Hwadeok Eoga, a grilled-fish restaurant staffed by seven low-income residents, opened Monday — participants handle everything from prep to cooking to store management, building real-world skills in the food service industry. The venture is expected to follow in the footsteps of Samgong Siktak, another successful self-reliance project in the district.
Yeongdeungpo-gu opened a new restaurant Monday aimed at helping low-income residents achieve economic independence.
The restaurant, called Hwadeok Eoga ("wood-fired fish house"), is located at 4 Singilro 37-gil and is operated by the Yeongdeungpo Regional Self-Reliance Center. It was established to provide jobs to low-income residents who are able to work but have struggled to find employment, while building their skills in the food service industry.
The store sits a one-minute walk from the Singilgamasanno intersection — formerly known as the Sareoga intersection — in an alley directly across from the Singil 3-dong community center. Its location, surrounded by a residential neighborhood and local commercial district, is well-suited for foot traffic.
The restaurant is open weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Its signature dish is grilled fish cooked in a wood-fired oven at temperatures reaching 500 degrees Celsius, which eliminates any fishy odor and produces a crispy exterior with a moist interior. The menu features a variety of fish — mackerel, Atka mackerel, flounder, hairtail, Spanish mackerel and rockfish — served alongside warm pot rice. A two-person set combining golden-grilled fish with spicy stir-fried pork is also available as a hearty meal option.
One participant, identified only as A, said the new job has given her something to look forward to each morning. "I'm excited every morning now that I have a place to go to work after such a long time," she said. "I feel the greatest sense of fulfillment when customers enjoy the fish I've grilled with care." Seven participants, including her, grill fish in the wood-fired oven and serve customers daily as they work toward financial independence.
The district has long run self-reliance work programs across sectors including cleaning, recycling, retail and food service to help low-income residents stand on their own. A particularly successful example is Samgong Siktak, a dosirak business launched in September last year that serves meals at 3,900 won and has become a model self-reliance project — easing residents' food costs while providing jobs to participants.
Hwadeok Eoga draws on that accumulated expertise in the food service sector. Participants handle the entire operation themselves — from sourcing and prepping ingredients to cooking and managing the store — gaining hands-on experience in the industry.
"We hope Hwadeok Eoga will serve as a place where participants can strengthen their resolve toward independence, and a space where local residents can enjoy a warm meal," a district official said. "We will do our best to support the store's operations and build participants' capabilities so it can become a leading model of self-reliance in the community."
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