Jamsil octopus restaurant, no-wait 9pm bossam samhap: Muneo Cheonha

On a hot summer day I didn't want grilled meat — I wanted something special, so I came for octopus samhap (a mixed platter).

Being called an octopus specialty restaurant made me expect real freshness and chew. The owner told me they contract directly with a fishery in Yeosu and get fresh octopus delivered daily — and sure enough, the boiled octopus samhap was that fresh and chewy, haha.

What are Muneo Cheonha's opening hours?

Muneo Cheonha runs daily from 2pm to midnight with no break time. I liked that you can drop in anytime, whether for a daytime drink or an evening one.

Is there parking at Muneo Cheonha?

You get 1 hour free in the building's basement parking lot, then it switches to paid — ₩1,000 per 30 minutes — so it's good to plan your time with some buffer.

Muneo Cheonha in the Bangi-dong food alley: atmosphere and weeknight wait

There's a tank of live octopus right outside the restaurant, so you can see the freshness with your own eyes before going in.

Muneo Cheonha sits on the Bangi-dong food alley and has a friendly, neighborhood-drinks kind of atmosphere. I visited around 9pm on a weekday and got seated immediately with no wait.

Muneo Cheonha menu: an octopus specialty restaurant near Jamsil

Main octopus platters and prices

• Live octopus samhap ₩55,000 – octopus, bossam (boiled pork), aged kimchi
• Live octopus & skate sahap ₩68,000 – octopus, bossam, skate, aged kimchi
• Live octopus & smoked duck samhap ₩58,000 – octopus, smoked duck, aged kimchi
• Live octopus & smoked duck sahap ₩70,000 – octopus, smoked duck, skate, aged kimchi
• Live octopus & skate samhap ₩60,000 – octopus, skate, aged kimchi
• Skate samhap ₩55,000 – skate, bossam, aged kimchi
• Octopus bossam duck sahap ₩68,000 – octopus, bossam, smoked duck, aged kimchi
• Octopus bossam skate duck ohap ₩90,000 – octopus, bossam, skate, smoked duck, aged kimchi
• Boiled octopus (large) ₩50,000 / boiled octopus (medium) ₩35,000
• Whole live octopus (600g) ₩70,000 / whole live octopus (800g) ₩85,000

Best-selling add-on dishes

• Octopus seafood ramyeon ₩6,000
• Skate ramyeon ₩10,000
• Flying fish roe rice ball ₩6,000
• Extra corn ₩5,000
• Extra steamed egg ₩3,000
• Rice ₩2,000

Special add-on dishes

• Spicy braised codfish ₩35,000
• Boiled octopus jeon (savory pancake) ₩35,000
• Skate jeon ₩35,000
• Scallop jeon ₩35,000
• Assorted jeon ₩40,000
• Grilled mackerel ₩13,000
• Seasonal clam soup ₩25,000

Muneo Cheonha's weekday ramyeon promotion

Visit on a weekday before 4pm and you get a free octopus seafood ramyeon.

What we ordered: live octopus bossam samhap for ₩55,000, no skate needed

Today we ordered the live octopus bossam samhap. When I mentioned I can't eat skate, the owner recommended this one, saying it's a bestseller — a samhap platter that comes with octopus, boiled pork, and aged kimchi.

The owner walked us through exactly how to eat the samhap step by step, which made it easy for us first-timers to enjoy it properly, haha.

First, you eat the boiled octopus on its own dipped in sesame oil, then move to the vinegar-chili sauce.

One bite in, there was zero fishy taste — just an immediately chewy, springy texture.

After that, a squeeze of lemon juice on the boiled octopus made it even chewier — it was surprising, haha.

The boiled pork was soft and moist, and the balance with the octopus was genuinely great when eaten together. The fatty parts were savory and the lean parts were clean-tasting, so my chopsticks kept going back for more.

I already like aged kimchi, and here it was fermented just right for the samhap, with a generous amount, so I enjoyed it all the way through.

Piling octopus, boiled pork, and aged kimchi onto a napa cabbage leaf for one big wrap really let the savory flavors spread.

Steamed egg, corn cheese and bean sprout kimchi soup

The steamed egg and corn cheese that came with the meal were both loaded with octopus too. The steamed egg fell apart soft and fluffy the moment I scooped it, with no fishy taste at all.

The corn cheese, fitting for an octopus specialty restaurant, was piled high with octopus as well — the corn and octopus together doubled the savoriness.

And this soybean sprout kimchi soup was genuinely a standout — perfect as a soju side. The broth was tangy and refreshing, and the table next to us even asked for a refill. At first I thought, would anyone really refill soup, but after tasting it myself I completely understood, haha.

How to eat octopus samhap at Muneo Cheonha: the owner's sauce order

What's the best combination at Muneo Cheonha? Dip the octopus in the sesame oil-salt sauce first, then bring in the vinegar-chili sauce partway through — you'll really notice the shift in flavor. It's a lineup you can enjoy heartily to the end without getting sick of it.

Final verdict on Muneo Cheonha

Overall, Muneo Cheonha was a satisfying Bangi-dong restaurant on every front — fresh live octopus, generous side dishes, and friendly service. You get to properly taste octopus's chewy, springy texture without any of the usual fishiness, and the samhap with boiled pork and aged kimchi shines even more when shared among a group. I'd recommend it for a work dinner with colleagues or a relaxed meal out with family. If you're craving chewy octopus dishes, give Bangi-dong's Muneo Cheonha a try, haha.