Changwon Korean restaurant: smoky pork, mackerel, tofu kimchi self-bar

Today I visited Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo (화덕으로간고등어), a well-known grilled fish restaurant in Yongwon-dong, Changwon.

Where is Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Yongwon Branch, and what are the hours and parking?

Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo, Changwon Yongwon Branch is at 16 Yongjae-ro, Jinhae-gu, Changwon, Gyeongnam, South Korea (1st floor), and it's open daily from 11:00 to 21:00. There's parking in front of the restaurant, groups and reservations are welcome, and they have high chairs too.

Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo in Yongwon-dong, Changwon has parking spaces right in front of the restaurant.

Through the big glass window at the entrance, I could see the oven (hwadeok)! Looks like they grill the fish right there.

What are the interior and seating like?

The main hall has neatly arranged tables for four, and there are separate private rooms further inside. Stepping in, the whole place felt pleasant and tidy, just what you'd want from a Korean restaurant in Yongwon-dong.

The private rooms in the back are fully set up, so you can chat quietly and calmly over a meal. It seemed perfect for a company dinner or a gathering in Yongwon-dong, Jinhae.

What's in the unlimited self-bar?

The best thing about Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo is the unlimited self-bar. It was on the level of a Korean buffet!

There's a really wide range of side dishes: the usual banchan (small side dishes), ssam vegetables, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), tofu kimchi and more! We piled on tofu kimchi too, haha. Nibbling on it before the meal arrives is so good.

Self-bar bibimbap corner

There's also a corner where you can make your own bibimbap (mixed rice bowl). It has bibimbap bowls, sesame oil, gochujang (chili paste), stir-fried bracken, seasoned bean sprouts, radish strips, mushrooms and seaweed stems, so you can build a bowl however you like.

Menu and prices at Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo

• Oven-grilled mackerel set ₩16,000
• Oven-grilled spicy pork set ₩16,000

Once you order, they set out the basic table spread.

We arranged the extra side dishes we brought from the self-bar too, and ate our fill before the rice came out.

Ta-da! These are the mackerel set and the spicy pork set we ordered! The presentation is totally delicious-looking.

Brown rice option and siraegi doenjang soup

With the sets you can choose white rice (the default) or brown rice, and we went with brown rice for both. The siraegi doenjang soup (dried radish greens in soybean paste soup) that comes with the set is clean and tasty too! The doenjang broth is rich yet refreshing, and it goes really well with the main dishes. It doesn't overpower the mains, so, thumbs up!

How does the oven-grilled mackerel set taste?

The oven-grilled mackerel at Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo comes out of the oven crisp on the outside and moist inside. Golden and nicely grilled, and the back side is well done too. Isn't the color great?

Gently picking out the bones.

The deboned mackerel is soft, with no fishy smell at all!

Put a chunk of mackerel on the sweet brown rice and eat it in one bite, and I think you could finish a whole bowl of rice in no time, haha.

Does the oven-grilled spicy pork set have a smoky flavor?

The oven-grilled spicy pork (jeyuk) set at Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo has a spicy-sweet marinade with a subtle smoky flavor. Next up is the spicy pork I ordered, and it's a taste any Korean would love!!

Maybe because it's grilled in the oven, a gentle smokiness really soaks through, and I ate heaps of it, haha. The meat isn't tough at all, it's tender, so you can just scoop it down with rice.

If you're looking for a lunch spot in Yongwon-dong, Changwon, or a grilled mackerel place there, I recommend Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo. Definitely give it a visit!