Yeongjong octopus stir-fry for a 7pm family dinner: Haesanggung

I'd just gotten back from a business trip. My mother-in-law happened to be visiting, and my wife said, "I'll go pick her up today~" Since we were bringing my mother-in-law along, I was a little nervous about picking the menu — needed something adults would love and something the kid could eat too. So I chose Haesanggung, a restaurant famous in Yeongjong that won an award for its octopus stir-fry. Long story short: my mother-in-law said, "Good pick," before I even had to ask haha.

Where is Haesanggung, what are the hours, and is there parking?

Haesanggung is located at 411 Masiran-ro, Yeongjong-gu, Incheon (198 Eulwang-dong), South Korea. It's open 10:00–21:00 with last order at 20:00, and closed every Tuesday.

• Large free parking lot in front and beside the restaurant
• High chairs available
• Outdoor terrace seating / pet-friendly
• Groups, takeout, and reservations available
• Self-serve side dish bar

The parking lot and garden at Haesanggung at 7pm

We arrived around 7pm and the parking lot was genuinely huge. Even with cars lined up in front and to the side of the restaurant, there was plenty of space — no circling around looking for a spot.

By the time we got there the sun had set, and the sign and garden lights were on,

and the walking path behind the restaurant glowed softly — the atmosphere was really nice.

There's a little red toy car for kids tucked in a corner of the garden, and our daughter Hamin wouldn't leave it until the food arrived lol.

Inside Haesanggung: is it comfortable for older family members?

The inside of Haesanggung is spacious and bright. The tables have generous spacing, which made it comfortable to seat my mother-in-law, and there's a long outdoor terrace stretching out beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.

On a nice day, the terrace seats would clearly be popular. The walls are covered with a certificate for winning the grand prize at Incheon Jung-gu's local food competition, plus lots of celebrity autographs. Apparently it's been featured on TV several times.

Three adults and one child: what we ordered at Haesanggung

We ordered exactly three dishes at Haesanggung that day.

• Octopus stir-fry — ₩21,000
• Whole octopus pancake — ₩25,000
• Seafood kalguksu (noodle soup) — ₩13,000

With three adults and one kid, this lineup left everyone full. If there are more people, going with Haesanggung's set menu is another option — it comes with octopus stir-fry, pancake, kalguksu, and turmeric rice all at once.

How the food tasted at Haesanggung

1. The side dishes and self-serve side dish bar

The basic side dishes were bean sprouts, house-made kimchi, and salad.

One tip: don't mix the bean sprouts into the octopus stir-fry — mix them into your rice instead. Side dish refills are self-serve and easy.

2. Whole-octopus green onion pancake (25,000 won)

True to its name, a whole octopus comes sitting right on top of the pancake.

The second the plate hit the table, Hamin shouted "It's an octopus!" lol. The pancake itself is thin and crispy — savory without being greasy.

The octopus isn't chewy at all — it's springy and tender, with shrimp tucked in between the tentacles. Dipped in the soy sauce, this ended up being the dish my mother-in-law ate the most of.

3. Octopus stir-fry (21,000 won)

The star of the night — the award-winning dish.

They make the sauce by aging about ten ingredients including chili powder and garlic, no artificial capsaicin. That must be why the flavor's different — first comes the deep chili powder note, then the spiciness rises up gently behind it.

It's not a sharp, tongue-stinging spicy — it's the kind of spicy that keeps you reaching for more. The octopus pieces are big and bite tenderly.

Scoop a spoonful of bean sprouts and octopus stir-fry over the turmeric rice and mix it up — total rice thief. They can also adjust the spice level, so it's fine even for people who don't handle heat well.

4. Seafood kalguksu, knife-cut noodle soup (13,000 won)

We ordered this for Hamin, but the adults ended up scooping up the broth too.

It's packed with shrimp, mussels, and clams, and the broth is clean and well-seasoned.

The noodles are chewy and soaked up the broth well — Hamin ate almost all the noodles by herself haha.

Taking a spoonful of kalguksu broth in between bites of octopus stir-fry cleanly resets the spice — this combo comes highly recommended.

Haesanggung pros and cons

Pros

• Octopus stir-fry with deep spice that isn't harsh
• Whole octopus pancake delivers on both looks and flavor
• A kalguksu option makes it easy for family outings with kids
• Big parking lot plus a garden with things for kids to do

Downsides

• Can get fully booked during weekend meal times
• Closed on Tuesdays, so check before you go

The verdict on Haesanggung

It was an evening that completely melted away my business-trip fatigue. My mother-in-law had the pancake, my wife the octopus stir-fry, Hamin the kalguksu — everyone having their own favorite dish turned out to be the most important thing for a family outing.

A Yeongjong restaurant that satisfies three generations at once

• Taste: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
• Price: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
• Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.5/5)
• Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)