Bangi-dong octopus pub, live boiled octopus 4 ways: Muneo Cheonha

Time layered up beneath an old signboard, a flavor and charm that only deepen with the years. Some days I prefer the comfort of the familiar over shiny and new, and I'm drawn to places that smell of real people rather than flashy interiors. A place that opens at 2pm, so you can raise a glass in the easy hours of midday or the romance of the evening. A place where, in the slow-moving atmosphere of an old-school pub, good snacks and a drink fill you with small happiness. Today I'm introducing "Muneo Cheonha (문어천하)", Bangi's daytime-drinking holy ground, which I also recommend as a spot for a group dinner~~

Today's preview

Muneo Cheonha hours and location

Muneo Cheonha is open daily from 14:00 to 24:00, in the Bangi food alley, about a 10-minute walk from Jamsil Station Exit 10.

Hours: daily 14:00–24:00

"Muneo Cheonha" is a friendly, old-school spot in the Bangi food alley. It opens at 2pm, so you can start drinking early, which makes it a welcome holy ground for daytime drinkers.

Inside Muneo Cheonha: is it good for a group dinner?

The tables and space inside Muneo Cheonha are surprisingly roomy, so I recommend it for a group dinner in Bangi! The interior shows its age in a natural way, cozy and full of old-school charm!!

With its soft, warm mood, it feels as comfortable as a regular haunt you've known for ages.

Muneo Cheonha menu and what we ordered

The menu runs from octopus samhap (문어삼합, a combo platter) and fermented skate (홍어) to all kinds of jeon (savory pancakes) and seafood ramyeon! This day we had the medium live boiled octopus (활문어숙회) for ₩35,000 and the octopus seafood ramyeon for ₩6,000.

There are all the must-have drinking snacks, plus hearty meal dishes too. Every item calls for a drink, so for drinkers this is truly a snack paradise haha

• Live boiled octopus (medium) ₩35,000
• Octopus seafood ramyeon ₩6,000

Muneo Cheonha's complimentary snacks: corn cheese topped with octopus

The complimentary spread at Muneo Cheonha is a full table of savory doenjang soup (soybean paste soup), fluffy steamed egg, and nutty, sweet corn cheese! Best of all, the steamed egg and corn cheese are topped with octopus slices, so even the free snacks have that Muneo Cheonha charm haha

The corn cheese here is seriously crazy, I'm in tears. The nutty cheese stretches, the corn kernels pop, and a sweet-salty flavor fills your whole mouth. The balance of savory and sweet is so good that my hand kept reaching for it before the main dish even arrived.

Four ways to eat the live boiled octopus

And here it is, today's star, the medium live boiled octopus at Muneo Cheonha! The appetizingly boiled octopus is plated neatly, piece by piece, and the clean look of the dish catches your eye right away.

Dipped in oil sauce

Take a springy piece of octopus, dip it in the nutty oil sauce (기름장, sesame oil with salt) and take a bite! The chewy texture comes with the octopus's clean, savory depth, and the oil sauce adds a richer flavor. A subtle sweetness builds the more you chew, and it makes you instantly want a drink.

Dipped in chojang

Next, a dip in sweet-and-sour chojang (초장, chili vinegar sauce) and a bite! The chewy, springy octopus plus the tangy chojang really wakes up your appetite haha It has a different charm from the nutty oil sauce, and you keep reaching for it.

With garlic and chili

Add sharp garlic and spicy chili to the chewy octopus and the flavor comes alive. The octopus's clean taste that spreads as you chew, paired with that sharp kick, is perfect drinking food!

With aged kimchi

The tangy, deep flavor of well-fermented aged kimchi (묵은지) blends with the octopus's clean taste for a different kind of appeal. Add the crunch of the kimchi to the chewy octopus and your mouth feels even richer.

₩6,000 octopus seafood ramyeon: how much seafood is in it?

The octopus seafood ramyeon (₩6,000) at Muneo Cheonha is generously loaded with seafood, including big shrimp and crab. I couldn't just walk away at the end, so I added an order, and with its spicy broth plus the cool savory depth of the seafood, it looks like a hangover cure just to look at haha

The seafood is piled in, so the look alone is overwhelming. You can already imagine the refreshing, spicy broth, a hearty bowl that covers both hangover relief and drinking snack duty!

The broth is spicy yet has the cool savory depth that comes out of the seafood, superb! Eaten with the springy shrimp and crab meat, the flavor of the sea feels even deeper!!

Who I'd recommend Muneo Cheonha to

Muneo Cheonha satisfied me on all fronts: the friendly atmosphere only an old-school pub has, and generous, tasty snacks. From the chewy, clean live boiled octopus to the spicy, refreshing octopus seafood ramyeon, every dish had the pull of a good drink, and from the corn cheese that comes as a free side to the mains, the fun of eating never stopped!

Since it opens at 2pm, it's a place for people who want a drink early, or who want tasty snacks in a friendly old-school mood!! If you're looking for the real romance of daytime drinking in Bangi, I recommend "Muneo Cheonha", an old-school favorite that's also good for group dinners!!