Jeju crab set with grilled fish at a Baekseok-dong fish grill, Cheonan

Today I visited Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo Cheonan Main Branch, which serves fish grilled in a wood-fired oven! These days it feels hard to find a restaurant specializing purely in grilled fish, so I checked out this place that's been holding down the same spot for years.

Where is Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo Cheonan Main Branch, and when is it open?

Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo Cheonan Main Branch is located at 46-5 Handeul 2-ro, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, in Cheonan's Baekseok-dong neighborhood. It's open daily 11:00–21:30, last order 20:50, with a break time Mon–Fri 15:30–16:00, and parking is available right in front of the restaurant.

The restaurant was huge, with a ton of seating. Lots of tables looked like families or groups of coworkers eating together, and since the grilled fish spread is so neat and tidy, it seemed like a solid choice for gatherings or company dinners too.

Menu and prices: grilled fish, pork stir-fry and Jeju crab sets

At Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo Cheonan Main Branch, ordering one set menu per person was required. They had mackerel set, Atka mackerel set, Spanish mackerel set, hairtail set, yellow corvina set, semi-dried yellow corvina set, pork stir-fry set, Jeju yellow crab set, Jeju yellow crab in seasoned sauce set, and hangover fish stew set — everything from grilled fish to pork stir-fry to crab. Prices were reasonable and pretty similar across the board, so if you're visiting with a group, ordering different menus and sharing seemed like a great idea.

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What's at the self bar: bibimbap, nurungji sungnyung and tteokbokki

The self bar at Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo Cheonan Main Branch was only available to those who ordered a set menu. I was surprised at how varied the self-bar selection was the moment I walked in. There were fernbrake, bean sprouts, radish salad, lettuce and other vegetables you could scoop into a bowl and mix with gochujang (red chili paste) for bibimbap (mixed rice). Grilled fish with bibimbap — such a healthy, satisfying combo.

Gochujang, sesame oil — everything was fully stocked.

You could also refill the basic side dishes like chili peppers, lotus root, kimchi and deodeok (bellflower root) salad. Those dishes come with the initial table setting, so eat first and grab more if you run out!

This lineup wasn't part of the basic side dishes, though. Nurungji sungnyung and tteokbokki don't come standard. The nurungji sungnyung had plenty of scorched rice in it, and the tteokbokki was delicious too — make sure to grab both💗 Japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) does come as a basic side dish, but it's tasty so I refilled it right away. Plates for the self bar were given out along with the basic side dishes.

They even had aprons and plastic gloves ready, so eating was nice and tidy. We ordered crab and wondered if there'd be gloves — turns out they were right there.

There was also corn snacks and rice puffs, but you can't eat them inside the restaurant — only on your way out. I guess it's because there'd be a lot of spilling inside, but a restaurant that gives you dessert to go too! Next to it were plum tea, coffee, and other teas. A restaurant where you can handle both the meal and dessert in one visit.

Side dishes and cabbage doenjang soup with every set

The basic side dish lineup was solid too — altari kimchi (young radish kimchi), chili peppers, deodeok salad, japchae, lotus root, and bamboo shoots. With these sides and just one bowl of rice, you'd finish it in no time.

They also gave us cabbage doenjang (soybean paste) soup, which was tasty, and the freshly-scooped tteokbokki was great too.

Everyone dished their own portions — ready to dig into the set menu, haha.

How the 500°C oven-grilled mackerel, Spanish mackerel and Jeju crab tasted

Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo grills their fish in an oven that reaches over 500°C. They use salt that's been drained of bitterness for over 10 years, which brings out the fish's flavor even more, so they say everyone from elders to kids can enjoy it without worry.

• Mackerel set: 16,000 won
• Spanish mackerel set: 20,000 won
• Jeju yellow crab set: 18,000 won

With grilled fish and crab both on the table, it really felt like a spread so plentiful the table legs might buckle. Time to dig in, haha.

The mackerel and Spanish mackerel each came as one whole fish, and they were big with tons of flesh. The crab portion was just the right size too.

The fish were really that big. So much flesh that I left completely full.

The seasoning was just right, and since it's oven-grilled, the outside was crispy while the inside stayed juicy — the kind of taste that clears a bowl of rice fast.

Dipping it in soy sauce, and also making bibimbap to eat alongside.

The crab had plenty of meat too and was really delicious. Total rice thief, no doubt, haha.

Who this Baekseok-dong grilled fish restaurant suits

If you're looking for a good restaurant in Cheonan's Baekseok-dong, I'd recommend Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo Cheonan Main Branch, where oven-grilling makes the fish taste even better for a healthy meal!