Mok-dong seafood restaurant with fresh spicy seafood stew: Jumak Haemulchon

A seafood restaurant with 33 years of know-how in Mok-dong

I’m pretty sensitive to fishy smells, so I only eat seafood at places that are really good! But this time, I stumbled on a seriously authentic local gem in Mok-dong. I visited on a Friday evening, and something already felt special from the entrance.

Jumak Haemulchon (주막해물촌) is at 16 Mokdongjungangseo-ro 1-gil, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, about 804 m from Exit 3 of Mok-dong Station. It is open daily from 11:30 to 23:00.

It’s a cozy place with around five or six tables, but the first floor was already full. Lots of small groups were sitting down to eat. There seemed to be plenty of regulars, as well as people who had deliberately sought it out, so right from the start I thought, yes, this really is a beloved Mok-dong seafood spot.

• Small seafood stew ₩48,000
• Ramen ₩5,000
• Cheongha ₩6,000 × 2

As it turned out, the owner couple have been in business for an incredible 33 years. The owner is from Samcheok and said his standards for seafood are extremely high. He showed us the octopus and other seafood himself while explaining it all, and you could really feel his pride in the food.

Seafood delivered directly from Hupo Port and Jukbyeon

I was even more excited to hear that their seafood is delivered directly from the source in Hupo Port and Jukbyeon. Freshness is the thing I care about most when choosing a seafood restaurant, and this place seemed like it would be a safe bet.

Oh... octopus, haha. Doesn’t it look incredibly fresh even at a glance? There is also a second floor with floor seating. They were already so busy that they were not taking second-floor guests for the time being, though group reservations were still possible.

Some manager-aged guests who arrived after us made the pleasantly grumbly comment, “We came last time but there were no seats, so we came back today.” Seeing that made me feel even more warmly toward the place. Rather than a flashy restaurant, it felt like the kind of Mok-dong neighborhood eatery people keep returning to for years and years.

A table of side dishes I loved from the start

I spent ages deciding between agujjim (braised monkfish) and seafood stew, then finally ordered the seafood stew. Even the side dishes that came while we waited won me over. There was rolled omelet, stir-fried anchovies, seasoned eggplant, and sea vegetables such as gompi and gosiraegi, and every single side dish was delicious. That was my first surprise. It felt like they could run a simple Korean set-meal restaurant and every side dish would still be great?

I was especially happy to see old-school sarada. This isn’t fruit salad—it has to be called old-school sarada for it to taste right, haha. I’m the type to obsess over potatoes at barbecue restaurants, so I really love this kind of sarada, but it’s surprisingly hard to come by, haha.

A small seafood stew that was plenty for two

As we picked at the side dishes one by one, we somehow finished half a bottle of Cheongha. About 10 to 15 minutes after ordering, the long-awaited seafood stew finally arrived. We ordered the small size, but it was more generous than expected and perfectly fine for two people.

First of all, I loved how packed it looked with seafood—and once I tried it, the sauce was seriously delicious!

What a spread. There were about five plump shrimp in it too, and one bite made it clear they had been generous with the ingredients.

It was loaded with crunchy bean sprouts, chives, squid, shrimp, octopus, and more. They use seafood delivered directly from Hupo Port and Jukbyeon, plus 100% sun-dried chili powder in the sauce, so perhaps that’s why the seasoning tasted even more special.

Above all, the fishy smell—the thing I care about most in seafood stew!! Zero fishiness, haha. The seafood was fresh and clean-tasting, while the sauce was spicy and savory, and it honestly made me want to mix rice into it, haha.

I don’t think you need to agonize over whether to get agujjim or seafood stew! After eating here that day, I think I’ll just choose whichever one I’m craving next time. The sauce itself is so good that the agujjim must be delicious too.

Ramen ordered after seeing the next table

We ended up finishing two bottles of Cheongha with the seafood stew, haha. We were debating whether to finish with soy sauce bibimbap when the next table ordered ramen. Their ramen looked so good that we ended up ordering one too. We chose regular ramen because we had already had seafood stew, but I’m sure the seafood ramen would be delicious as well! Haha.

A warm, neighborhood seafood favorite in Mok-dong

Overall, it wasn’t an ultra-polished or flashy place, but a welcoming restaurant where all 33 years of history could be felt. Regulars kept coming in, and seeing even guests who had returned after finding no seats made it easy to understand why it has been loved for so long. Most of all, I loved that the seafood was fresh and delicious. Even I, someone who is sensitive to fishy smells and usually won’t eat seafood just anywhere, had a truly delicious meal that day.

If you’re looking for a place in Mok-dong that really does seafood well, craving spicy seafood stew, or hoping for a warm neighborhood favorite with the feel of a long-standing local restaurant, this is one to remember. I’m planning to come back for agujjim next time.

It isn’t overpowering, yet it’s addictive. That’s what experience tastes like.