Cheonan Korean restaurant with kids: Bulnaneun Jjukkumi self-serve bar

While visiting Cheonan, I heard about a jjukkumi (spicy stir-fried webfoot octopus) restaurant that serves up a full spread with pot rice and shrimp tempura, so I had to stop by! I'm a big fan of jjukkumi stir-fry in general, so there was no walking past this one. Being able to enjoy the spicy jjukkumi alongside freshly cooked pot rice and crispy shrimp tempura seemed like a great way to have a really filling meal.

The place we visited was Bulnaneun Jjukkumi in Cheonan! Here's how it went❤️

Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Main Branch hours and parking

Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Main Branch info! Address: 충남 천안시 서북구 한들2로 46-5 102호 Hours: Daily 11:00–21:30 Last order: 20:40 Baby chair: yes Parking available in front

There's parking space right in front of the restaurant, so we didn't have to hunt for a lot and could park and walk straight in. Parking matters a lot when you're moving around with kids, and being able to pull up right in front made loading gear and getting the kids in and out much easier! Having a parking spot right out front made things really convenient.

The vibe at 11am opening time

We showed up right at the 11am opening, and the place was quiet at first haha. But as time went on, office workers and families started trickling in until the seats filled up fast!

An order that even covers kids' menu items

The menu was more varied than I expected! Beyond the main jjukkumi stir-fry, there was perilla noodle soup (deulkkae kalguksu), pork cutlet, and dumplings — plenty of options for kids too, which I really appreciated. We ordered the jjukkumi + shrimp tempura + pot rice set (mild-spicy) for two, plus extra plain rice and rib dumplings for the kids!

Basic side dishes and the self-serve bar

The basic side dishes were salad, bean sprouts, seasoned radish, cold cucumber soup, and lettuce for wrapping.

There's also a separate self-serve bar with soft tofu, young radish kimchi, and pickled radish — extras that don't come standard, so you can help yourself to whatever suits your taste! Having such a wide variety of side dishes overall made them great to pair with the jjukkumi.

There was also a microwave set up to one side! For anyone visiting with a young child, it looked really handy for warming up baby food. Seeing this kind of small detail taken care of made me feel the owner's thoughtfulness haha.

The jjukkumi, pot rice and shrimp tempura spread

The dishes we ordered started arriving one by one, and soon the table was completely full.

As the dishes kept coming, the jjukkumi stir-fry, pot rice, shrimp tempura and side dishes filled the whole table. Since it's a set, we got to enjoy a bit of everything, and it felt way more generous than I expected! The shrimp tempura comes 2 pieces per serving in the set, so ordering for two got us 4 pieces total. Eating the crispy shrimp tempura and pot rice alongside the jjukkumi stir-fry — rather than just the stir-fry alone — made for a great combination and a really satisfying meal haha.

The taste of the jjukkumi, and what fell a bit short

The jjukkumi was plump and had great chew, and the sauce tasted good too!! It was spicy with a nice savory depth, so mixing it into rice worked really well. That said, personally, once I mixed it into the rice the sauce felt a little light. If there had been just a bit more sauce, it would have been even better mixed with the rice!

Eating it with the kids

Our little ones happily ate the shrimp tempura and pot rice — and they loved the scorched rice (nurungji) made by pouring water into the pot rice, haha. Both of them dug in enthusiastically!

With plenty of kid-friendly menu options and shrimp tempura, pot rice, and scorched rice all available together, Bulnaneun Jjukkumi was a great spot to visit with children! The jjukkumi stir-fry itself paired plump octopus with a spicy sauce that worked well, and thanks to the set format we came away from a filling meal with a bit of everything. If you're looking for a good place to take kids for jjukkumi, this one is worth a visit. We'll probably stop by again next time we're in Cheonan❤️