Late dinner grilled fish set for two near IKEA Goyang: Min Cook

A warm Korean meal you'd want to bring your parents to in Seongsa-dong — Min Cook Apbadang Seongsa.

After finishing our shopping at IKEA Goyang, our family wanted something warm and Korean, so we headed to Min Cook Apbadang, a Seongsa-dong local favorite. We arrived a bit late in the evening, and the restaurant was relatively quiet, which made for a comfortable family dinner. Between the grilled fish, warm sotbap, and neatly arranged banchan, the whole meal felt like something my mom would love — I kept thinking I should bring my parents back next time.

Where is Min Cook Apbadang Seongsa? 5–10 minutes by car from IKEA Goyang

Min Cook Apbadang is about a 5–10 minute drive from IKEA Goyang, making it a great restaurant near IKEA Goyang for a meal before or after shopping. It's also easy to reach from Hwajeong and Wonheung, so it works well if you're looking for a Hwajeong Station lunch, a family outing, or somewhere to take your parents.

The dining room was spacious with generous spacing between tables. It felt comfortable for families, good for visiting with kids, and just as fitting for a relaxed Korean meal with parents.

Seasonal grilled fish set for two: cod cheek, flounder and bottom cod that day

Min Cook Apbadang's signature dish is the seasonal grilled fish set, which changes with what's in season. We ordered the seasonal grilled fish set for two, and that day it came generously loaded with cod cheek, flounder, and wild bottom cod, among others.

Ordering was simple using the tablet at the table.

What's on the banchan self-bar at Min Cook Apbadang Seongsa

What I especially liked about Min Cook Apbadang was the generous self-bar. Japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), namul (seasoned vegetables), salad, siraegi soup (dried radish green soup), and other Korean banchan were all set out, and you could take as much as you wanted.

There was a good mix — neat side dishes adults would love, and dishes easy enough for kids to eat without fuss — making it a good spot for generations to visit together.

Salad, pickled peppers, japchae, seasoned seaweed, and namul all came out, each one appetite-boosting. Since you could go back to the self-bar for more of whatever you liked, the whole spread felt even more generous.

Induction burner keeps the fish warm to the last bite

Another thing I liked was the induction burner the grilled fish sits on. It keeps the fish warm throughout the meal, so even the very last bite stayed hot.

The buckwheat pancake my kid reached for first

The buckwheat pancake (memilijeon) that came with the set turned out to be a surprise hit with my kid. The light soy seasoning made it savory yet clean, crisp on the outside and moist inside. It was a nice little bite to pick at before the grilled fish arrived, and my kid ate it right up.

How the grilled fish tasted: flounder and cod cheek

Finally, the seasoned grilled fish arrived, golden brown and generous. The fish flesh looked thick just from a glance, and it flaked apart softly with just a few moves of the chopsticks.

With several kinds of fish on the table, it was fun comparing the flavors one by one. My kid's favorite was the flounder — golden and crisp outside, moist and soft inside, seasoned just enough that eating it with rice was satisfying enough on its own.

Five-day-milled sotbap and nurungji sungnyung

The rice comes as sotbap, five-day-milled rice cooked to order right after you order. Lifting the lid revealed glossy, warm rice that looked irresistible.

After scooping out and enjoying the rice, you pour water into the pot to make a savory nurungji sungnyung (scorched rice tea) — it made the whole Korean meal feel complete.

Eating grilled fish with a kid: any worries about bones?

My kid picked up the tongs and picked at the fish pretty skillfully. Usually I get nervous about bones when eating grilled fish with a kid, but the flesh here was thick and flaked easily, so it was more manageable than expected.

The cod cheek I enjoyed had a clean, moist texture I really liked.

Golden on the outside but full of soft flesh inside, it paired well with the warm sotbap.

Wrapping a bite of the grilled fish with galchi-sokjeot (salted cutlassfish innards) in a lettuce leaf was also a treat. The savory salted jeot brought out the umami in the clean fish, and I ended up making wrap after wrap.

Coffee and sikhye after dinner, plus banchan and perilla oil to buy

After the meal, we finished cleanly with coffee and sikhye (sweet rice punch) set out by the entrance. The sikhye especially wasn't just sweet — it had that nostalgic taste, like the sikhye your mom or grandmother used to make.

Near the exit, they also sell the banchan and perilla oil we enjoyed during the meal separately. Since you can bring home the same side dishes you had at the restaurant, it's worth browsing if you're visiting with your parents. Between the seasonal grilled fish, warm sotbap, generous self-bar, and neat banchan, the whole family left satisfied.

This is a good place to bring older family members who prefer a well-set, warm Korean meal over flashy dishes, and it also suits a family dinner with kids or a bigger family gathering. If you've just finished shopping at IKEA Goyang and are craving real Korean food, or you're weighing options for restaurants near IKEA Goyang, Seongsa-dong spots, or a Hwajeong Station lunch, Min Cook Apbadang is worth keeping in mind.