Cheonan fish grill with a kid: honey-dipped oven pizza and Boyang set

Where to eat grilled fish on a hot day in Baekseok-dong, Cheonan: Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo

Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo Cheonan Main Branch (화덕으로간고등어 천안본점) is a fish grill restaurant in Baekseok-dong, Cheonan, that cooks its fish in a wood-fired oven. When the weather heats up, grilling fish at home makes the whole house hot, so I rarely do it, and that's when this Baekseok-dong favorite comes to mind.

Grilled in an oven like the name says, it's on a completely different level from anything I can do at home! There's lots of variety, and this time they had a new Boyang (stamina) set for two that lets you taste several fish at once, which made this Cheonan fish grill even better.

Cheonan fish grill Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo, Baekseok-dong favorite fish dishes

Is Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo good for family meals and gatherings?

The Cheonan Main Branch is a standalone building with a big hall, so it works well for family meals or get-togethers. The food has no hit-or-miss dishes, so a group can each pick what they like. I had the Boyang set for two, and I loved the variety of fish.

Sit down, order, and the table is set right away! Hall service is really fast, and since the fish goes straight into the high-heat oven after you order, you don't wait long either. That's another plus.

The self-bar photos are at the very bottom, though! You can take more side dishes from the self-bar, and this time there were bibimbap vegetables too, so you can mix your rice. Seriously, wear loose-waisted clothes. I hadn't been in a while and it had gotten even more varied. The generous portions here are something else, I'm telling you~

What does the domestic braised pomfret in the Boyang set taste like?

The dish I was most eager to try in the Boyang set for two was the domestic braised pomfret. I've never cooked it at home, so I'd never actually eaten pomfret. The flesh is soft and goes perfectly with the braising sauce, and I'll probably go back soon just for this. A Cheonan fish grill that isn't only grilled fish but braised dishes too +ㅅ+

There's bracken (gosari, fernbrake) in the braised pomfret, and it's spicier than I expected, which actually makes it better. It's so kick-in-the-throat spicy that it's totally soju snack material, right??

The flesh is so tender, and mixed into rice it was a total rice thief (the kind of side dish that makes you finish the bowl).

Boyang set for two: braised pomfret, sea eel, Atka mackerel, grilled mackerel

Besides the braised pomfret above, the Boyang set for two comes with sea eel, Atka mackerel and grilled mackerel, plus rice. Great lineup, right? When I crave Cheonan fish grill, Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo is the first place I think of. Every visit I agonize over which fish to get, and for a first visit I think the Boyang set for two is just right.

The fish pieces are big, and it's this generous for two people, plus you can have the vegetables from the self-bar too, so there's really no way not to like it. Maybe because it's oven-grilled, the flesh is chewy and the skin crisp, so it's nice and light to eat!

The sea eel was tender and tasty too. Here you don't have to worry about a fishy smell. It's clean, and the restaurant itself is spotless, so every time I bring friends they ask how I found it, and I ask them back, "You didn't know about it yet?" haha

I usually love grilled fish, but it's not easy to eat this much variety at home, and at home it ends up greasy. Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo's oven-grilling keeps it light and not oily, which I really like.

Are the pork tteokgalbi and oven pizza worth ordering with a kid?

Besides grilled fish, the Cheonan Main Branch has pork tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties) and oven pizza, which makes it a good place to go with a child. My kid said they wanted the pork tteokgalbi, so I ordered it, and it's thick, exactly the kind of dish kids love!

Look how thick it is! I snipped it with scissors and the pieces were seriously big, which surprised me. I'd always wondered, and there's a reason so many people order it.

Besides the main grilled fish, they have tteokgalbi and oven pizza like this. I was surprised that a place called Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo ("mackerel from the oven") has pizza, but when you think about it, of course it fits an oven.

Honey-dipped oven pizza: how are the dough and portion?

The oven pizza here has really chewy dough and loads of cheese, so it's delicious. Honey comes on the side, and dunking the pizza in it, there's no way my kid wouldn't love it. Highly, highly recommended~ It's better than most pizza places!

The size isn't small, and it's not a thin-crust oven pizza. The dough is surprisingly thick and the portion generous, so a glass of beer with it would be just right.

Side dishes, self-bar and rice refills at Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo

White rice is unlimited here, so you don't need to order extra. There are standard side dishes, and tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) is among them.

Oh, and these are the self-bar bibimbap vegetables I mentioned earlier. Scoop up some white rice (there are separate bowls for bibimbap at the self-bar), add the vegetables generously and mix it all up. It'll bring back an appetite you didn't even have.

I finished off with nurungji (scorched rice) from the self-bar too! So I was really, really full. You can have a hearty meal at Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo, so I think it's good value among Baekseok-dong favorites in Cheonan.

On the way out I had some cold plum tea (maesil-cha) too. It's cool and sweet, a nice palate cleanser.

Parking at Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo Cheonan Main Branch

The lot right in front of the building is quite large, so no need to worry about parking. You can see it from the entrance, and with such a varied menu, plus being the Cheonan main branch, it's a fish grill favorite. It's good whenever I drop by, so I'll visit again ^_^