Jinju monkfish stew restaurant for a rainy dinner: Jjimgoeul Gajwa

I was in a bad mood that day over some personal stuff, but one bite in, it lifted like magic.

Today's spot: a Jinju favorite for monkfish stew near Sinjinju Station, Jjimgoeul.

What kind of restaurant is Jjimgoeul near Sinjinju Station?

Jjimgoeul Gajwa Branch is a monkfish and seafood stew specialist near Sinjinju Station in Jinju. It's the second chapter of the original 30-year-old Jjimgoeul in downtown Jinju, now run by the son. I visited on an early weekend evening while the rain was really coming down.

I stumbled onto the original location once, fell for that rich, deep sauce, and kept going back — today was my first time at Jjimgoeul's second chapter near Sinjinju Station. Those who know, know: even in the pouring rain, the place was packed.

Jjimgoeul near Sinjinju Station, a Jinju monkfish stew favorite — delivery orders never stopped. Riders in rain gear were bustling in and out of the restaurant.

Ordering boneless monkfish stew (medium) at spice level 2

We ordered the boneless monkfish stew (medium size). I loved that you could pick your spice level. We went with level 2 — medium spicy, about Shin Ramyun level.

This Sinjinju Station favorite is newly opened, so everything felt clean overall, and even the interior space visible from outside was kept tidy — a great first impression. Everyone working there was kind.

The boneless monkfish stew (medium) arrived along with the side dishes. The banchan weren't much different from the original location's, if my memory serves.

A sauce that is deep and thick but never heavy

The boneless monkfish stew (medium) at this Sinjinju Station favorite. I really wasn't in a good headspace that day. Don't let your feelings run away with you, I kept telling myself — but it wasn't settling down easily no matter how hard I tried.

But the moment I took a bite of the monkfish stew, all that tangled-up feeling just vanished, like magic. The sauce is seriously incredible. Rich, thick — but never heavy. Every single ingredient was deeply soaked in sauce, and the more I ate, the more my chopsticks kept going back.

I'd told myself I was cutting back on carbs, but next thing I knew I'd ordered extra udon noodles and was mixing them in.

Adding udon noodles and a bowl of rice

When the sauce at this Jinju monkfish stew favorite near Sinjinju Station is this good, there's no way the noodles could taste bad. Honestly, with sauce this good, I think even a shoe would taste amazing. Slightly spicy, which makes it even more addictive.

Honestly, I hesitated a bit over the rice. What do I do, I'm already pretty full. But the leftover sauce sitting right in front of me was just too good to pass up — the boneless monkfish sauce was that good. So I ordered an extra bowl of rice and mixed it in too.

Sir, you put too much sauce in this. It makes us overeat every time. Thank you.

We cleaned the plate completely. Two of us ordered a 2–3 person portion and made quick work of the udon and rice too. With the bowl scraped clean, it felt like the bad feelings got emptied out along with it. We left the restaurant feeling oddly cheerful after hearing the owner's happy grumble that they were almost out of ingredients for the day. On the drive home, my husband and I agreed: choosing Jjimgoeul for dinner tonight was absolutely the right call.

Parking and opening hours at Jjimgoeul Gajwa Branch

For parking at this Jinju monkfish stew favorite near Sinjinju Station, there are plenty of free public parking lots nearby. Hours are daily 11:00–21:00, with a break time from 14:30–17:00, last order at 20:00, and closed every Sunday.

Menu, spice levels and what to know before you order

Check out the menu board and prices at this Sinjinju Station favorite. It's a place packed wall to wall with stews only — boneless monkfish stew, monkfish stew, cod cheek stew, mixed seafood stew, crab stew. I like places that focus on one thing; it feels like they know what they're doing.

You can pick from 5 spice levels from the start, and personally I think level 2, what we had today, is just right. There's also a kids' pork cutlet on the menu for children. Ah, and fish roe and milt aren't included by default at Jjimgoeul, so keep that in mind when ordering.

Make sure to take part in the receipt photo review event — you can get a free drink or extra noodles.