Dujeong-dong sashimi stop for a late trip lunch: Donghae Bada Hoetjip

A late trip lunch at Donghae Bada Hoetjip in Dujeong-dong, Cheonan

On the way to a trip, we stopped for lunch at Donghae Bada Hoetjip (동해바다횟집), a well-known spot in Dujeong-dong, Cheonan.

I wanted a hearty meal while on the move, and it was satisfying to get fresh sashimi and seafood dishes together on one table.

Donghae Bada Hoetjip is a seafood restaurant where you can enjoy fresh raw fish and a variety of seafood dishes together.

Where is Donghae Bada Hoetjip, and is there parking?

Donghae Bada Hoetjip is on Neulpureun 6-gil in Seobuk-gu, Cheonan, near Baekseok The Sharp apartments and Dujeong Segwang & Richville. It sits across from Mangyang Bibim Guksu in Baekseok-dong, so it's not hard to find.

• Address: 5-11 Neulpureun 6-gil, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan, Chungnam (1st floor)
• Hours: Daily 11:30–22:00
• Facilities: reservations, group seating, Wi-Fi, separate men's/women's restrooms, high chairs, waiting area
• Parking: available (private lot in front of the building)

The parking lot is big, so it's convenient if you come by car.

The entrance and rest area at Donghae Bada Hoetjip

There's a fish tank at the entrance, so you feel the sashimi-restaurant vibe right away. There's also a rest area outside, which looked like a nice place for a coffee after the meal.

The dining hall and group rooms at Donghae Bada Hoetjip

Inside, the restaurant was neat, tidy and clearly well looked after.

It was a slightly late lunch, so the center hall was empty, but customers kept coming into the group rooms and the window-side area where we were seated.

Past the entrance there's a central hall with various rooms on both sides, so it seemed good for company dinners, family gatherings or get-togethers with friends.

The group room was set up for a reservation, and when I came back from the restroom the guests had already arrived. The tables are spaced comfortably, so it's easy to eat in peace, and with both private-style rooms and group rooms, it suits all kinds of gatherings. It also seemed like a decent pick for anyone in Dujeong-dong, Cheonan, looking for a place for a company dinner.

Donghae Bada Hoetjip menu and set prices

The signature sets are assorted sashimi with seafood stew or seafood jjim: ₩110,000 for 2, ₩130,000 for 3 and ₩145,000 for 4. The assorted sashimi with monkfish jjim set is ₩100,000 for 2, ₩115,000 for 3 and ₩130,000 for 4. There are also lobster seafood stew and seafood jjim, and the seafood stew and monkfish jjim are also sold à la carte, not just as sets.

They also have flounder muk-hoe (sliced raw fish mixed with vegetables), fried king prawns, hanchi mulhoe (chilled raw squid soup), butterfish sashimi and salt-grilled king prawns, among other things.

You order through a table-order screen. The monitor reflected the light so much that I swapped in the menu photos from the website.

Rather than just eating sashimi, you can build a fuller meal with seafood dishes and extras, and side items like fried snow crab and fried king prawns can be added to taste. We ordered the assorted sashimi and seafood jjim set for 2.

Bossam, dried radish and silkworm pupae: the side dishes at Donghae Bada Hoetjip

The side dishes and skidaishi (small starter plates served before the sashimi) were generous. Crispy jeon (pan-fried battered bites), salad and grilled fish are common starters, but I've rarely seen tender bossam (boiled pork) and seasoned dried radish served as standard sides, so that was a surprise.

The seaweed soup had dried shrimp in it, giving a cool, savory, rich flavor that went well alongside the sashimi.

The grilled fish was herring, and it was big, so even though herring has lots of bones it was easy to eat. With so many things to eat alongside the sashimi, it was fun switching up the flavors.

The sashimi was cut thick so you could really feel the chew, and the clean, mild flavor spreading in your mouth was lovely. Midway through the meal, a spicy soup dish and seafood were added, making the table even more filling. With fresh ingredients and everything from sashimi to a full meal in one place, I felt we'd chosen well for a lunch on the road.

Beondegi (silkworm pupae) came out with the sides too. It's been a while since I had it, and it was tasty!

What comes in the assorted sashimi set for 2 and how it tastes

The assorted sashimi in the set for 2 comes with 6 kinds of fish, 4 pieces of each.

The tuna wasn't fishy at all and had a nice richness, so it was good to eat with that nutty flavor.

The sashimi at this Cheonan restaurant was on the fresh side, and the flatfish and croaker (minyeo) had a lovely chewy texture, so I was satisfied. It was great dunked generously in soy sauce with wasabi mixed in, or eaten together with seaweed and chogochujang (sweet-tangy chili sauce).

What goes into the seafood jjim at Donghae Bada Hoetjip?

I wavered over getting the seafood stew, then ordered the seafood jjim, and out it came. The seafood jjim at Donghae Bada Hoetjip has octopus, small octopus (nakji), squid, shrimp, abalone, turban shell, crab, milt, roe and more.

The sashimi at Donghae Bada Hoetjip in Dujeong-dong is good, but the seafood jjim was tasty too. I liked that a staff member prepared the nakji and blue crab so they were easy to eat.

If you're in Dujeong-dong, Cheonan, looking for sushi, or want sashimi and seafood dishes in one place, Donghae Bada Hoetjip is worth keeping in mind.

Donghae Bada Hoetjip was a nice break for a tasty lunch on the way out on a trip. A generous spread in a clean restaurant, with a table full of fresh seafood.

They're also running an event giving fried snow crab for Naver photo reviews, so keep that in mind.

A surprisingly clean restroom at Donghae Bada Hoetjip

The restroom at Donghae Bada Hoetjip was so clean it surprised me. After going, I felt even more that we'd chosen the right place.

If you're looking for a family meal out or a gathering spot near Dujeong-dong and Baekseok-dong, Donghae Bada Hoetjip is worth a visit.