Chuseok family meal in a private room for 5: Yeouido Korean restaurant

I visited a Korean restaurant near Saetgang Station in Yeouido with my extended family ahead of Chuseok. It's Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Bansang Yeouido, and the grilled fish was excellent.

Where Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Bansang Yeouido is, plus hours and parking

Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Bansang Yeouido is on the basement floor of Lotte Castle Ivy, 86 Gukjegeumyung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Hours run from 11 AM to 9 PM, last order at 8:20 PM, and it's closed for the Chuseok holiday from September 24 to 26.

I picked this place because clean, tidy Korean food felt like the right call for bringing my parents and family along. With Chuseok coming up, the restaurant was already almost full inside. We were worried since it was five adults total, but luckily we were seated in an inner room with a partition.

For parking, leaving your car in the building gets you 2 hours free. Just park in the Lotte Castle Ivy basement, then take the elevator down to B1.

Since my husband and I have a baby, we sat at the end, while the rest of the extended family took the table right next to us. My mom and dad were happy to hear we were having grilled fish and Korean food, haha. The inner seats had backrests, so they were comfortable.

What five adults ordered for 69,000 won

This Saetgang Station restaurant lets you order set meals for one or individual dishes. The jeyuk (spicy pork) and pizza sets looked tasty too. With five of us, we ordered the grilled mackerel set, atka mackerel grill, and the bossam set. It came to ₩69,000 total, haha.

There were also plenty of options for kids — a kids' mackerel set, tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties), gorgonzola pizza, and more. Kids would love it. I'd like to bring my own once she's a bit older.

We got so caught up ordering food that we forgot drinks. They had cola, sprite, and zero-sugar cola, plus soju and beer. It seemed like a good spot for dinner with friends and a drink too.

What's on the free self bar before the food arrives

The self bar at Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Bansang Yeouido has rice and ssam vegetables set out by default, and you can keep refilling. My mom and I were curious what else was there before the food came out, haha, so we checked it out first. From rice to ssam vegetables and more, with endless refills — I loved that.

There was sungnyung (scorched rice tea), tteokbokki in broth, altari radish kimchi, cucumber salad, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), and deodeok root salad. You could probably polish off a bowl of rice with just these side dishes.

The rice was so fluffy that I went back for a refill later. Maybe I should switch my rice cooker to a Cuchen, haha.

Grilled fish and bossam for a pre-Chuseok family meal

Our family ordered atka mackerel, grilled mackerel, and the bossam set, and it all came out as a neat, tidy spread. That's probably why it worked so well for bringing the elders along. My parents were proud of how nicely everything was presented.

Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Bansang Yeouido is known for Korean food, and while the grilled fish is delicious, the bossam is presented just as beautifully and looked amazing. My older brother ordered the atka mackerel, and I kept sneaking bites from his plate, haha.

My husband and I ordered the mackerel and bossam sets. In the meantime my mom kept bringing us more japchae, deodeok salad, and radish kimchi. The japchae was seriously delicious.

The grilled fish was great, but the side dishes were also clean and well put together. Since the two of us split both dishes, we got to try a bit of everything, which felt more varied. The ssam vegetables came standard too, so wrapping rice with ssamjang and meat inside was delicious.

Getting extra rice on top of what was already served left us feeling full and satisfied. It made me want to bring my in-laws next time, too. But apparently this place has a wait — turns out it's a place people line up for.

Inside the private room: seating for a family of five

The center table at Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Bansang Yeouido is square, so a group can sit around it together, and there are also tables for 4 or more plus seats for solo diners. Once I was full and looked around, I realized this is one of those Yeouido spots people wait in line for. I saw a lot of families with kids like us, and also a few people dining solo.

The interior is clean and modern, no clutter.

There were hygiene aprons ready by the self bar, and baby chairs too, so I could tell a lot of families with kids come here, haha. By the end of the meal, I felt glad we chose this place for our Chuseok family outing.

Address: B1 floor, units B142–143, 86 Gukjegeumyung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea