Cheese jjukkumi and pork belly for four in Cheonan: Bulnaneun Jjukkumi

I suddenly had a huge craving for spicy jjukkumi (webfoot octopus), so I went to Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Yuryang Direct Branch, a well-known spot in Cheonan.

I piled cheese on top of the griddled jjukkumi and pork belly, and the spicy octopus with savory cheese was such a good match. I finished it off with fried rice for dessert and ate every last bit, haha. Today I'll introduce Bulnaneun, the jjukkumi place that's word-of-mouth famous in Yuryang-dong, Cheonan.

Where is Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Yuryang in Cheonan, and what are the hours?

Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Yuryang Direct Branch is on the 1st floor of 5 Yangjimal 1-gil, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea. It's open daily from 11:00 to 20:50, with last order at 20:00.

Parking at Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Yuryang

If you're driving, no worries — you can use the dedicated parking lot for Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Yuryang Direct Branch. 🚗🚗🚗

Lunchtime scene outside and the terrace seating

I visited right at lunchtime and the parking lot was nearly full — clearly there were a lot of customers. Seeing how busy it was, I could tell this was a real Cheonan favorite.

At the entrance there was a banner reading, "We'll make you a plate you won't forget," which only made me more curious about what kind of flavor was waiting inside.

On one side of the restaurant there was also a terrace where you could sit comfortably outdoors.

Inside Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Yuryang: seating and amenities

Right inside the entrance there's a kiosk for registering your waiting number. Luckily a seat opened up right away so I could go straight in.

Near the counter, several autographs from celebrities were on display.

The dining space was split into two sides around the counter, and both were nearly full when I arrived.

Customers of all ages were eating together, which gave the sense that this is a place loved by everyone, young and old.

To the right of the counter, further inside, there's also a restroom.

There was also a phone charging area, a baby chair, and a coffee vending machine.

And since there's no break time, it's a great place to visit without worrying too much about timing.

What's on the self-serve banchan bar?

Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Yuryang Direct Branch has a separate self-serve bar where you can freely help yourself to whatever side dishes you need.

There was a range of options that go well with jjukkumi — salad, spicy radish salad (muchae), pickled radish (ssammu), and cold cucumber soup (oi-naengguk) — so you could mix and match to your taste.

The basic table setting

Once you order, they set up the basic table spread for you.

Anything missing from the side dishes, you could freely grab from the self-serve bar mentioned earlier, which made things easy.

Griddled jjukkumi with pork belly for four plus cheese: how did it taste?

I ordered griddled jjukkumi and pork belly for 4 people, added cheese, fried rice, steamed rice, and a Zero Coke. Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Yuryang Direct Branch had a wide variety of jjukkumi menu options, and I went with the griddled jjukkumi and pork belly for 4.

On top of that I added cheese, and the visual alone was seriously mouthwatering.

It comes fully cooked already, so you just wait until the cheese melts a little and dig right in.

The pork belly was tender with no gamy smell at all — really good.

The jjukkumi was plump with a nice chewy texture.

The pork belly in particular was delicious dipped fully in the sauce — spicy with an extra layer of savory depth.

Wrapping the jjukkumi and pork belly in lettuce wraps also worked really well. With so many banchan (side dishes) on offer, I could enjoy it in lots of different ways.

In between I had some cold cucumber soup, which was sweet, tangy, and refreshing — a great match for the jjukkumi.

How many fried rice orders should you get to finish?

Dessert has to be fried rice, of course. I ordered 2 servings of fried rice at Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Yuryang, and I would have regretted stopping at just 1 — it was so good that all my friends were raving about it.

I added extra cheese to the fried rice too, and the stretchy, savory cheese made it look even more irresistible.

There wasn't anything particularly special in the ingredients, but the seasoning was so good that I scraped up every last crispy rice bit stuck to the griddle.

One-line verdict on Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Yuryang

I stopped by while traveling in Cheonan craving good jjukkumi, and it was even better than I expected, so I left really satisfied. Visiting at lunchtime, I understood exactly why it was so busy. If you're looking for a great jjukkumi restaurant in Cheonan, definitely stop by once. If I visit Cheonan again, this is a place I'd want to come back to.