Family-friendly Mapo seafood restaurant with abalone porridge

I was looking for a Daeheung-dong seafood restaurant where the whole family could eat well together, and that's how I ended up at Jaecheoldameun Mapo Bada (제철담은 마포바다)!

This isn't your typical sashimi-only seafood restaurant — the table came loaded with seasonal sashimi, live shrimp, seafood, grilled dishes, cold pork, and fried food, so everyone in the family left satisfied 🐟✨

Location and hours of Jaecheoldameun Mapo Bada

• 📍 104 Baekbeom-ro, Bonghwa Building 1F, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• 🚇 About 184m straight from Exit 3 of Daeheung Station
• ⏰ Mon, Wed–Fri 17:00–23:00 / Sat–Sun 12:00–23:00
• Weekend break time 14:30–16:30
• Closed every Tuesday

Group reservations are possible too, so it seemed like a great spot for a family meal with kids or a gathering for a parent's birthday.

Spacious, clean interior

Inside, the tables weren't crammed together, and there were seats set up for larger groups. It felt clean and orderly rather than the usual chaotic seafood-restaurant vibe, so it didn't feel awkward bringing my parents along :)

Family members always want slightly different things, don't they? Haha

Here, along with sashimi and seafood, there were grilled dishes, meat, and fried food — I felt like I'd picked the right Daeheung-dong seafood restaurant for a family gathering.

What's in the Mapo Bada Signature Table Set?

🐟 Mapo Bada Signature Table Set, ₩151,000

The set includes salt-grilled live shrimp, raw shrimp, gizzard shad sashimi, mixed sashimi, mixed seafood, grilled gizzard shad, cold pork, tofu kimchi, steamed egg, abalone innard porridge, and mixed fried food.

The dishes came out one by one, and the table filled up until there was literally no empty space left…! This must be what family-gathering happiness feels like 🥹💖

Fresh mixed sashimi and seasonal gizzard shad sashimi

The main mixed sashimi platter was made up of a variety of fish sourced fresh that day.

The slices were cut generously thick, giving a satisfyingly chewy texture, and the more you chewed, the more a subtle nutty flavor came through.

Instead of eating one type over and over, comparing the different textures and flavors kept my chopsticks busy haha

Seasonal gizzard shad (jeoneo) sashimi came out too, clean-tasting yet nutty — proof that seasonal food really should be eaten in season 🐟

Raw shrimp and mixed seafood

The mixed seafood plate was loaded with scallops, abalone, sea cucumber, and sea squirt (meongge).

The scallops were plump and soft, the abalone and sea cucumber had that perfect crunchy texture, and the sea squirt had a clear ocean scent without an overpowering fishy taste — the seafood-loving members of the family really enjoyed it.

The raw shrimp were plump and springy too, with sweetness coming through the more you chewed. Picking through different types of fresh seafood was genuinely fun — sashimi lovers would be very satisfied here.

Salt-grilled live shrimp and fried shrimp heads

The salt-grilled live shrimp, cooked golden on a bed of coarse salt, was also a treat 🦐

Peeling off the shell revealed plump, moist flesh — eating them one by one while warm, they disappeared in no time… haha

If you set aside the shrimp heads, they'll fry them up crispy for you!

Nutty and crispy — this was truly a flavor you can't skip as a drinking snack.

Cold pork, a nice palate reset between sashimi

The signature table set also comes with cold pork (naeng-jeyuk) topped with seasoned chamnamul (wild greens).

Eating it with the fragrant, slightly pungent chamnamul brought out the pork's savory flavor while keeping your palate refreshed.

After eating sashimi and seafood for a while, having cold pork in between added a whole different kind of satisfaction — I thought the composition of the set was genuinely well thought out!

Abalone innard porridge, steamed egg, and mixed fried food that even kids can enjoy

The soft abalone innard porridge and steamed egg were easy for both kids and adults to eat comfortably.

The fried food included shrimp, sweet pumpkin, croquettes, and more — warm and crispy, like it had just been fried right after we ordered.

I liked that even if a child in the group can't eat raw fish, there's a good variety of other dishes to choose from, like the porridge, steamed egg, cold pork, and fried food.

Being able to satisfy everyone's different tastes at once is such a big plus for a family gathering spot haha

What are the corkage terms?

Jaecheoldameun Mapo Bada offers free corkage for one bottle each of wine, whiskey, sake, and traditional liquor. It seemed like a nice option for bringing a favorite bottle for a parent's birthday or a special occasion to enjoy alongside the sashimi. Beyond one bottle, extra fees per bottle may apply, so it's best to check with the restaurant before you visit!

Overall verdict

• A seafood restaurant close to Daeheung Station
• A set that lets you taste a wide variety of seasonal sashimi and seafood
• A generous signature table set spanning sashimi, grilled dishes, meat, and fried food
• High chairs and group seating make it convenient for family meals
• Free corkage for one bottle of each type of alcohol

With such a wide variety of dishes, it was easy for everyone in the group to pick out their favorites, and above all, the sashimi and seafood were fresh and satisfying.

If you're looking for a Daeheung-dong seafood restaurant for a family gathering — a parent's birthday, an anniversary, or any day you want to share a generous spread together — I'd recommend Jaecheoldameun Mapo Bada 🐟💙