oven. The kitchen is open, so you can watch the owner grilling. It was fun to see, so this is what the oven looks like! The fish is grilled in an oven at over 500°C, which keeps it really moist.

What's at the Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo self-serve bar?

At one side of the restaurant there's a self-serve bar (like a salad bar) with desserts and a variety of side dishes. It has a DIY bibimbap (rice bowl mixed with vegetables) setup, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), assorted sides and nurungji (scorched rice).

The japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) is so good that the portion brought to the table isn't enough. You can get it warm from the self-serve bar, so load up on it along with the tteokbokki.

The DIY bibimbap corner

There's a good variety of bibimbap vegetables, so you can eat lots of different ones together, which I was really happy with. Put the vegetables in the bowl, add gochujang (chili paste) and sesame oil, then add rice and mix! With a self-serve bar this varied, isn't this basically a Korean buffet?

Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo menu prices and how to order

You order from a tablet at your table. The mackerel set is ₩18,000, the Atka mackerel set is ₩16,000, and the kids' menu is ₩8,000, so it's good value for a meal.

• Mackerel set ₩18,000
• Atka mackerel set ₩16,000
• Kids' menu ₩8,000

Last time I ate jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork) with the mackerel, and this time I ordered the grilled Atka mackerel too. There's also a free canned drink for leaving a review, and a good range of kids' menus.

How do the grilled Atka mackerel and mackerel taste?

The sets come with a full 12 seasonal side dishes and soup, and each one felt neat and satisfying, like eating at home. Personally, the dish I liked best that day was the grilled Atka mackerel.

The Atka mackerel was crisp outside but really soft and moist inside. The seasoning was nicely salty and just right with rice. The flesh was thick, which made it fun to eat, and the texture melting softly in my mouth was so good, T_T

Mix up some fried rice from the self-serve bar and top it with a piece of meat, and you can't stop eating, it's that good.

The self-serve bar is full of namul (seasoned vegetable side dishes) in lots of varieties, which I liked, and the muraengchae (spicy radish salad) was so good that I piled it in and mixed it all together.

The mackerel that came out after ordering was oven-grilled, golden outside and moist inside, which was really impressive to look at. When I pulled the flesh apart with chopsticks, the grain was intact and the moistness was obvious. One bite and there was no fishy smell at all, just the rich, nutty flavor of mackerel filling my mouth!

The self-serve tteokbokki came in long, noodle-like pieces, and I think kids would love it. I like tteokbokki a lot too, so I went back for several helpings. The pot full of nurungji was also a clean way to finish the meal.

Verdict: is Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo worth it for grilled fish in Cheonan?

If you're looking for a good fish grill in Cheonan, Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo Cheonan Main Branch is definitely satisfying! The fish from the 500°C oven was light and moist with no fishy smell, and the well-stocked self-serve bar made it even better, T_T

Both the grilled mackerel and the grilled Atka mackerel were excellent, and it's a good place for family meals, meals with parents, or days when you need a filling meal! If you love grilled fish, you'll be very happy here!