Buan restaurant for grilled fish after razor clam digging: Gyehwado
In short
Gyehwado is a grilled fish and stone-pot rice restaurant in Byeonsan, Buan (Jeonbuk), right in front of Sono Belle Byeonsan, opening at 7am. After razor clam digging, 3 adults and 2 preschoolers had a late weekend lunch of 3 stone-pot rice grilled fish sets, and the domestic fish (bakdae, flounder, yellow croaker and butterfish) were large, generous and free of any fishy smell. Only 4 side dishes were left by the late hour, but Gyehwado's grilled fish delivered on cooking, freshness and portion size.
Good to know
- Location
- 1F, 46 Byeonsanhaebyeon-ro, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeonbuk (right in front of Sono Belle Byeonsan)
- Hours
- 7:00am–10:00pm (last order 9:30pm)
- Break time
- 3:00pm–4:30pm
- Stone-pot rice grilled fish set
- ₩18,000 per person
- Clam kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup)
- ₩12,000 per person
- Hard clam porridge
- ₩15,000 per person
- Parking
- Very spacious parking lot
- Ordering
- More dishes available beyond those listed on the kiosk
- Price reference
- ₩18,000 ≈ $13.5 · ₩12,000 ≈ $9 · ₩15,000 ≈ $11 (2026-10-15)
as written by the visitor on Oct 13, 2026
What is Gyehwado in Byeonsan, Buan like?
Gyehwado (계화도) is a grilled fish restaurant right in front of Byeonsan Sonovel, and it opens at 7am, so you can even have breakfast there. I stopped by after going razor clam digging, and for a tourist area the grilled fish quality is the best, seriously a top-notch place.
- Location: 258-1 Gyeokpo-ri, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeonbuk (lot-number address)
- Hours: 07:00-22:00
- Break time: 15:00-16:30
- Last order: 21:30
What are the menu and prices at Gyehwado?
The signature items are the stone-pot rice grilled fish set meal (solbap saengseon-gui baekban) at ₩18,000 per person, clam kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) at ₩12,000 per person, and hard clam porridge at ₩15,000 per person. There are also course meals with a big, varied spread.
- Stone-pot rice grilled fish set meal: ₩18,000 per person
- Clam kalguksu: ₩12,000 per person
- Hard clam porridge: ₩15,000 per person
We went at lunchtime and ordered the stone-pot rice grilled fish set meal. The other guests seemed to be ordering all sorts of things! It's right next door to Byeonsan Sonovel.
It's a restaurant where you can have breakfast from 7am, and the side dishes are especially tasty, so I really recommend it.
Is Gyehwado roomy inside, and is there enough parking?
The inside of Gyehwado is very spacious.
We came for a late weekend lunch, and in the big hall you could see the traces of stone-pot rice left by the crowd that had swept through. Definitely a proven favorite.
The parking area is very large too.
Besides the menu items written up, the kiosk showed lots of other dishes.
What fish come with the Gyehwado grilled fish set for 3?
The stone-pot rice grilled fish set for 3 came with so much fish, big pieces that let 2 preschoolers and 3 adults eat until full. I think they said it was baedae (a flatfish), flounder, yellow croaker, butterfish and jeogeo (a type of fish)... anyway, many kinds, and every one had no fishy smell at all and tender flesh.
The grilled fish was so impressive that I asked, and it's all domestic and fresh. If you come to the seaside and eat seafood or fish, this is the kind of place to do it. Yep!
What's the downside of going for a late lunch?
Since we visited Gyehwado at a late weekend lunch, they told us the side dishes had run out: normally a generous, bigger spread comes out, but only 4 kinds were left. Honestly, if the side dishes are not that good, it's no big deal, right? But... they were all so delicious that I was really, really sad.
The green onion kimchi (pa-kimchi) in particular was a real rice thief, so I grabbed loads of it from the self-service bar.
Do you need to order the Gyehwado stone-pot rice in advance?
The ₩2,000 stone-pot rice at Gyehwado comes topped with mushrooms and zucchini, which is why it looks like this. Be sure to order it ahead of time.
And they even plan a finish with nurungji (scorched rice)~
The biggest strength of the Gyehwado grilled fish set
The Gyehwado grilled fish set has lots of big fish, so there's plenty to eat. With so many kinds of fish you get to taste each one's different flavor, and the large size means everyone can eat their fill together. That's its biggest strength.
Every fish was delicious. Full marks for the grilling, full marks for freshness, and the portions are generous. I recommend ordering at least 3 servings so you can try a variety of fish. Highly recommended!! It's a completely different level from the franchise grilled fish place in my neighborhood! Wow~~ A proven Byeonsan, Buan favorite.
The flounder even had plump roe inside!! I ate it with rice, and dipped it in wasabi soy sauce too.
Was it thanks to the onions spread across the bottom that there was no fishy smell and nothing greasy? Those onions were delicious too.
Is Gyehwado in Byeonsan, Buan worth going back to?
With Gyehwado's stone-pot rice, you can finish cleanly with the nurungji at the end, which I love. There are many kinds of grilled fish, fresh and tasty. Above all, the side dishes are all delicious. If the 4 I got were this good, how amazing must the other 3 have been?!
Gyehwado is a restaurant in Byeonsan, Buan that's well worth seeking out. I strongly recommend the quality grilled fish stone-pot rice set meal.
Where it is
46 Byeonsanhaebyeon-ro, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeonbuk, South Korea (1st floor)전북특별자치도 부안군 변산면 변산해변로 46 1층
Gyehwado: hours, menu and prices →
