Sangseo-dong grilled fish set before a Gyejoksan hike: Hwadeogeuro Gan

My friend and I were heading out to hike (?) Gyejoksan in Jang-dong after a long while, so first we stopped to fill up on energy~ The sight of fish grilling golden-brown in a real 500℃ clay oven hit me right away, and then the self-bar quality — seriously Korean-buffet level — hit me again! Fully charged before the hike!!

Where is Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Sintanjin Branch? Hours and parking

Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Sintanjin Branch is located at 396-3 Sangseo-dong, Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, and is open 10:00–21:00. Break time runs 15:30–17:00, and last order is 20:20.

• Address: 396-3 Sangseo-dong, Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, South Korea
• Hours: 10:00–21:00
• Break time: 15:30–17:00
• Last order: 20:20
• Parking: Private lot in front of the restaurant

There's a dedicated parking space right in front of Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo, so parking was easy and stress-free.

The 500℃ clay oven and the dining room

Right as you walk into Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo Sintanjin Branch, you see the actual clay oven. Plump fish, neatly prepped and ready to be grilled deliciously, were lined up by it. Once you order, they're grilled golden-brown right there in the oven.

Inside, 4-person tables were arranged neatly in rows. Sunlight poured in through the full-length windows, making the space feel bright and pleasant overall, with plenty of room to move around — it looked like a great spot for family gatherings or a relaxed meal.

What's on the buffet-style self-bar?

Toward the back, there's a clean, tidy self-serve bibimbap corner.

From tasty namul (seasoned vegetables) to kimchi, salad, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), pork cutlet, and tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) — the lineup was seriously packed! I thought this was just a grilled-fish place, but the self-bar was so well stocked it could rival any Korean buffet — I was genuinely surprised.

Near the entrance there's also plum tea, sujeonggwa (cinnamon-persimmon punch), and coffee to drink after the meal,

and a baby chair is available too, so it looked easy to bring kids along.

Menu and what to order at Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo

From the clay-oven mackerel set to Alaska pollock, Spanish mackerel, and dried yellow corvina sets, plus health-boosting set menus, pork stir-fry, egg-and-pollock roe stew, and braised mackerel — the menu is really packed. You can pick from a variety of fish grilled crisp and moist in the 500℃ clay oven based on your taste.

The clay-oven mackerel set, dish by dish

What I ordered that day was the clay-oven mackerel set.

It came neatly served with 6 basic side dishes and a warm cabbage soybean paste soup. On top of the basic spread, you could freely help yourself to more side dishes from the self-serve corner, which made it even more satisfying.

The generously sized mackerel, grilled crisp and moist in the 500℃ clay oven, had absolutely no fishy smell or taste, and the bones had been picked out well, making it easy to eat comfortably.

Dipped lightly in wasabi soy sauce, it was clean and delicious on its own,

and placed on top of rice, it was pure rice-thief material.

White rice or brown rice: which to choose

I especially liked that when ordering the clay-oven mackerel set, you could choose between white rice and brown rice.

Even though it was brown rice, it wasn't coarse at all — soft and nutty — and it really went well with both the golden-brown mackerel and the tasty side dishes.

Is Hwadeogeuro Gan Godeungeo worth a stop before hiking Gyejoksan?

• There's a spacious, pleasant private parking lot right in front of the restaurant, so I could visit comfortably without worrying about parking.
• With sunlight streaming in through the full-length windows onto neatly arranged 4-person tables, it's a bright, roomy space perfect for family gatherings or group meals. Baby chairs are well provided too, so it looked great for coming with kids.
• The fish is grilled to order in a real 500℃ clay oven, giving it a subtle smoky flavor along with crispy-outside, moist-inside perfection. Completely free of any fishy taste and full of clean flavor, it was an amazing rice-thief whether dipped in wasabi soy sauce or piled on top of rice.
• It was really impressive that you could choose white rice or brown rice to your taste with the set. Even the brown rice was soft and nutty rather than coarse, pairing beautifully with the clean-tasting grilled mackerel.
• Along with 6 neat basic side dishes and warm cabbage soybean paste soup, the self-serve corner had namul, japchae, pork cutlet, tteokbokki, and self-serve bibimbap — rivaling a Korean buffet, so I ate really well. With plum tea, sujeonggwa, and coffee to finish, even dessert was covered at this place.