Ansan seafood restaurant for octopus and monkfish: Min Nakji

A little while ago, while deciding what to have for dinner, I was craving a delicious octopus dish so badly that I visited Min Nakji Ansan Seongpo Main Branch, a spot well known in Seongpo-dong, Ansan.

A Seongpo-dong, Ansan favorite for spicy stir-fried octopus: Min Nakji Ansan Seongpo Main Branch

It had been a while since our last dinner date, so I wanted somewhere with both great flavor and generous portions. This place exceeded expectations, so I had to introduce it to you.

Live octopus at the entrance aquarium

The first thing I noticed as soon as I reached the entrance was the clean, well-maintained aquarium in front of the restaurant. Inside, fresh live octopuses were wriggling and moving around energetically.

Since they use fresh octopus to order, I thought there was no way it could be anything but delicious, and my anticipation was already soaring before the meal. A huge banner across the front also said the restaurant had been featured as a live-octopus-and-monkfish griddle favorite on KBS 2TV’s Live Info on March 17, 2026. It made me think, yes, choosing this place for dinner tonight was a real success—I’d come to a famous spot recognized by the media, too.

Side dishes and earthenware-pot steamed egg

Once we were seated and had finished ordering, the neatly arranged side dishes arrived.

A large bowl of miyeok-guk (seaweed soup), a perfect match for a spicy griddle dish, came out too.

There was nostalgic-style salad, nicely fermented kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), and yeolmu mul-kimchi (young-radish water kimchi) with a refreshing, clean broth—more than enough to whet the appetite.

The ttukbaegi (earthenware pot) steamed egg served as a side was wonderfully fluffy and soft. It was perfect for settling the stomach before the main dish arrived, or soothing it between bites of spicy sauce.

The generous two-person octopus and monkfish griddle

For this meal out, we ordered the octopus and monkfish griddle for two (₩48,000).

The moment the griddle arrived at our table, I was genuinely startled. It was piled high with plump octopus that looked fresh even from the outside and monkfish with lots of firm flesh. Fragrant minari (water parsley) and white wood ear mushrooms were added generously too, so the look alone had me salivating.

The more I chewed the octopus, the bouncier yet more tender it felt, and the monkfish was so meaty that it had a really satisfying bite.

The sauce was pleasantly spicy without being overpowering, and it had soaked beautifully into every ingredient. It was the kind of flavor that naturally makes you think of a shot of soju.

We happily raised a glass ourselves and had such a lovely dinner date.

Fried rice and steamed-rice mixing tip

Here, the price and service for fried rice differ depending on how you order it.

• Fried rice, ₩4,000: When you order two or more servings, the owner carefully fries it for you.
• Self-service fried rice, ₩2,000: For one serving, you make and fry it yourself.
• Steamed rice, ₩1,000: Perfect when you want to lightly mix rice into the saucy leftovers.

Honestly, the highlight of a griddle dish is fried rice at the end, but Min Nakji Ansan Seongpo Main Branch gives you such enormous portions that we were already incredibly full from the main dish alone. I was secretly disappointed that we were too full to have the fried rice.

But we couldn’t just leave that delicious sauce behind! Instead, we added one bowl of steamed rice (₩1,000) and thoroughly mixed it into the remaining sauce. Mixing the rice into the saucy leftovers was so delicious—just as satisfying as fried rice.

If you are too full for fried rice, mixing steamed rice into the sauce like we did seems like a great alternative.

A lively restaurant filled with dinner guests

As I looked around during our meal, guests kept coming in nonstop—probably because it was dinner time—from families dining out to couples on dates.

I immediately understood why it has remained such a beloved Seongpo-dong favorite. I’m so jealous of the people who live in this neighborhood~ Having a great spicy-octopus place right in front of your home!! Above all, the owner and staff were kind even while busy, so I felt good throughout the meal.

If you are looking for a delicious place to dine out with family, or a dinner-date course with your partner to lift your spirits over spicy stir-fried octopus or a live-octopus-and-monkfish griddle, visit Min Nakji Ansan Seongpo Main Branch. Its generous portions and savory, spicy flavor are the charm.

Information to check before visiting

• Address: Cyber Studio, 30 Seongpo-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:20 AM–10:00 PM; closed every Monday
• Parking: Parking lot in the building