Chinese
Bantienyao Kaowi
반티엔야오 카오위 Ban tian yao (半天妖) is the Chinese chain's name, literally 'half-sky demon'; kao yu (烤鱼) means grilled fish — the whole fish that is grilled and then simmered in broth at the table.
Compiled from 14 blog posts read in fullSources →
A kao yu restaurant — Chinese grilled fish simmered in broth — at Myeongdong 7-gil 13, between Euljiro 1-ga and Myeongdong stations. You pick a broth (mala, green Sichuan pepper, garlic and more), the whole fish keeps bubbling on the table, and you add vegetables, tofu and noodles. The main dish was 43,000 won in every post; the rice-soda-cracker bar is 1,000 won a head. We read 30 posts from June 17 to October 6, 2026; 14 were about other branches of the chain (Gangnam, Hongdae, Suwon, Dongtan, Konkuk, Daejeon, Weihai in China) or about kao yu in general, so we set them aside. Of the remaining 16, 15 describe an actual visit to this branch.
Data as of · Published ·
Location & hours
- Address서울특별시 중구 명동7길 13, 명동증권빌딩 1층 (명동1가)13 Myeongdong 7-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
- Phone02-3789-8820
- Typical spend₩2,000 – ₩67,000
- From the station3 posts say it is walkable from the station.
- Floor areaFloor area 172 m² · Status In business
When it opens
Of 5 posts: 3 wrote Daily 12:00–23:00, 2 wrote 12:00–23:00.
| Daily | 12:00–23:00 | 3 of 5 posts |
|---|---|---|
| No day given | 12:00–23:00 | 2 of 5 posts |
| Last order | 21:30 | 3 of 3 posts |
Counted from what bloggers wrote in their posts; we did not confirm it with the restaurant. Where the values differ, it may be a change over time rather than a disagreement, so we show when each one was written.
What sets it apart
- Waiting depends on when you go. Five posts mention it; three say there was no wait — a couple of tables at 5 p.m. on a weekday and still room at 8, quiet before 4 p.m. on a Sunday, half full on a booked visit. One says the room was nearly full around 6 p.m. on a weekend evening, with a queue forming half an hour later. A diner back after a year said the lines had shrunk.
- Heat levels land differently. Seven posts discuss spice: four found it hot, two milder than expected, one undecided. Two diners were told level 2 is about as hot as Shin Ramyun and found the numbing mala far stronger; another called mala level 2 rather bland.
- Six posts talk about size; four say it is a lot — a pair left food after one fish plus a vegetable plate, and a group of three left many add-ins. Two say two people can finish it easily.
- Six posts say you order on a tablet or kiosk at the table; a paper menu is provided too. Several mention the sand timer set beside the fish — eat when it runs out. Staff top up the broth, or you call them from the kiosk.
4 more
- Four posts call the room spacious; one found it smaller than expected but well laid out.
- Three posts describe the walk: 200–400 m from exit 5 of Euljiro 1-ga station, six minutes from exit 6 of Myeongdong station, closer from Line 2 and under ten minutes from Line 4.
- Three diners got the shrimp-paste add-on free for posting a Naver review; one noted the staff barely checked the review.
- Two posts noticed many Chinese diners; one said over half the room and most of the staff were Chinese, like eating in China.
What 14 bloggers said
mara kaowi
Roomy
We read all 14 in full. The most common claims are “Roomy” (4) and “No wait” (3).
What they liked
What they struggled with
Where they disagree
| Spicy | yes 4 · no 2 |
|---|---|
| Large portions | yes 4 · no 2 |
Things you can check on site
- Self-order screen 6 of 14 posts
- Review event 3 of 14 posts
- Reachable by transit 3 of 14 posts
- Beer served 2 of 14 posts
- Foreign customers in the room 2 of 14 posts
- Wi-Fi 1 of 14 posts
- Separate restrooms 1 of 14 posts
- Discount offered 1 of 14 posts
- Signed celebrity photos 1 of 14 posts
- Takes reservations 1 of 14 posts
These are raw counts, not percentages. Someone who did not mention something is not someone who disagreed.
Who came, and with whom
- With a friend 7 of 14 posts
- Group visit 2 of 14 posts
Where it is
We could not find this shop’s own listing on Naver Map, so the link searches for its Korean name around this spot instead.
From the station
Three posts describe the walk: 200–400 m from exit 5 of Euljiro 1-ga station, six minutes from exit 6 of Myeongdong station, closer from Line 2 and under ten minutes from Line 4.
