Grilled fish restaurant open on Chuseok in Yongwon-dong, Changwon

A grilled fish spot in Yongwon-dong, Changwon — Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo, Changwon Yongwon Branch

Starting my review of Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo, Changwon Yongwon Branch, a grilled fish restaurant that newly opened in Yongwon, Jinhae, Changwon.

✦Key points✦

• A great spot to visit when you want Korean food in Yongwon-dong, Jinhae-gu
• A go-to lunch spot in Yongwon-dong
• A Yongwon-dong, Changwon restaurant with grilled fish that adults and kids both love

Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Changwon Yongwon Branch: address and Chuseok holiday hours

Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo, Changwon Yongwon Branch is at 1F, 16 Yongjae-ro, Jinhae-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do. 🔸It's open as usual through the Chuseok holiday🔸

First impressions, parking and the opening soju event

This is Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo (wood-fired grilled mackerel). Just park in the lot in front of the restaurant. For the opening event, soju is ₩1,500 :)

Inside the restaurant: the 500°C oven and private rooms

◆ A clay oven over 500°C ◆

The moment I walked in, the clay oven caught my eye. True to the name Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo, there's a huge wood-fired oven! Knowing they grill the fish right there in that massive oven already got my mouth watering.

◆ Spacious seating, and the restaurant is spotless ◆

A messy restaurant disappoints me no matter how good the food is, so I loved that this Jinhae, Yongwon-dong Korean restaurant, Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo, keeps things clean.

◆ Group seating ◆

There's also a room that would be great for group gatherings — I hear lunch get-togethers are common these days too, so this looks like a good spot for office workers' Yongwon-dong lunches.

◆ Private room seating ◆

This is the private room seating. It seems great for a cozy family meal or a quiet meal with your group. We ate in one of these private rooms too.

What is on the self-serve banchan bar?

What surprised me most after visiting Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo, Changwon Yongwon Branch was the self-serve bar! No words needed — let's just look at what's on it first :)

• Braised tofu
• Stir-fried sausage and vegetables
• Tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes)
• Japchae (stir-fried glass noodles)
• Seasoned deodeok (mountain root)
• Black sesame and lotus root salad
• Kimchi
• Seasoned gungchae (aster greens)
• Seasoned chili peppers
• Fried seasoned blue crab

I couldn't get a photo, but there's also fresh lettuce and ssamjang (dipping sauce). (You know vegetable prices are crazy expensive these days, right? This wasn't sad, wilted, bite-sized lettuce — it was tender, fresh, and just the right size for wrapping. Places with fresh vegetables are usually great restaurants overall.)

Every single banchan, from the first to the tenth, was delicious. Since the self-serve bar dishes are made fresh each day, of course they can't be bad. I tried them all and the cook clearly has serious skill!!! Absolutely the best! The food was so tidy and clean that I made full use of the self-serve bar.

The standouts were the braised tofu, the seasoned chili peppers, and the fried seasoned blue crab. That fried seasoned blue crab was seriously amazing.

The bibimbap corner

But wait, readers, the self-serve bar doesn't stop there?! There's a whole bibimbap (mixed rice) corner where you can make your own!

Stir-fried bracken, seasoned bean sprouts, seasoned radish, perilla oil, sesame oil, seasoning sauce, even bibimbap bowls — all neatly set up. If you visit, don't forget to make yourself a bowl of bibimbap.

Sungnyung (roasted rice tea) and unlimited rice refills

Thought that was it? There's more. Sungnyung (scorched rice tea)! Freshly made, piping hot sungnyung — how could I resist... It was a bit chilly the day we visited, and one spoonful of that hot sungnyung warmed me right up.

On top of that, rice is unlimited at Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo, Changwon Yongwon Branch. Big eaters and carb lovers, make some noise~!

Menu, prices and the one-dish-per-person rule

You can choose your type of rice when ordering. I went with brown rice.

Just note that because of the self-serve bar, one menu item per person is the standard order.

Wood-fired grilled mackerel set and Atka mackerel set

At Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo, Changwon Yongwon Branch, the fish comes out grilled in a clay oven over 500°C. Crispy outside, moist inside — I couldn't put my chopsticks down. My heart hadn't even settled from the self-serve bar, and then out came the mackerel and Atka mackerel, ready to make it race again! I'd never in my life seen mackerel and Atka mackerel this huge >.<

Not sure how big I mean? They were so big the tongs almost couldn't pick them up! Can you see that glossy shine~?

The fish had zero fishy smell and was so tender. Even without any special seasoning, freshly grilled fish this fresh is a total rice thief. I kept saying 'so good, so good!' over and over as I ate.

When food is this good, you can't help but think of family. The whole meal I kept thinking, 'Byeoldong would've loved this,' 'I should bring my perfect husband next time,' 'my dad would've been so happy eating this.' It's the kind of truly great restaurant that makes you think of the people you love.

A satisfying bite of mackerel with the brown rice,

and I made myself a proper bowl of bibimbap too. I should have made more... I only had a little because I was trying to watch what I eat. Looking at this now, I want more...

The siragukguk (dried radish green soup) that comes with the grilled fish set is so savory I kept reaching for it. It's not spicy, so kids could probably eat it too.

Wrap it in a piece of tender lettuce and take a big bite — it's basically a health tonic.

Verdict: would I go back to Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo?

As a stay-at-home mom, grilling fish at home always feels like a burden — the oil, the smell — so it's a meal I only make when I really commit to it.

Today's meal at Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo was genuinely satisfying. A salad bar loaded with varied banchan, bibimbap, and mackerel and Atka mackerel fresh off the clay oven, crispy outside and moist inside!!! My chance of returning is 100% — no, 100000000%.