Seafood restaurant in Seohae, Incheon for family agu-jjim: Haemul Teukbyeolsi

Choosing a menu for a family meal is surprisingly hard, right? The adults want something spicy and warming with seafood to go with a drink, while the kids cannot handle spicy food… so we end up looking at two or three places. Haemul Teukbyeolsi Cheongna Direct Store (해물특별시 청라직영점), the Cheongna agu-jjim place I visited this time, was a good one-stop answer to that problem. From its signature sizzling-plate agu-jjim (braised monkfish) to seafood soup, fried rice, and dumplings, the menu had more variety than I expected for a family outing.

• Address: 23 Cheongna Emerald-ro 41beon-gil, Seo-gu, Incheon, South Korea
• Hours: 11:30–22:00 / last order 21:00
• Break time: Weekdays 15:00–16:30
• Regular closing day: Every Thursday (may open for group reservations)
• Reservations: Naver and dining-room reservations available for parties of up to 8
• Parking: Available in front of the restaurant

There is parking space right in front of the restaurant like this.

A family meal where choosing the menu was easy

I came looking for Cheongna agu-jjim, but the menu showed this was not a place with agu-jjim alone. There is whole squid sizzling seafood braise, sizzling agu seafood braise, seafood kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), mini seafood pajeon (scallion pancake), fried shrimp, whole-shrimp fried rice, fried galbi dumplings, and tteokgalbi (grilled minced beef patties)—quite a selection. This is especially important when you come with kids. We had to eat with the children too, so ordering only spicy agu-jjim felt a little awkward; having separate kid-friendly choices such as whole-shrimp fried rice and galbi dumplings made it much easier.

The restaurant also looked well suited to group gatherings or family meals, and it was nice that parties of up to eight can reserve ahead.

You can help yourself to more side dishes.

How thoughtful—red aprons, so splattered red sauce will not show ❤️ Let me show you the menu.

With so many choices—seafood braise, agu-jjim, seafood soup, altang (spicy fish roe soup), and more—I think a larger group could order several things and share!

What comes with the small sizzling-plate agu-jjim set

We ordered the small sizzling-plate agu-jjim set for ₩43,000. Along with the main agu-jjim, it comes with mussel-and-scallop soup, cheese corn, and flat dumplings to enjoy with the agu-jjim.

First, the scallop-and-mussel soup and side dishes arrive like this. The soup was refreshing, and I kept reaching for the white kimchi.

This is the can’t-go-wrong corn cheese gratin.

At first, I wondered how much food there would be in a small size, but once the table was set, there was more to eat than expected. A bite of spicy agu-jjim followed by a spoonful of hot, refreshing mussel-and-scallop soup was such a good combination. Its clear broth, with mussels and scallops, was great between bites of spicy food. And the flat dumplings were personally the most fun part. Rather than eating them on their own, I put monkfish, sauce, and bean sprouts on top and wrapped them up; the texture changed completely and it felt like a special little bite. The cheese corn was, quite literally, something the kids kept reaching for. It was also nice to take a bite of between spicy mouthfuls.

The agu-jjim was seriously generous! The bean sprouts were plump, and the monkfish was mild and pleasantly chewy!

You can adjust the spice level, too. We chose Shin Ramyun level, and it was just right for us because we like spicy food.

A good place to return to with family

What I liked about Haemul Teukbyeolsi in Cheongna was not so much that it seemed to excel at just one dish, but that it made it easy to suit every family member’s taste. Adults can have sizzling-plate agu-jjim, seafood braise, or seafood soup, while kids can choose non-spicy items such as whole-shrimp fried rice or galbi dumplings. A set like the sizzling-plate agu-jjim set, with soup and sides included, was convenient because we did not have to order lots of separate things, and I liked being able to enjoy different flavors at one table. If you are looking in Cheongna for somewhere to eat with your parents, take children, or gather for a family meal with several people, it is worth considering for agu-jjim. Next time, I would like to try the sizzling seafood braise topped with a whole squid, too. When you eat agu-jjim, are you team extra bean sprouts or team extra monkfish? :)