Getting inside
| Toilet inside | yes 0 · no 1 (of 14 posts read) |
|---|---|
| Separate restrooms | 1 of 14 posts |
The address says ground floor, but no post describes the floor or any stairs. That means nobody wrote about it, not that there are none.
We do not know about steps at the door or wheelchair and stroller access; no post mentions it.
There is no restroom inside: one post says you use the one in Hotel 28 next door (no code; men on 2F, women on 1F and 2F). Three other posts repeat this in copied info blocks, which we did not count.
No one mentioned: Second floor · In a basement · Lift to the floor · Ramp at the door · Step at the entrance · Step-free access · Accessible toilet. That is not the same as there being none — it means we could not confirm it. Worth calling ahead, and do tell us: we will put it here.
How to read these posts
- Posts saying they paid themselves2 of 14 posts
- Posts saying nothing either way12 of 14 posts
Posts that followed a TV spot
Of the 15 posts we gathered, 1 went up on a single day right after a TV spot and show no sign of a visit. They retell the broadcast, so we left them out of the counts.
We do not discard them. That a TV spot produced a burst of posts is itself something worth knowing about a place, and a star rating will not show it.
When the posts appeared
Month by month
| Month | Posts |
|---|---|
| 2026-06 | 1 |
| 2026-07 | 1 |
| 2026-09 | 8 |
| 2026-10 | 4 |
What we do not know
- No post describes going with family or children. Seven went with friends, two of them in groups of five or more; one noticed solo diners but went with friends herself.
- Hours are listed as 12:00–23:00 daily (five posts) with last order at 21:30 (three), but all are copied info blocks, not first-hand. One says no regular closing day; one warns it may close on holiday days.
- Prices: every kao yu is 43,000 won regardless of flavor, sea bass is 5,000 won extra, the vegetable-mushroom plate 8,800 won (8,000 in one post), the self-service bar 1,000 won a head. No Myeongdong post gives a full bill; one found it a bit pricey. One diner paid 35% less through the DatePop deal app.
- The phone number 0507-1371-4566 appears in three copied info blocks; one diner booked ahead.
- The menu has changed. A diner returning after a year said there used to be no choice of fish; by June 2026 you chose between two freshwater fish, and from September posts add sea bass at 5,000 won extra, plus a new dim sum set. One early-October post still lists only two fish.
- Two posts are tied to the DatePop app: its official blog lists five branches without saying which one it visited, so we did not count it; the other was written after a DatePop discount — we counted it, but it reads like promotional copy.
Sources (14)
Every number above was counted from the posts below.
- 명동맛집 반티엔야오 카오위 초보 맛선택 추천 내돈내산 2026-10-05 · 개미의 개빡센 하루
- [서울/명동] 반티엔야오 카오위 명동점 방문 후기 - 칭화지아오 카오.... 2026-10-03 · 욜리욜리한 이야기
- 중구/명동/을지로입구역 . 반티엔야오 카오위 명동점 . 중국전통 생.... 2026-10-02 · 진수의 일상 탈탈
- 중국 음식 좋아하는 사람 다 모여랏!! <반티엔야오 카오위 명동점> .... 2026-10-01 · 체리‘s diary
- [명동] 마라맛~ 냠냠냠 반티엔야오 2026-09-28 · 여행 맛집투어 기록 · via Daum
- [식당]명동 카오위 / 반티엔야오 카오위 명동점 후기 / 카오위 맛집 2026-09-26 · hyeri.M
- [명동/반티엔야오] 비주얼부터 무서운 마라 카오위ㅣ중국인들도 많.... 2026-09-24 · 갱상도 갱스터 봉미선 갱갱봉
- 죄송합니다 블로그 포기하겠습니다... 생각해보니 블로그를 진행하.... 2026-09-22 · 자연스럽게 만두 추가
- 2 - 2 2026-09-19 · 아름답게 일렁이던 시간
- 데이트팝 팝딜 명동점 반티엔야오 카오위 마늘향 리뷰 2026-09-16 · 6o3o님의 블로그
- [일상: 8월. 아직도 매우 덥다] 수원 인계동, 말랑이, 쿠푸왕의 피라.... 2026-09-15 · oㅅo
- [명동] 중국식 생선찜 맛집 “반티엔야오 카오위 명동점” 후기 2026-09-13 · 하하블
- 명동 맛집 반티엔야오 카오위 중국 본토맛 생선찜 2026-07-04 · 일상 모음집
- 명동 맛집 반티엔야오 카오위 (주문방법) 2026-06-17 · 오늘, 빛나는 셩시
Of 459 candidate posts we opened 109 and kept 14 as evidence. We stop once 30 are confirmed: beyond that the counts grow in proportion without changing the answer.