Cheonan fish grill: 10th-anniversary boyang set for two, 43,000 won

What kind of restaurant is Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo in Baekseok-dong, Cheonan?

Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo Cheonan Main Branch is a grilled fish restaurant at 46-5 Handeul 2-ro, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea. It's open 11:00–21:30 with a break time of 15:30–16:50, though there's no break time on weekends.

I went to this Cheonan restaurant in Baekseok-dong for grilled fish. There's a big parking area right in front, and the store itself is pretty large too, so it seemed like a great spot for a family gathering.

The 10th-anniversary boyang set for two at 43,000 won

To celebrate their 10th anniversary, this Cheonan restaurant launched a new menu item: the boyang set for two (boyang meaning "body-nourishing"). A ₩54,000 set for ₩43,000 looked like great value. It was exactly the kind of restorative meal my husband and I needed after all the work and childcare lately.

Menu line-up and rice choices at Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo

Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo offers a wide range of fish — mackerel, atka mackerel, Spanish mackerel, cutlassfish, yellow corvina, and dried yellow corvina. Besides fish there's stir-fried pork, gorgonzola pizza, and kids' options like the mackerel set and handmade tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties). Rice comes in white, brown, or gondre (wild aster) rice, with gondre rice costing an extra ₩3,000. I ordered the boyang set for two with brown rice.

The fish is grilled in a wood-fired oven over 500°C, so it comes out crispy outside and juicy inside. They said they use salt that's been aged for over 10 years to draw out the bitterness.

What's on the self bar and in the side dishes

This Baekseok-dong restaurant also has a really well-stocked self bar, so even if someone in your group isn't a big fan of fish, there's plenty else to eat — no problem at all.

The basic side dishes are varied too: yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi), seasoned doraji (bellflower root), gochujang-seasoned side dish, doenjang cabbage soup, lotus root, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), and gungchae namul (seasoned greens). Whatever's missing, you can grab from the self bar.

The self bar has all the ingredients for bibimbap, plus cabbage leaves and tofu ssamjang (dipping sauce).

There's white rice too, so extra rice is free, and you can finish with nurungji (scorched rice) for dessert — really filling.

The self bar also has tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and japchae.

I was curious about the bibimbap so I tried it — the ingredients were so well put together, it was hearty and delicious.

The boyang set for two on the table: braised pomfret and grilled sea eel

You wouldn't believe how packed this Cheonan restaurant's boyang set for two is... My friends saw the photos and asked if I really went out for grilled fish, and were surprised they even sell eel. And when I told them it's all ₩43,000, they said it was such a steal.

This is the braised pomfret that comes with the boyang set. The sauce was sweet and so tasty! The kind of broth you keep spooning up — the pomfret itself was tender and delicious, and it was loaded with radish.

For grilled fish, you get sea eel, mackerel, and flounder. I picked the boyang set specifically for the sea eel, thinking it'd be great for a proper body boost — and the eel was a good-sized piece too. I thought, "how am I going to finish all this?"... but I did, haha. I was a little worried since sea eel has bones (I'm not a fan of bony fish), but once I actually ate it, it was so tender I barely noticed the bones — really good.

Wood-fired gorgonzola pizza when you bring kids

There was also a handmade wood-fired gorgonzola pizza, which seemed like a great option if you're visiting with kids who'd love it too. There were also set menus that include the wood-fired pizza.

Is Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo worth it for a family meal out?

The store is spacious, so it's great for a family meal or a gathering, the menu is well put together, and honestly, it's delicious too... We enjoyed it so much I thought, I should bring my parents here sometime. Normally grilling fish at home is a hassle because of the smell, but since it's wood-fired here, the fish came out tender and delicious — a proper, satisfying meal.

This is a Cheonan restaurant that celebrities like Lee Young-ja, Pak Se-ri, and Song Ga-eun have all visited. If you love grilled fish but find it too much hassle to cook at home, or you're looking for a place for a family meal out or a body-nourishing meal, give Hwadeuro-ganggodeungeo a try. I'm planning to bring my parents here soon, haha.