Mild stir-fried pork ssam in Paju for a 32-week pregnancy: Simhaksan

After a trip to the Paju Outlets, my husband and I wanted ssambap, so we looked up Simhaksan restaurants and ended up at Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap. Here's my honest review as a 32-week pregnant visitor ♡˖꒰ᵕ༚ᵕ⑅꒱

• 📍 Address: 55-10 Dolgoji-gil, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• 📍 Hours: Daily 11:00–21:00 (weekday break time 15:30–17:00)
• 📍 Reservations possible, parking available, groups welcome, baby-friendly

How close is Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap to the Paju outlets, and is there parking?

Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap isn't far from the Paju Outlets.

What I loved most was the parking! There's space in front of the restaurant, which made it easy to visit by car. Since most people around the Paju Outlets get around by car, parking availability is something I personally weigh heavily when picking a restaurant nearby — and here, there was zero parking stress.

That said, some reviews mention it gets busy during peak lunch hours, so if you want a more relaxed meal, it might be worth visiting a bit outside typical mealtimes.

Inside Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap, and how it works with a baby

Walking in, the seating was pretty generous, with a mix of families, couples, and group gatherings.

One thing that caught my eye was how baby-friendly it seemed. There was a baby chair ready and a microwave on hand, which made it look easy to dine here with a little one.

Ordering is done via a QR code at the table, so you just scan and order straight from the menu.

Deuljeongsik or kkotjeongsik: what's the difference?

Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap's signature ssambap sets are the deuljeongsik and the kkotjeongsik. Deuljeongsik comes with pork bulgogi, stir-fried squid, doenjang stew, gangdoenjang, and stone-pot rice. Kkotjeongsik adds grilled atka mackerel and grilled mackerel on top of that.

Since there were two of us, we ordered one of each — we wanted to try both, and in hindsight, it was a good call.

After a short wait, the table started filling up starting with the side dishes. There was a good variety, and each one tasted good enough that we kept picking at them even before the mains arrived.

Refilling banchan and ssam greens at the self-serve bar

I loved that any banchan we ran out of could be topped up from the self-serve bar. Notably, even the wrap greens were there, so you can eat as much meat-and-wrap as you want — that seems to be this place's signature feature!

The self-serve bar also had snacks like rice puffs, which seemed like it'd be handy if you're bringing a kid along. It really does seem like a lot of families come here for that reason. If the standard banchan isn't enough, you can help yourself, and there's a wide variety of wrap greens too, so you can take as much as you like. If you love ssam, this part will probably win you over.

From stone-pot rice to doenjang soup: the meal begins

Finally, the real meal started. The stone-pot rice came out first.

We scooped all the rice into our bowls, poured water into the pot, and waited for the nurungji (scorched rice crust) to form. There's just something about stone-pot rice that makes a Korean set meal or ssambap feel extra proper, haha.

And the doenjang soup we tried first was way better than expected. After the first spoonful, I almost finished the whole bowl on its own. It had that savory, comforting flavor that goes so well with rice, so I kept going back for more, haha.

The grilled atka mackerel in the kkotjeongsik set

Next came the grilled atka mackerel from the kkotjeongsik. The fish looked plump, and it lived up to expectations — the flesh was tender, the seasoning just right, and it paired really well with rice.

Are the stir-fried pork and squid too spicy for pregnancy?

A little later, the mains — stir-fried squid and pork bulgogi — arrived. They already looked delicious, and they tasted just as good as they looked. What I especially appreciated was that neither dish was spicy.

Sometimes spicy, heavily seasoned food can feel like a lot afterward, but this wasn't that intense-spicy style, so I could eat comfortably. My personal favorite by far was the pork bulgogi!! Whatever seasoning they used, it was pure rice-thief material, haha.

I kept eating it with rice, wrapping it in ssam, and piling on gangdoenjang — I couldn't stop reaching for more. The combo of ssam + pork bulgogi + gangdoenjang was especially good. Since you can grab as many wrap greens as you want from the self-serve bar, just put a piece of meat on and make a big wrap.

I'm pregnant and my digestion has been slower lately, so normally I couldn't eat this much in one sitting... but that day, it was so good I just kept going, haha. Full but still taking one more bite kind of flavor. The stir-fried squid had a nice smoky char too and went well with rice — but the pork bulgogi is definitely the one I'll remember.

Nurungji (toasted rice crust) and free coffee and ice cream

After finishing the meal, we wrapped up with the nurungji made from the stone pot we'd earlier poured water into. Between the rice, banchan, mains, and nurungji, it was a genuinely filling meal.

After paying, there was even coffee and ice cream set out as a palate cleanser. Such a nice touch... we were too full to eat any, but kids would definitely love this, haha.

Honest verdict on Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap in Paju

My husband and I stumbled onto Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap while looking for a place to eat near the Paju Outlets, and it exceeded our expectations.

• ✔️ Easy parking right in front of the restaurant
• ✔️ Wide variety of banchan
• ✔️ Banchan and wrap greens refillable at the self-serve bar
• ✔️ Stone-pot rice makes the meal extra filling
• ✔️ Grilled atka mackerel, stir-fried squid, and pork bulgogi all delicious
• ✔️ Not intensely spicy, easy to eat without feeling weighed down
• ✔️ Baby chair and microwave make it convenient for families

My favorite part by far was the pork bulgogi + ssam + gangdoenjang combo. If you're shopping at the Paju Outlets and looking for a hearty meal nearby, this place is worth a visit. I'd definitely go back!