Dog-friendly omakase in Mapo, Seoul with corkage-free wine: Jeulgeoun

Jeulgeoun Maeumeuro: an omakase in Mapo that welcomes dogs and kids

Jeulgeoun Maeumeuro (즐거운 마음으로) is an omakase restaurant near Daeheung Station and the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail in Mapo, Seoul, where both kids and dogs are welcome. My husband and I go out for omakase every now and then to mark anniversaries, and out of all the omakase places I've been to recently, this was by far the one I enjoyed most — let me introduce it!

Being dog-friendly was such a huge plus for me! I got to bring my dog Eoheung-i along on my birthday, of all things. Booking through Catch Table was also super easy, and I liked that everyone doesn't need to start the course at the same time — there's no fixed seating time here.

Jeulgeoun Maeumeuro hours and how to book

It's close to Daeheung Station, right by the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail. Easy to book through Catch Table or Naver. Hours are daily 11:30–22:00, break time is 15:00–17:00, and last order is 19:30!

Right when you walk in, there are photos of the chefs hanging on the wall haha

Eoheung-i's very first omakase in his dog life haha, one successful pup

Inside Jeulgeoun Maeumeuro and its corkage-free wine policy

The tables at Jeulgeoun Maeumeuro are seriously spacious! The space itself is big, upscale, and the lighting is dim and cozy — this would be a great spot for a blind date or a date night.

And Jeulgeoun Maeumeuro is corkage-free! Some omakase places charge ₩30,000 to ₩50,000 for corkage, so free corkage is amazing!!! I brought a bottle of wine I already had at home haha

They also have a really wide selection of drinks! Next time I want to try whiskey haha. They have Korean soju too. And since there's a separate kids' menu, this would be a great spot to bring along kids too.

They even have ramyeon (instant noodles) haha, but I was too stuffed to try it!

They even chilled our wine for us haha

And the glasses are so pretty too~!

The course opens: kongguksu to abalone with gaeu sauce

The Jeulgeoun Maeumeuro course starts with kongguksu (cold soy milk noodle soup)! It comes with melon and pine nuts, and it was so nutty, with the melon adding a nice sweetness.

Smoked Spanish mackerel — ㅠㅠ this is my number one pick! It melted in my mouth.

Eel! The sauce that came with it was the real kicker. One bite of the crispy eel and the drinks just kept flowing haha

My husband's number one pick, octopus! Every octopus I've had before was chewy, but this one was so moist and tender!

Abalone with gaejang sauce haha. This is just an insanely good flavor.

Chawanmushi and suimono came out next! Now the sushi really begins haha

Grilled flounder for Eoheung-i, the dog at the table

In the middle of all this, the chef even grilled some flounder for Eoheung-i ㅠㅠ so touching... Eoheung-i really came to an omakase and got to eat flounder for the first time in his dog life, living the good life

The sushi course: flounder, kinmedai and anago

First up was flounder. The shari (sushi rice) was genuinely so good. This is it,,!!! Real sushi.

Next was sea bass. Was sea bass always this delicious a fish..?

They cleansed our palates again with warm broth!

Red seabream haha. This one also melted away in my mouth ㅎ

Squid brushed with citrus, chewy and refreshing.

A huge shrimp! Normally when I eat omakase I give one or two pieces to my husband haha, but today I couldn't bring myself to share.

Sweet shrimp and uni looked absolutely incredible ㅠㅠ the uni was genuinely so fresh.

Tuna, need I say more

Jack mackerel! Rich and nutty, an absolute standout.

Even the skin texture on the striped bream sushi was perfect.

Precious kinmedai... I still miss it as I write this post... kinmedai... The seaweed seemed to be a high-grade one too, pairing so well with the richness of the fish!

And finally, anago (conger eel)! I was truly stuffed by this point, but there was no way I was skipping this smoky, char-grilled anago haha

Birthday candles and why Jeulgeoun Maeumeuro is worth a second visit

Last came tamago that tasted like castella cake, along with melon ㅎ hehe, and since it was my birthday, they even put a cute little candle on it 😍 I got drunk on the atmosphere, the food, and the wine all at once haha

I really found a proper great omakase spot in Seoul! I tend to eat slowly, and at other omakase places the sushi just keeps piling up on my plate, but here the chef actually adjusted the pace to match how I was eating, which I really appreciated! The ingredients were also genuinely fresh.

And since it's an omakase that welcomes kids and dogs, I think families can enjoy it together too! I'm sure I'll come back with Eoheung-i on another special day!