Bangi food alley pub, skate-free octopus samhap: Muneo Cheonha

Why we picked Muneo Cheonha in Bangi food alley

Muneo Cheonha (문어천하) Bangi branch is an octopus pub in the Bangi food alley, open every day from 14:00 to 24:00. It offers takeout, delivery, group seating, reservations and parking, has separate men's and women's restrooms, and is listed as having Wi-Fi and allowing pets.

When you come to Jamsil, you can't just walk past Bangi food alley! There are so many good restaurants and places for a drink that we couldn't decide where to go with friends that evening, and then, wandering around, we spotted a pub specializing in octopus ✨️ One look between me and my friend, hahaha, and it was "Shall we start drinking before the sun goes down?" We're always on the same page when it comes to a good place 😚👍

So we ended up at Muneo Cheonha's Bangi branch in Bangi food alley 😎 It's a place for live octopus dishes, so we walked in full of anticipation!

What's the atmosphere like at Muneo Cheonha?

The place isn't huge, but it's cozy and homey. Rather than the slick interior that's trendy these days, it has a slightly middle-aged-uncle vibe, if you know what I mean? Haha

And honestly, this kind of mood reminds me of the old days, and I like it. I actually love it, hahaha. It brings back memories, and it feels comfortable to sit down with good snacks and a drink. Sitting across from a friend and chatting about this and that, you lose track of time, right? If you're looking for a relaxed spot for drinks in Bangi food alley, or a place for a friends' gathering or a company dinner, this one is worth a look 👍

Can you enjoy samhap if you can't eat skate?

The walls at Muneo Cheonha are covered in big signs for all kinds of dishes, including the best-selling snacks and best add-on items. As an octopus specialist, the octopus-based menu items really stood out 👀

There's also a separate menu on the table, so you can take your time looking before ordering. That day we ordered the live octopus samhap (three-way combo). Lots of people hear "samhap" and think of skate samhap (hongeo samhap), but neither of us can eat skate, hahahaha. Adventurous spirit? We have none 🤣 Skate is still a bit too difficult for us, so this time we went with live octopus samhap, which we could enjoy without worry. Octopus plus bossam (boiled pork)? That alone had us excited.

Muneo Cheonha is said to blanch and cook the live octopus as soon as you order. Maybe that's why we were excited about the taste even before the main dish arrived. Octopus texture changes depending on how long it's cooked, right? Even the wait was fun, wondering whether it would be springy rather than tough 😚

Muneo Cheonha's side dishes: bean sprout kimchi soup, octopus steamed egg, corn cheese

Bean sprout kimchi soup without chili powder

The first side dish at Muneo Cheonha was bean sprout kimchi soup (kongnamul kimchi-guk). The surprise was that there was no chili powder in it! Compared with the kimchi soup I used to eat in Busan it felt a little mild, but in its own way it was refreshing and clean. Maybe because it isn't spicy, we kept going back for spoonful after spoonful, haha. It was also nice for warming up the stomach before drinking.

Steamed egg topped with octopus

Next, steamed egg! Doesn't it look fluffy and soft just from the look of it? One bite and the pudding-like softness won me over. The white pieces on top were octopus, and chewing the soft egg together with the chewy octopus felt great, haha.

Corn cheese, a must with drinks

And then corn cheese, because drinking snacks without it would be a letdown! What is there to say about corn cheese? Corn is love. It looked too hot so we let it cool a little, and the cheese still stretched out. Sweet corn with savory cheese is delicious anytime 💛 Even before the main dish came, the side snacks alone already satisfied us.

Bokbunja cider instead of somaek, a.k.a. "boksa"

At Muneo Cheonha that day, we mixed bokbunja (black raspberry wine) with cider instead of having somaek (soju and beer). On a day like this I usually think of somaek first, but we decided to go with bokbunja for the first time in a while. Doesn't the vibe of the place make you feel like you should be drinking bokbunja? Haha, or is it just me? Adding cider to bokbunja brings out a sweet, refreshing taste that goes down easily. A glass of "boksa", as they call it! After a cold sip, the main dish we'd been waiting for finally showed up 😍

How was the live octopus samhap at Muneo Cheonha?

The octopus samhap has finally arrived! Wow... the look of it is crazy 😍 With octopus, bossam and all the accompaniments spread across the table, it looked generous just to see. Of course you take photos the moment something like this arrives.

Look at the shine on the octopus and the boiled pork. Don't they look tender and soft just from looking? Yes, they were exactly that, haha. The octopus was springy yet chewy, and the pork chewed softly, so we got two textures at once. With the octopus's clean, mild flavor plus the savory pork, I understood why it's eaten as samhap. The octopus alone is delicious, but with bossam it was a much more filling, richer combination 👍

In the middle of the live octopus samhap there were ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), ginger, dried radish strips, salted shrimp, garlic and chili, all sorts of things. The colors were so pretty that we kept taking photos. Even with the same octopus and pork, the taste changes depending on what you add, so eating it was fun too 👍

A look you just keep wanting to photograph

The best order for eating live octopus samhap

Octopus first, in sesame oil with salt

At Muneo Cheonha, we were told to dip the octopus in the sesame oil and salt sauce first and to save the chojang (sweet chili vinegar sauce) for last. We tried it that way, and the nutty sesame oil and salty salt really bring out the octopus's own flavor. Octopus with oil dip really is the best! Tender, springy octopus, you are truly love 🐙

Boiled pork and octopus on aged kimchi

Next we put the boiled pork and octopus together on aged kimchi (mukeunji). The tangy, well-fermented kimchi kept the savoriness of the meat while leaving the mouth feeling clean. With the chewy octopus mixed in too, you get several flavors in one bite, which was great.

Baby cabbage wrap with garlic and dried radish

This time, octopus and pork on a leaf of baby cabbage, wrapped up in one big bite! Add garlic or dried radish strips to taste and you get crunch and a deeper savory flavor. Mixing it up in so many ways, we never had time to get tired of it. Octopus samhap really is a dish where the fun is eating many ingredients together, haha.

Is the portion right for two, and how busy does it get in the evening?

At first the live octopus samhap looked like quite a lot, but while we were enjoying it the plate was suddenly empty! Where did you go, octopus? Hahaha. Picking at it one piece at a time while talking with my friend, we'd nearly finished it before we knew it. With the bokbunja too, I almost burst.

When we first arrived it was relatively relaxed, but as dinner time approached, customers kept coming in one after another. A good place gets noticed, I guess! After eating there, I understood why so many people come and why you'd want to return 👍 The octopus was springy, the pork was soft, the combination was great, and with the variety of accompaniments and side snacks, it was a satisfying meal 😍

Who we'd recommend Muneo Cheonha to

We were looking for dinner near Jamsil Station and ended up in Bangi food alley, where we properly enjoyed delicious octopus samhap and a glass of bokbunja. If you like skate, you could go for the skate samhap, but if skate is still hard for you like us, live octopus samhap is worth trying, haha.

If you're looking for a place in Bangi-dong for drinks with friends, a company dinner or a gathering, keep Muneo Cheonha in mind ☝️ It's a place we'd want to visit again next time we crave octopus samhap! It was a fun evening with a friend, good food and bokbunja.