Kid-friendly restaurant near Jaundae, Daejeon: Seommaeul galbitang

A nakjibokkeum (spicy stir-fried octopus) spot in Daejeon

What we ordered: nakjibokkeum, abalone galbitang

Where is Seommaeul in Daejeon?

Seommaeul is famous in Daejeon for agujjim (braised monkfish) and haemuljjim (braised seafood). We had agujjim with the family before and it was so good that this time we tried the nakjibokkeum and galbitang instead. 😊 This Daejeon nakjibokkeum spot, Seommaeul, is located in the Jaun-dong area of Yuseong-gu, Daejeon.

Parking at Seommaeul is fairly easy. You can park right in front of the restaurant, and if you go into the alley beside the store there's a dedicated Seommaeul parking lot too.

Floor seating and private rooms that work with kids

Seommaeul is a shoes-off restaurant, so it's really tidy and clean.

Since our kid is little, a shoes-off restaurant is so much better — haha

There are also a lot of seats and the spacing between them is generous. On top of the main hall, there are also rooms available, so it's great for groups or gatherings too.

Seommaeul menu and prices

Here's the menu and prices at Seommaeul, this Daejeon nakjibokkeum spot. Besides the main dishes like agujjim, haemuljjim, and monkfish-and-octopus jjim, they also have lighter options like nakjibokkeum, abalone galbitang, and ppyeo-haejangguk (spine bone hangover soup).

• Nakjibokkeum ₩14,000
• Abalone galbitang ₩15,000

That day we ordered the nakjibokkeum and the galbitang.

Which free side dishes can children eat?

Before the main dishes came out, they set the table with basic side dishes first. If you're visiting with a kid, you're probably curious what sides they can actually eat.

First up, stir-fried fish cake. It's not spicy, just a plain fish cake stir-fry, so kids can eat it too.

Kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi).

Gim jaban (seasoned seaweed flakes). This one's probably meant for the nakjibokkeum? Haha — it can't not be good. If your kid is little, just mixing gim jaban into a bowl of rice works great too — haha

Bean sprouts. This one's probably meant for the nakjibokkeum too. It's good for kids to eat as well — you barely taste the garlic, and the texture is nice.

Salad. Our kid didn't eat this one, but it's nutty and delicious.

Steamed egg, included as a basic side dish. It's nutty and really tasty. A kid-friendly side dish, and you don't have to pay extra for it — it just comes as a basic side. Haha

They prepared a clean lineup of side dishes that go well together. And a bowl of rice.

Fluffy and glossy with just the right stickiness — delicious. Rice quality really matters to Koreans, after all.

Seommaeul nakjibokkeum for two: portion size and taste

And then... the nakjibokkeum finally arrived!!!

It's the portion for two, and the amount is seriously, seriously huge!

Even just looking at it, the spicy sauce is enough to get your appetite going~~

The octopus was so fresh — plump, chewy, and springy all at once, the texture is alive.

It's not a dish where only the heat hits you hard — there's a good balance of sweetness and savory depth in the sauce, so it goes really well mixed with rice.

Rice, bean sprouts, and nakjibokkeum in a bowl, plus some gim jaban~ mixed it all up.

Ahh! So good, so, so good~~

The nakjibokkeum is genuinely delicious, haha — yep... a real Daejeon nakjibokkeum spot 😋😘🥰

Abalone galbitang, the mild dish ordered for our child

And the galbitang (short rib soup) we ordered for our kid. Wow, it was more delicious than at dedicated galbitang restaurants. Wait, isn't Seommaeul an agujjim place? Why is the galbitang this good too — haha

A clear, clean broth, and it's loaded with green onion too.

There were about 4 big rib bones in it, and they were seriously substantial. It's abalone galbitang, so there's a plump abalone in there too. The rib bones are big and the meat is hearty.

It's good plain, and it's good dipped in the sauce too — haha

It's not a heavily seasoned, strong broth — it's mild but has a deep flavor drawn out from the meat, so our kid ate it happily too.

Above all, if you're eating something spicy like nakjibokkeum or agujjim, sipping the galbitang broth in between might be great for calming the heat down 🙄

We ate well and finished things off neatly with a glass of sikhye (sweet rice punch) they had ready. The sikhye was really tasty too, haha

Is Seommaeul worth a family visit?

Seommaeul, a Daejeon nakjibokkeum spot. It's famous for agujjim and haemuljjim, but the nakjibokkeum and galbitang were really delicious too 🥰😘 Parents had the nakjibokkeum, our kid had the galbitang — haha. Next time we'll have to try the haemuljjim~ lol