Paju outlet Chinese restaurant with green onion kimchi: Dolpanseok

Chinese food near the Paju outlets: Dolpanseok Jjamppong Paju Simhaksan Branch

I went to Dolpanseok Jjamppong, a restaurant in the Simhaksan restaurant alley in Paju that's also popular near the outlets. Its signature dishes are the nurungji (scorched rice) stone-plate jajangmyeon and stone-plate jjamppong, which bubble away on a scorching hot stone plate — the visuals alone set it apart.

You can enjoy the dish piping hot on the stone plate all the way through, and at the end there's the bonus of nutty scorched rice for an even more filling meal. It's also close to the Paju outlets, so it's a good spot for a meal before or after shopping.

Mon–Sun 11:00–21:00 / Sat–Sun break time 16:00–17:00 / No weekday break time / Closed every Tuesday / Takeout available / Baby chair available

Where is Dolpanseok Jjamppong and is there parking?

Dolpanseok Jjamppong Paju Simhaksan Branch is located in the Simhaksan restaurant alley near the Paju outlets, and parking right in front of the restaurant was easy, making it convenient to visit by car. It's a spot you can drop into without any hassle after shopping.

Stepping inside, the space was clean and spacious overall, which made it a good choice for a family meal or a visit with a group of friends.

Even during weekday lunch hours, the restaurant was packed with customers — clearly a popular spot in the Simhaksan area, which only raised my expectations.

Free rice and green onion kimchi at the self-serve bar

There's a self-serve bar on one side where you can get free rice, which is great for anyone who wants to eat noodles and rice together.

What is on the menu at Dolpanseok Jjamppong?

The menu at Dolpanseok Jjamppong wasn't just jjamppong and jajangmyeon — it was quite varied. Alongside the signature nurungji stone-plate jajangmyeon and nurungji stone-plate jjamppong, there were also samgye seafood nurungji tang (chicken-seafood scorched rice soup), nurungji stone-plate white jjamppong, handmade tungbosha, gyoza dumplings, shrimp fried rice, and a handmade pork cutlet and chicken set. There were also set menus that let you try several dishes together, making them a good choice for a family meal or a visit with a group.

Stone-plate jjamppong + pork cutlet & chicken set

I ordered the nurungji stone-plate jajangmyeon and the handmade pork cutlet & chicken set. To enjoy the stone-plate jajangmyeon at its best, I waited a bit for the sauce to soak into the noodles. Eat the noodles first, then scrape up the scorched rice on the stone plate at the end — that's the perfect way to finish.

Onion and pickled radish come as basic side dishes, and be sure to grab some green onion kimchi from the self-serve bar too.

Nurungji stone-plate jajangmyeon with squid and octopus added

The nurungji stone-plate jajangmyeon I ordered arrived bubbling away on a scorching hot stone plate — the visual alone made it look incredibly appetizing.

Unlike regular jajangmyeon, the nurungji stone-plate jajangmyeon comes served on a hot stone plate, so it was impressive how it kept sizzling for a good while even after being placed on the table.

The spice level can be adjusted for the stone-plate jajangmyeon, and you can add squid or octopus to make it even more filling.

Before eating, the squid and octopus had been cut into bite-sized pieces, and the stone-plate jajangmyeon let me enjoy the texture and flavor of the seafood together.

Mixing the noodles with the sauce, the jajang sauce had soaked in well, and every bite had a deep, savory flavor.

Staying warm on the stone plate, the flavor kept deepening the longer it sat, and the combination of plump shrimp and other seafood was great.

Eating the green onion kimchi together with the jajangmyeon added a crisp texture and sharp flavor that cut through the richness of the jajang cleanly, so I kept reaching for more.

The handmade set: pork cutlet and sweet-spicy fried chicken together

Ordered alongside the jajangmyeon, the handmade pork cutlet & chicken set lets you try both pork cutlet and seasoned fried chicken together. It's delicious on its own, and it's great to pair with pork cutlet and chicken when eating just noodles like jajangmyeon or jjamppong isn't quite enough.

The pork cutlet was also good dipped in the sweet-and-sour sweet and sour sauce, with a crispy-outside, tender-inside texture that made it light and satisfying to eat.

The chicken tasted like familiar yangnyeom (seasoned) fried chicken and was perfect for just picking up piece by piece. Eating a bite of jajangmyeon together with the chicken added extra flavor and made for a fun, different combination.

Finishing with the scorched rice on the stone plate

At the end, I finished off with the nutty scorched rice that had formed on the stone plate.

The scorched rice had soaked up plenty of the jajang sauce, so it was savory and nutty even eaten plain, and topping it with green onion kimchi kept it delicious right to the last bite.

Dolpanseok Jjamppong Paju Simhaksan Branch is a great place to visit when you want something a bit different from the usual jajangmyeon or jjamppong — the stone-plate jajangmyeon is fun to look at, and it was nice that the food stayed hot throughout the meal. Best of all was the fun of scraping up the nutty scorched rice stuck to the stone plate at the end. If you're looking for a place to eat near the Paju outlets after shopping, or want to enjoy something special with family at a Simhaksan restaurant in Paju, I'd recommend visiting Dolpanseok Jjamppong Paju Simhaksan Branch.