Cheonan sashimi spot for after-work soju with makjang: Donghae Bada

Donghae Bada Hoetjip in Dujeong-dong, Cheonan, for an after-work soju

Donghae Bada Hoetjip 5-11 Neulpureun 6-gil, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea, 1st floor Daily 11:30–22:00 Indoor restroom O, baby chairs O, Cheonan Love Card O

After clocking off work I wanted a soju drink and went looking for a good sashimi place in Dujeong-dong, and that's how I found Donghae Bada Hoetjip!

I came without a car since I was planning to drink, but there's a big parking lot too, so it's perfect even if you drive. The 'daytime drinking spot + no break time' sign caught my eye haha.

Seafood right at the entrance as soon as you walk in... sea squirt, sea cucumber, these guys need to be fresh, right? For people who love them, the visual alone would get the appetite going.

On the other side there's a water cooler, ice maker, even a coffee machine, so after-meal coffee is covered too — I had an iced americano haha.

Inside Donghae Bada Hoetjip and the private rooms — good for gatherings, and with kids?

Donghae Bada Hoetjip's interior was just as spacious as the parking lot. Besides the main central tables, there were plenty of seats on both sides and further in. Private rooms can be reserved too, so it looked great for company dinners or group gatherings!

Baby chairs are ready too, so it's great to bring little ones along! Aprons are placed near every table, so anyone who needs one can just grab it.

There's a simple menu posted on the wall too, and it looked like most people order the set menus. Besides that there are jjim (steamed dishes), tang (soups), and individual sashimi items.

Check out the country-of-origin labeling board too.

You order via the kiosk on every table~

Write a Naver receipt photo review and get free fried snow crab~ write the review and get the crab too >.<

Soy sauce and chogochujang (vinegared chili paste) were already on the table... chopsticks, napkins and wet wipes were stocked in the drawer~ and they brought over wasabi and sesame oil-salt dip for us haha.

The tsukidashi spread: bossam, aged kimchi, silkworm pupae, grilled fish

The tsukidashi (small starter dishes) came out first!

Bossam (boiled pork), washed aged kimchi, beondegi (silkworm pupae), grilled fish, buchimgae (pancake), salad, seaweed soup. It was better than expected so I ate it up properly 🤣 There wasn't a single bad side dish, so I really went at it haha.

I had no expectations for the bossam but it was soft and delicious.

Sashimi platter and makjang, tuna wrapped in seaweed

Ta-da, the sashimi platter ✨️ These weren't just roughly sliced — the sashimi pieces came out beautifully arranged haha.

It was plated so neatly that just looking at it made me happy. The platter isn't always the same fish either — from what I checked, it seems to change a little each time, with an added type or two like tuna and flounder.

As soon as the platter arrived I understood why Donghae Bada Hoetjip is popular for company dinners and gatherings too. It looks great for bringing older family members and for treating guests 👍🏻

Tuna came along with it, and they gave us seaweed too! (If you're planning to have the fried rice, save some seaweed to eat with it — recommended!)

Try wrapping it neatly in the seaweed like this. So. Good.

Oh wait! I'm always on Team Makjang (thick soybean paste dipping sauce) when it comes to sashimi haha. I asked for makjang and they brought it right out. It's loaded with minced garlic, minced scallion, sesame seeds and sesame oil, so good that everyone should join Team Makjang.

Dipped in makjang, how good could it be? The sashimi was cut nice and thick too, so the texture was great!

The tsukidashi was already delicious... the sashimi was delicious too... how could you not drink with such great sides? Time for today's mission — soju and beer, let's go!

Seafood jjim, prepped tableside by the staff

The seafood jjim.... wow 🦀🦐🦑🐚 what even is this visual?! Squid, octopus, shrimp, crab, roe, milt and more — it was so seriously loaded that I just said wow as soon as it arrived.

And the staff actually prep the seafood jjim for you too 🥹 They do all the work so you can eat comfortably — just wait patiently and get ready to dig in!

The sashimi platter comes out neat and clean, and on top of that they even prep the seafood for the jjim — next time I want to bring my parents or older family.

I didn't realize it while it was all piled up neatly, but the seafood was really big and generous — squid, octopus, roe... good chunky bite. No photo of it, but there was a lot of gonyi (fish roe sac) in there too, and the roe was so soft, seriously.

The sashimi platter plus seafood jjim combo was such a great pairing! And the moment I took a bite of the jjim, I thought — okay, I have to fry rice in this sauce. Even though I was super full, there was no giving up on the fried rice.

Seafood jjim fried rice, finished off with leftover seaweed

If you order fried rice, a staff member comes by partway through, gathers up the seafood jjim seasoning(?) haha, and brings it back stir-fried together! You can taste finely chopped kimchi in there too, so it's not greasy at all, just really nutty and savory — top-tier fried rice 🤤

I'd saved the seaweed that came with the sashimi earlier and ate it together with the fried rice, and the saltiness of the seasoned seaweed added even more flavor 🤤 The fried rice itself wasn't too strong in flavor, leaning more toward a plain, nutty taste, so adding the leftover seafood jjim seasoning made it even tastier for me haha.

I tried the sashimi platter plus seafood jjim combo at Donghae Bada Hoetjip in Dujeong-dong, and it turned out even better than expected — I had a seriously satisfying meal. If you're looking for a good sashimi restaurant in Dujeong-dong that serves things neatly and cleanly, I'd definitely recommend this one!