Cheongna monkfish stew restaurant: spice level 2 for mild eaters

I wanted a hearty plate of monkfish and seafood in spicy sauce, so I headed to Haemul Teukbyeolsi Cheongna Direct Branch, a monkfish stew spot known in Cheongna. This time I ordered the hot-plate monkfish seafood stew — it came packed with big chunks of monkfish and a variety of seafood, and the sauce was so good I left completely satisfied.

📍 Restaurant: Haemul Teukbyeolsi Cheongna Direct Branch 📍 Address: 23 Cheongnaemerald-ro 41beon-gil, Seohae-gu, Incheon, South Korea 🚗 Parking: Available 🕒 Hours: 11:30–22:00 ⏰ Break time: 15:00–16:30 🛎️ Last order: 21:00 📅 Closed: Every Thursday

Parking and private rooms at Haemul Teukbyeolsi Cheongna Direct Branch

Parking at Haemul Teukbyeolsi Cheongna Direct Branch is available right in front of the restaurant — 6 spaces!

The interior of Haemul Teukbyeolsi Cheongna Direct Branch was kept clean and tidy, which made for a comfortable meal. Along with the regular tables, there were also private rooms, which would be perfect for a cozy family meal or for group gatherings and work dinners haha.

Which spice level should you pick? What level 2 tastes like

Haemul Teukbyeolsi Cheongna Direct Branch sells monkfish stew, seafood stew, and also monkfish seafood stew where you get both together! You can also adjust the spice level. Whether you can't handle spicy food or you love it fiery, you can pick a level to suit your taste. I'm someone who really can't handle spicy food, and even at level 2 it felt a little spicy for me, ㅜㅜ.

Clam soup, side dishes and flat dumpling (napjak mandu) wraps

Before the main dish arrived, a refreshing clam soup came out to warm up the appetite, along with a variety of side dishes — a nice touch.

What really caught my eye was the flat dumplings (napjak mandu) that came as a basic side! The staff recommended wrapping the monkfish seafood stew in the flat dumplings, saying it tastes great haha. I was curious what kind of combo that would be, but once I tried wrapping it myself, it really worked better than I expected!!

Hot-plate monkfish seafood stew: how thick the monkfish and seafood are

When the hot-plate monkfish seafood stew arrived, it looked seriously appetizing — packed with big octopus and seafood. It also came with minari (water dropwort), and eating it together with the stew was really delicious haha.

The monkfish pieces were huge, with plenty of meat left around the bones, making it fun to pick apart. Some monkfish stews disappoint with too little meat, but here every piece I picked up gave me a proper taste of thick, meaty monkfish. The sauce paired really well with the monkfish and seafood too! It was spicy with a deep savory flavor, so it went great not just with the monkfish but with the bean sprouts as well haha.

The hot-plate monkfish seafood stew wasn't just generous with monkfish — the seafood was also big and plentiful. With so many different ingredients to pick through one by one, it never got boring until the end. It's disappointing when the seafood pieces are small or scant, but here everything I could see was big and generously portioned, which was very satisfying haha.

Even just wrapping bean sprouts alone in the flat dumplings was so tasty!!

At the end, I ordered extra flat dumplings, and since they came out fresh, they were warm and even crispier, which made them even more delicious. Eating them together also toned down the spiciness a bit.

The bean sprouts tucked between the monkfish and seafood still had a nice crunch. The sauce was evenly soaked in without the sprouts going limp, which made them perfect to eat together with the monkfish. Eating the tender monkfish meat, the hefty seafood, and the crunchy bean sprouts all together, the different textures worked really well side by side.

Who will like this Cheongna monkfish seafood stew?

When looking for a good agu-jjim (monkfish stew) restaurant in Cheongna, the size of the monkfish, how much meat it has, and whether the sauce is tasty all matter. At Haemul Teukbyeolsi Cheongna Direct Branch, the monkfish was big and meaty and came loaded with plenty of seafood, so I left fully satisfied. If you're on the hunt for a good agu-jjim spot in Cheongna, or craving a hearty seafood stew in spicy sauce, I'd recommend trying the hot-plate monkfish seafood stew at Haemul Teukbyeolsi Cheongna Direct Branch. This was my review after enjoying a generous spread — big meaty monkfish, plenty of seafood, crunchy bean sprouts, and the tasty flat dumpling combo, all in one meal.