Cheonho octopus restaurant since 2006, roe & cheese wraps: Jjuksami

What is Jjuksami Cheonho Main Branch in Cheonho-dong's octopus alley?

Jjuksami Cheonho Main Branch is a spicy octopus and pork belly restaurant near Cheonho Station in Cheonho-dong's octopus alley, and apparently it's been operating in the same spot since 2006. I was trying to figure out dinner around Cheonho and suddenly craved spicy octopus after a long while, so I headed to the octopus alley.

There are honestly so many octopus restaurants near Cheonho Station. This one's been featured on TV food shows and has been around in the octopus alley for a while, so I'd been wanting to try it haha. We ordered octopus+pork belly for two, plus the Rich Gold cheese plate and flying fish roe on top.

Cutting to the conclusion first — the combo of spicy octopus-pork belly with sweet, savory cheese was pretty good, and my favorite was wrapping it all in perilla leaf with roe on top.

Cheonho-dong's octopus alley is lined with restaurants one after another, so walking in at dinnertime you get that distinct lively energy. It's not far from Cheonho Station either, so it's easy to get to by public transit.

Jjuksami Cheonho Main Branch location, hours and parking

• Address: 서울 강동구 천호대로158길 8 1층 (8 Cheonho-daero 158-gil, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea)
• Nearest station: About 196m / 3 min walk from Cheonho Station Exit 6
• Hours: Daily 12:00–01:00 (next day)
• Parking: No dedicated lot; Cheonho Station public parking lot recommended
• Takeout/delivery available
• Reservations available; dine-in seating available

It's convenient to park at the Cheonho Station public parking lot and walk over!

The interior of Jjuksami Cheonho Main Branch isn't flashy or trendy — it has more of that neighborhood-favorite-that's-been-here-forever vibe. With the reddish interior and big grills at every table, it definitely felt like a place you come to for spicy braised octopus haha.

Jjuksami menu and prices

At Jjuksami you can choose from plain octopus to pork belly combos to ones with shrimp added. Fried rice options are cheese fried rice for 3,500 won, roe fried rice for 3,500 won, and cheese-roe fried rice for 4,500 won.

• Octopus + pork belly for two: ₩32,000
• Rich Gold cheese plate: ₩2,000
• Flying fish roe add-on: ₩1,500
• Total: ₩35,500

What comes on the grill with octopus and pork belly for two?

When the grill first arrives at Jjuksami, red-sauced octopus is laid in the center, with a generous pile of pork belly and enoki mushrooms on top.

Bean sprouts fill one side and the Rich Gold cheese plate sits on the other, so it looked pretty hearty from the start.

What side dishes does Jjuksami serve?

The basic side dishes at Jjuksami were steamed egg custard, corn cheese, sungnyung (scorched rice tea), perilla leaves, and pickled radish. The egg custard wasn't heavily seasoned — moist and soft, so it was nice to have a spoonful or two between bites of spicy octopus.

The corn cheese was also savory and sweet, good for a little break from the spice.

Sungnyung, a nice pairing, came out too.

Perilla leaves and pickled radish come as standard.

Is the Rich Gold cheese plate worth adding?

Jjuksami's Rich Gold cheese plate (2,000 won) isn't just regular cheese — yellow sweet potato Rich Gold is mixed in throughout, so once the cheese melts it takes on a sweeter, more savory flavor. This was actually the thing I was most curious about this visit.

The octopus sauce is fairly intense, so eating the cheese alone could get a bit heavy, but paired with the octopus it softened the spiciness nicely.

Especially when you pile pork belly on top too, the savoriness gets pretty deep — if you're sensitive to spice, adding the Rich Gold plate seems worth it.

Best combo: perilla leaf wrap with octopus, bean sprouts, cheese and roe

My favorite combo at Jjuksami was perilla leaf + octopus + bean sprouts + cheese + roe. The cheese adds savoriness and the roe pops in your mouth, giving a pretty varied texture in every bite.

Bean sprouts paired with cheese was also a good combo.

Maybe because it had been a while since I'd had something this bold, I finished it all haha.

Is Jjuksami Cheonho Main Branch worth a return visit?

Jjuksami Cheonho Main Branch felt like it earned its long run in Cheonho-dong's octopus alley. The sauce isn't just relentlessly spicy — it's slightly sweet with real depth of flavor, and with the savoriness of the pork belly added in, I kept reaching for more.

Adding the Rich Gold cheese and roe in particular let you enjoy spiciness, savoriness, and that popping texture all at once, and it worked well together. If you have dinner plans with friends in Cheonho or are craving something spicy with a shot of soju, and you're looking for octopus in Cheonho, this is worth a visit.

Next time I want to properly finish off the leftover sauce with the cheese-roe fried rice haha.