Gangdong Korean restaurant for spicy octopus and soju: Jjuksami

I was wondering what to have for dinner in Cheonho, and I was craving something spicy that day, so I went to Jjuksami. I thought it would be just jjukkumi (webfoot octopus), but it came with big shrimp too, plus cheese and egg, so the spread was better than I expected.

When you see a menu like this, you can’t not have a drink, right? Haha, so of course we had soju too that day :)

When you’re craving a spicy bar snack in Cheonho

The yellow jjukkumi character right out front makes the place easy to find.

Inside, it has a comfortable atmosphere for having a casual drink.

It seemed like a good spot for when you’re meeting a friend in Cheonho and want tasty food and a glass of soju, rather than somewhere overly fancy.

A griddle full of jjukkumi and shrimp

I was happy with the look of it as soon as our order came out, haha. Spicy-seasoned jjukkumi sits in the middle, with shrimp arranged all around it.

There was also plenty of enoki mushroom on top. Around the edge of the griddle were bean sprouts, cheese, and egg, so you could eat all sorts of things together from one pan. Personally, I love a setup like this :)

Once it starts bubbling, I can’t wait haha

The staff cooked it for us, and once the sauce began bubbling, the smell was seriously amazing. The seasoning soaked into the jjukkumi and shrimp and made everything look more and more delicious—I needed to take photos, but my heart was already reaching for the chopsticks haha.

The jjukkumi was plump and chewy, and the spicy seasoning kept me coming back for more. Having a shrimp here and there gave it another flavor, so I never got tired of it.

You have to dip the jjukkumi in cheese

This was my favorite combination: jjukkumi + cheese 🤍

When the cheese beside it melted and bubbled away, I picked up a piece of jjukkumi and gave it a good dip. It was seriously delicious. The spicy seasoning became rich and nutty with the cheese, which also took the edge off the heat a little.

The cheese stretched so well that I just had to take a photo, haha. After one dip, I kept reaching toward the cheese.

A bite wrapped in perilla leaf

After dipping everything only in cheese, I tried wrapping it in perilla leaf this time. I laid down a perilla leaf, added a piece of pickled radish, then jjukkumi, bean sprouts, and garlic for one bite.

Oh, this was delicious too. The fragrance of the perilla leaf went so well with the spicy seasoning. Plain, dipped in cheese, wrapped in a leaf… I just kept eating, haha.

The egg and corn cheese made it even better

When you’re eating something spicy, you want a bite of something soft in between, right? That’s when the egg and cheese on the side were perfect.

A bite of rich cheese was especially nice when the heat started building. Since everything was together on one griddle, it was convenient to eat it all right away without ordering separately and waiting.

Just right for a glass of soju in Cheonho

And of course, soju goes with food like this, haha. A bite of jjukkumi and a drink, then shrimp and another drink.

The spice made the drinks go down even more easily. Since there was more than just jjukkumi—shrimp, bean sprouts, cheese, and egg too—it was a good dish to order and enjoy slowly over drinks.

I’d probably come back when I’m craving something spicy

There are so many good places to eat in Cheonho that I always wonder what to choose, but on a day when I want spicy jjukkumi with a drink, I think I’ll remember Jjuksami.

The chewy jjukkumi was tasty, but what I’ll remember most is definitely dipping it in cheese, haha. The shrimp were nice and big, and having so many things to eat together on one griddle made it great for two people having drinks. If you’re looking for something spicy in Cheonho or a casual Cheonho spot for drinks, it’s worth a visit :)