Two-person lunch set at Haetan, a squid restaurant in Byeongjeom

There's a new addition to my Byeongjeom food list — Haetan Hwaseong Byeongjeom, a squid specialty restaurant. I'd actually tried Haetan at another branch before, so I was genuinely excited to hear one had opened in Byeongjeom.

It sits in a two-story building right along the main road of Byeongjeom's central shopping district, so it's easy to spot. Even though it's still fairly new, it's already becoming known as a Byeongjeom favorite, so I went to see for myself why.

What kind of place is Haetan Hwaseong Byeongjeom?

At the entrance, there's a big menu board standing tall. It caught my eye right away — open 365 days a year with no break time, and unlimited refills on lettuce wraps, side dishes, cold bean sprout soup, and scorched rice water.

The name Haetan combines 'hae' (sea) and 'tan,' meaning the cool, energetic squid swimming through the blue ocean waves. According to the signage, squid has 2–3 times more taurine than other seafood and the highest protein content, making it a favorite for people of all ages. It's also low-fat, high-protein, and low-calorie, so it's great for diets and health-conscious eating — clearly a Byeongjeom spot that's easy on the conscience too.

Haetan appeared on the TV show 'Live Today' and became famous for its best-in-Korea Haetan table set, and has also been featured on several channels including 'Tasty Guys.' With 100,000 visitors a year and over 300 tons of squid sold, I had a feeling the Byeongjeom branch would carry on that reputation.

Can you book Haetan for a group dinner? Inside the dining hall

Walking into this Byeongjeom favorite, I was struck by how bright the floor-to-ceiling windows made the space and how spacious the hall was. Tables were spaced generously apart, and there were plenty of families and groups of friends dining.

With this much space, private bookings and company dinners both looked completely doable. Visiting during the day means you get to eat in a bright, cheerful atmosphere thanks to windows on every side — a big plus.

Ordering by tablet at Haetan, and the review event

Every table has a T-order tablet, so ordering was simple. And if you write a Naver receipt review with a photo attached, you can choose a free squid mandu (dumpling) fritter or a drink — definitely worth grabbing.

Haetan's self-bar: sides and rice, help yourself

At the self-bar corner, a sign invited guests to help themselves freely to extra side dishes, with a big note that rice is unlimited from 11am to 2pm.

The side dish counter had lettuce wraps and various sauces, seasoned bean sprouts, dried radish strips, and more, plus a rice cooker with freshly steamed white rice, and next to it, savory scorched rice water — all self-serve.

Being able to grab side dishes, rice, bean sprout soup, and scorched rice water all by yourself made this a really convenient Byeongjeom spot.

Haetan menu and prices

This Byeongjeom favorite's signature menu is varied: hot-plate squid stir-fry ₩12,000, hot-plate pork stir-fry ₩11,000, cheese hot-plate squid ₩14,000, mixed hot-plate squid & pork ₩15,000, pork belly bossam (per person) ₩12,000, plus squid cold noodles, squid hangover soup, and clam knife-cut noodles.

What comes with the value set for two

Among all that, I went with the value-focused set for two. It's a lunch menu available any day of the week, with a choice of hot-plate pork, hot-plate squid, or mixed (+₩6,000), plus your choice of spice level — and it comes with bossam and squid fritters included.

Once the rice and side dishes were added, there was barely any table space left — genuinely a value-packed lunch.

Sweet and spicy hot-plate squid, mixed with bean sprouts

The squid stir-fry bubbling away on the hot plate was topped generously with scallions and sesame seeds, and the vivid red sauce looked delicious from the start. I picked the Shin Ramyun spice level, and it was spicier than expected but really tasty.

The squid was fresh and plump, with great texture when chewing, and the portion was generous — you could really feel the restaurant's generosity.

Piling the squid stir-fry onto rice was great, but the real tip is fishing the bean sprouts out of the soup and mixing them in with the rice.

The crunchy bean sprouts with the spicy squid stir-fry made for a fantastic balance of flavors. A whole bowl of rice disappeared in no time.

The bossam and squid fritter tasting portions

I was surprised to see the basket of bossam (boiled pork) and squid fritters that came out, complete with baek-kimchi (white kimchi), seasoned sauce, and salted shrimp. It's rare for a place to give this much quality and quantity as just a tasting side to a set menu.

The bossam was soft and tender — it practically fell apart into layers as soon as I picked it up with chopsticks, and dipping it lightly in salted shrimp made the savory flavor even richer.

The squid fritters had more squid meat than batter, so they were light and not greasy at all. Splitting one open with my chopsticks revealed the white squid flesh inside — you could tell they really cared about the ingredients.

Haetan's three principles

This Byeongjeom favorite confidently says it 'discriminates' for its customers, and the reasoning behind it stuck with me.

• First, 'discriminating squid and bossam quality' — using only squid and pork sourced from verified suppliers
• Second, 'discriminating sauce' — made with a clear conscience as a hot-plate squid stir-fry specialist
• Third, 'discriminating ingredients' — squid, vegetables, and meat all sourced only from suppliers verified as safe enough for the owners' own families

Even the staff's own lunch includes the same side dishes and soup served to customers, and the restaurant only uses 100% deep-sea squid, never giant squid. It really felt like a brand that takes food safety seriously.

Squid fritters to go: a snack or drinking food at home

Squid fritters are also available to go, so I brought some home to try — the crispy batter held up just as well as eating them in the restaurant. They're perfect packed up as a late-night snack or something to go with drinks.

Why Haetan deserves to stay a Byeongjeom favorite

Between the friendly owner and staff, the generous portions, and the fresh squid, this place clearly has what it takes to do well as a Byeongjeom favorite. From the great-value lunch set to private bookings and group dinners, Haetan Hwaseong Byeongjeom covers it all — if you're looking for a good squid restaurant in Byeongjeom, I highly recommend it. I hope it stays a Byeongjeom favorite for a long time to come.