Daejeon restaurant for spicy hagfish and cod soup: Jinppaei

Last week, I was on a business trip to Daejeon and stayed one night near Yuseong Oncheon. After finishing the day’s schedule, I headed to Bongmyeong-dong looking for somewhere to have dinner and a light drink before returning to my accommodation.

Among the many restaurants, Jinppaei (진빼이) caught my eye. Its yellow sign and retro atmosphere made it feel as though I had stepped into a neighborhood street stall from years ago.

With a wide range of dishes including live hagfish (gomjangeo), anago (conger eel), and grilled shellfish, it was perfect for dinner with a drink. The atmosphere suited winding down after the day over a meal.

Jinppaei location and parking

Jinppaei is in Bongmyeong-dong’s main commercial area, 630 m from Exit 7 of Yuseong Oncheon Station. If you use the Sky View City underground parking lot beneath the building, parking is supported for two hours.

The tanks in front of the entrance were full of fresh hagfish and shellfish, and I learned that they catch and prepare them to order.

Retro pocha atmosphere and menu

Inside, it had a pocha (casual Korean drinking tent) feel that was different from the neatly styled restaurants you see so often these days.

I arrived early, but while I was eating, the place gradually filled up; by the time I left, every table was taken.

The three set menus seemed especially popular,

and hagfish could also be enjoyed grilled with salt, grilled in seasoning, or stir-fried on a stone plate. There were plenty of other choices too, including grilled shellfish, cod soup, and anago, so it was easy to choose according to your taste.

Set No. 3: stone-plate hagfish stir-fry and cod soup

That day, I ordered Set No. 3. Since I was on a business trip, I liked having a selection that let me enjoy several dishes at once rather than picking items one by one.

Before drinking, they thoughtfully handed out heotgae sticks as a complimentary service to diners.

The complimentary heotgae stick was a thoughtful touch.

The bean sprout soup that came as a basic side had an appealing peppery kick,

and the sea squirt and dried anchovy snacks were nice for nibbling on lightly before the main dishes arrived.

The first dish to arrive was the live hagfish. Besides salt-grilled and seasoned versions, hagfish can be served as a stone-plate stir-fry; that day, I tried it with a spicy seasoning. Just watching it sizzle away with the sauce on the stone plate whetted my appetite.

The hot stone plate kept it warm right at the table, and the chewy hagfish paired beautifully with the spicy-sweet sauce.

Every bite had that signature springy texture, and it was also good wrapped with perilla leaf or aged kimchi.

The dish I enjoyed alongside the hagfish was cod soup. After the spicy stone-plate stir-fry, I naturally found myself wanting its hot, refreshing broth.

The cod soup had a milky-white broth with cod and tofu, and its clean flavor was the kind that makes you want a drink. Looking around during the meal, I noticed that many other diners were having the grilled shellfish and hagfish sets too. Jinppaei was a Bongmyeong-dong restaurant and drinking spot where you can enjoy sets with a range of dishes, including grilled shellfish and live anago.

Jinppaei for dinner on a business trip

At Jinppaei in Bongmyeong-dong, Daejeon, I enjoyed stone-plate stir-fried hagfish and cod soup as both dinner and drinking food. It was close to my accommodation and easy to reach on foot, and the chewy hagfish with its spicy seasoning plus the hot cod soup made it easy to enjoy a proper meal and drinks together.

The retro pocha atmosphere went especially well with the food, making this a place I would think of on a night when I wanted a relaxed late dinner in Bongmyeong-dong. If you are looking for a Bongmyeong-dong restaurant or somewhere near Yuseong Oncheon Station for pocha dishes such as hagfish, anago, and grilled shellfish, Jinppaei is the place.