Jinju restaurant for spicy cod cheek stew with roe: Jjimgoeul Gajwa

On a day when rain kept drizzling down, I was craving spicy monkfish stew and rushed over to the newly opened Jjimgoeul in Gajwa-dong. I can't handle spice well, but I don't know why spicy monkfish stew calls to me every once in a while.

Where is Jjimgoeul Gajwa Branch, and what are the hours?

Jjimgoeul Gajwa Branch is on the 1st floor, 120-42 Gaeyang-ro, Jinju, Gyeongnam, and you can park right in front of the building. It's open Monday to Saturday from 11:00 to 21:00, with a break from 14:30 to 17:00, last order at 20:00, and closed on Sundays.

• Location: 120-42 Gaeyang-ro, Jinju, Gyeongnam, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Sat 11:00–21:00
• Break time: 14:30–17:00 / Last order 20:00
• Closed: Sundays
• Parking: In front of the building

Inside Jjimgoeul Gajwa Branch: is it good for groups?

The interior of Jjimgoeul Gajwa Branch is very clean and tidy. Tables for 2 and 4 are nicely arranged, and there's enough space along the wall for small groups to eat comfortably too.

Menu and the 6 spice levels at Jjimgoeul Gajwa Branch

The menu at Jjimgoeul Gajwa Branch includes main dishes like monkfish stew, cod cheek stew, seafood stew, and blue crab stew, plus pork cutlet and rice with seaweed flakes, so it's easy to bring kids along too.

You order through a kiosk, and you can choose your spice level too. Level 0 is mild, then slightly spicy, medium spicy (about Shin Ramyun level), quite spicy, very spicy, and 'seriously spicy for real' — six levels in total.

The small cod cheek stew we ordered.

'Sincerity delivered by fingertips, a place remembered through taste' — that phrase really stuck with me. It felt like a statement of the owner's determination to win people over with flavor.

What side dishes come with the stew?

The side dishes included cabbage salad, sautéed king oyster mushrooms, cucumber-onion pickles, sautéed seaweed stems, and cucumber-pepper doenjang (soybean paste) salad. Since the monkfish stew itself is spicy by default (though a non-spicy version exists too), the side dishes were all mild, without any chili flakes. Felt like a thoughtful touch from the owner for the guests!

Small cod cheek stew with cod roe added, spice level 1

I added roe to the cod cheek stew and chose spice level 1, slightly spicy. Adding the roe turned out to be a genius move. It looked absolutely mouthwatering too.

Even though it was the small size, the portion was incredibly generous — plenty for three adults to eat. The bean sprouts were crisp, the roe was soft, and the cod cheek was really chewy. All the different textures mixing together in my mouth made for a satisfying bite.

The firm, springy cod cheek, the soft and savory roe, and fresh water dropwort mixed together — it really was excellent in both taste and texture.

Eaten together with rice, a bowl disappears in no time! The sauce was so good I wanted to add noodles too, but the rice bowl was already packed so full that I was too stuffed to manage it — a bit of a shame.

How is Jjimgoeul Gajwa Branch related to the Dongseong-dong original?

The original Jjimgoeul has been running in Dongseong-dong, Jinju for over 30 years and is already a well-known monkfish stew restaurant. Jjimgoeul Gajwa Branch inherited the original location's traditional seasoning and flavor exactly, and is run directly by the son. Now you can enjoy Jjimgoeul's taste in Gajwa-dong without heading all the way downtown.

Would I go back to Jjimgoeul Gajwa Branch?

The savory spiciness, tidy side dishes, and clean interior all left me satisfied at Jjimgoeul Gajwa Branch. This time I had the cod cheek stew, but next time I plan to try the monkfish stew and seafood stew too. If you're after something spicy to blow off steam or food with great texture, Jjimgoeul is worth a visit.