Medium-spice seafood pot at Jumak Haemulchon, a Mokdong seafood house

Here's my review of Jumak Haemulchon (주막해물촌), the word-of-mouth seafood spot in Mokdong! I love seafood as much as meat, so I eat haemuljjim (spicy braised seafood) pretty often. Jumak Haemulchon was already starred on my list because they only use fresh seafood, and when I saw it on Superchart I reached out right away.

Jumak Haemulchon in one line

• The seafood is insanely fresh
• Giant octopus, squid, and whelk are all tender, none chewy
• We ordered medium spice and it was about as spicy as Shin Ramyun
• The fried rice is a must — genuinely delicious
• The staff are kind

Hours, address and the basics

Jumak Haemulchon is open daily from 11:30 to 23:00 (check Naver Place for updates). The address is 16 Mokdong-jungang-seoro 1-gil, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul.

• 📍 16 Mokdong-jungang-seoro 1-gil, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• 🅿️ Parking available (free)
• 🚻 Indoor restroom | unisex
• 🐶 Pets allowed (dogs under 7kg)
• ✅ Private events available, call ahead

How many people do you need to book a table?

Naver Reservation is only available for parties of 4 or more at Jumak Haemulchon.

The photo says 5+ people, but when I checked the reservation page it actually allowed bookings from 4 people. It's already well known as a Mokdong seafood spot, so if you're a party of 4 or more, book ahead and go with peace of mind!

‼️Review event: what you get‼️

If you write a Naver receipt review, you get one of the following on the house: a drink, a bottle of soju, a bottle of beer, or 2 marinated shrimp! Don't miss it 🙂↕️

Outside and inside Jumak Haemulchon

Here's the exterior first — the local-favorite vibe is unmistakable, right? The owner couple have actually been running this business for 33 years! They only moved to Mokdong recently, but when they ran their stall at Garak Market, there used to be a waiting line 😮

Before going in, I was drawn to the tank of seafood out front 👀 The owner kindly showed me what goes into the haemuljjim, haha. The giant octopus is really huge 🐙 He also showed me the sea squirts, saying they were super fresh 👍🏻

Here's what the interior looks like! All the tables seat 4. There's floor seating upstairs too, but it seems to only be used for group reservations.

Where does the seafood come from?

Jumak Haemulchon says it only uses seafood shipped from Hupo Port and Jukbyeon. The country-of-origin labels are clearly posted too. The owner is from Samcheok, so he's apparently very particular about his ingredients! My mom is from Uljin, so that made me feel oddly connected, haha. They also only use 100% domestic sun-dried red pepper powder grown by a relative in Pocheon 👍🏻

Even the framed picture on the wall is a view of Hupo Port! You can roughly tell how devoted the owner is to Jumak Haemulchon.

Menu and prices

Here's the menu ~~ I only had the haemuljjim this time, but I saw a lot of people ordering the agujjim (spicy braised monkfish) and the octopus + whelk combo too! At lunch, people also order the soy crab set or stir-fried squid. The owner clearly has great cooking skills, because nothing seems to miss 👨🏻‍🍳

Alcohol is a must with a menu like this, so I photographed the drinks fridge too. They even have non-alcoholic beer and zero-sugar cola!!

Honest review of the meal

This is the basic table setting — rolled egg, cabbage water kimchi, seasoned nogak (aged cucumber), stir-fried anchovies, and they also gave us gompi and gosiraegi seaweed! I personally love seaweed side dishes, so this was really delicious 😋

Large haemuljjim at 75,000 won: how spicy is medium?

Jumak Haemulchon's large haemuljjim is ₩75,000, and you can choose your spice level. We went with medium, and it was about as spicy as Shin Ramyun! Here's the main dish ✨ There are 4 types of seafood — giant octopus, whelk, squid, and shrimp — so it's not the widest variety, but I get why the reviews say this haemuljjim is different. The octopus, whelk, and squid were all sooo tender…🤤

The shrimp were plump too, and the whelk was the most tender I've ever had! Someone in the reviews said it seemed like each type of seafood was cooked separately since the doneness was so even, haha, and I totally get what they meant!! Now I understand why chef Ahn Sung-jae always emphasizes doneness…👏🏻

Why the 3,000-won pressed fried rice is a must-order

Jumak Haemulchon's fried rice is ₩3,000 per serving. The photo shows 2 servings' worth, and ⭐️you have to order the fried rice⭐️! It's a must!! It even looks like a crispy pancake — the owner is clearly an eating genius.

The seasoning was just right, and the owner pressed it down properly so the crispy bottom part is even better…

The haemuljjim portion was generous enough that we were already full, but the fried rice was so good we scraped the pan clean 😮‍💨

Just as we were finishing up, the owner shared some shine muscat grapes with us for dessert!💚

Why Jumak Haemulchon is worth it for seafood in Mokdong

This was a place I'd personally starred to visit, so I'd read a lot of reviews beforehand — people said the monkfish is fresh (not frozen) so it's tender yet chewy, that the whelk and octopus are delicious too… honestly nothing seemed to disappoint. Going through it, I really felt that fresh ingredients can't be beat 🙂↕️ If you're looking for a Mokdong seafood spot or just craving fresh seafood, I highly recommend Jumak Haemulchon ~~