Mokpo seafood restaurant: beef brisket agu jjim at Sin Mokpo

Sin Mokpo Agujjim Main Branch near Pyeonghwa Square

While wondering what to eat for dinner in Mokpo, I visited Sin Mokpo Agujjim Main Branch (신목포아구찜 본점), close to Pyeonghwa Square 🙂

Sin Mokpo Agujjim Main Branch is on the first floor at 8-1 Okam-ro, Mokpo-si, Jeollanam-do, South Korea, and is open from 16:30 to 22:00. It is regularly closed every Wednesday.

To be honest, lots of agu jjim (spicy braised monkfish) places go heavy on the heat, so I was excited but a little worried too, haha. Even when I passed by, the sign was red and gave off an immediate “they really do spicy food properly here” feeling lol.

It was easy to find near Pyeonghwa Square, and it felt like a convenient location when you want agu jjim in Mokpo.

A restaurant that looked good for family meals and gatherings

Once inside, the restaurant was much tidier than I had expected. The table areas were divided with roll-up partitions, so it looked great for a family meal or a gathering with several people. It seemed suitable for group dining too, and overall the table spacing and atmosphere were neat!! 👍🏻

What is beef brisket wrapped agu jjim?

The menu had more variety than I expected. Its main offerings were beef brisket wrapped agu jjim, boneless beef brisket wrapped agu jjim, Sin Mokpo agu jjim, and boneless agu jjim.

Beef brisket wrapped agu jjim — agu jjim served with Korean beef brisket grilled directly at the table

The boneless beef brisket wrapped agu jjim is boneless agu jjim served with brisket. Sin Mokpo agu jjim is the regular version with flesh, bones, and skin, while boneless agu jjim is, as the name says, served without bones or skin.

After debating, we ordered the beef brisket wrapped agu jjim. 😋

Banchan and clear jiritang

Before the main dish arrived, the banchan (Korean side dishes) were set out, and I was a little surprised by how many there were. There was stir-fried eggplant, corn salad, white kimchi, a tofu side dish, and more. Everything was neatly prepared, so it was nice to pick at while waiting for the agu jjim. The clear jiritang (fish soup) served alongside it was good too. 🐟

With fish, mussels, roe, and milt in it, the soup was more generous than I expected. Since the broth was clear, a spoonful here and there while eating the agu jjim felt like it reset the heat a little!

A generous platter with monkfish and whole steamed squid

Finally, the beef brisket wrapped agu jjim arrived!! The agu jjim was piled generously onto a large platter, with monkfish flesh and all sorts of ingredients tucked among the bean sprouts. The bean sprouts in particular were really plentiful, and their crisp texture went well with the agu jjim. The monkfish had nice thick pieces of flesh, and with the sauce, it really felt like a proper plate of agu jjim. 👍🏻

Whole steamed squid came with the agu jjim too, so seafood lovers will probably find it even more generous. 🦑 Cut the whole squid into easy-to-eat pieces and have it with the agu jjim sauce—the chewy texture makes it extra tasty. With monkfish, bean sprouts, mussels, roe, and whole squid all on one platter, it was fun choosing among the different seafood ingredients. 🧡

The combination of separately grilled brisket and agu jjim

And the highlight of this dish is, of course, the brisket! 🥩 You grill the brisket separately and wrap it with the agu jjim, and the rich, fatty flavor of the brisket went surprisingly well with the spicy agu jjim sauce. It definitely felt different from eating agu jjim on its own! After grilling a piece of brisket and eating it with the agu jjim, I thought, “Ah, so that’s why it’s called beef brisket wrapped agu jjim,” haha.

You have to get the fried rice!!

Oh, and you have to get the fried rice!! It is not fried in the leftover agu jjim sauce; it is made in the kitchen as soon as you order it. It was crispy and kind of like kimchi pancake?.. Such an addictive flavor 🥹🧡 Eating the fried rice after the agu jjim is what makes it feel like a truly complete meal.

In particular, the Naver receipt review event gives you either one fried rice or one canned drink, so if you plan to write a review, it would be good to make use of that too. I would recommend the fried rice over a drink lol.