Seooreung Chinese restaurant: 44,000 won meal for two at Jjamppong

Today I'm reviewing Jjamppong Jijeon Seooreung Branch, a Chinese restaurant near Seooreung. The recent heat has finally eased and the weather's turned pleasantly cool, making it perfect for an outing. So I went for a long-overdue walk at Seooreung, which is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and got hungry along the way — so I stopped by Jjamppong Jijeon Seooreung Branch.

How to get to Jjamppong Jijeon Seooreung Branch, and is there parking?

If you're taking public transit, buses 702A and 9701 will take you right to Seooreung-ro, close to the restaurant. It's near Seooreung, so it's a natural stop after a walk around the tombs.

There's a spacious parking lot in front with room for over 30 cars, so you don't have to worry about parking.

Inside Jjamppong Jijeon Seooreung Branch: seating and atmosphere

Walking in, the space is surprisingly large — bigger than expected — and there are plenty of tables, so it works well for family gatherings, staff dinners, or larger group visits without feeling cramped.

The seating is mostly comfortable booth-style tables, so sitting for a while wasn't uncomfortable at all, and the bright, clean lighting made a good first impression.

Living up to its reputation as a Seooreung favorite, there were baby chairs available, and lots of families with young kids, as well as group visitors.

The kitchen is open, so you can watch the cooking process directly. Watching the chefs wok over a roaring flame was fun to see.

The restrooms are separated by gender and kept clean, which felt reassuring.

What is on the free self-bar?

Jjamppong Jijeon Seooreung Branch has a self-bar. There you can help yourself to raw onion, mung bean sprouts, peppers, jajangmyeon pickled radish (jjacha), danmuji, kkakdugi, and multigrain rice.

You can add more sprouts to your jjamppong broth, or pile raw onion onto your jjajang — eat it however you like.

The drink corner was so well stocked I didn't even need to order a separate drink! Peach iced tea, blue lemon iced tea, plum juice, omija (five-flavor berry) juice, hot chocolate, café latte, and brewed coffee — all unlimited.

What we ordered: 44,000 won for two

Torn between jjajang and jjamppong, I went with jjamjjamyeon so I could have both, plus shrimp fried rice. For sides, I ordered the restaurant's signature jjamppong fried mandu and glutinous tangsuyuk, famous for its crispy-outside, chewy-inside texture.

Jjamppong's spice level goes from Level 1 (basic) up to Level 4 (hell), adjustable to taste, so both spice wimps and spice fanatics can find their fit.

• Jjamjjamyeon ₩14,000
• Shrimp fried rice ₩11,000
• Glutinous tangsuyuk ₩19,000

There were two of us, and we ordered a total of ₩44,000.

The main dishes

Not long after ordering, the basic side dishes arrived. Danmuji and seasoned jjacha came standard, and we added sprouts, kkakdugi, and onion from the self-bar.

Even the water cup, bottled water, and danmuji were served disposable, which showed how careful they were about hygiene.

Glutinous tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork)

The glutinous tangsuyuk came topped with crunchy shredded cabbage and onion, looking appetizing right off the bat. It was crispy outside, chewy inside — a near-textbook tangsuyuk.

There's really nothing better than tangsuyuk eaten right after frying. The first bite was pure joy — ah!

Even without sauce, it wasn't greasy at all and had a light, clean taste that kept us reaching for more.

Jjamppong fried mandu (spicy-broth dumplings)

Jjamppong fried mandu (dumplings) is a distinctive dish you won't easily find at other Chinese restaurants — it's unique to Jjamppong Jijeon! The golden-fried dumplings came neatly arranged on a plate, with a slightly reddish tint that unmistakably screamed jjamppong.

Crispy outside, moist inside, with a subtle spicy aroma rising up — once you pick one up, you can't stop.

Packed full inside with juices bursting out — you have to try these.

Jjamjjamyeon (half jjamppong, half jjajangmyeon)

Jjamjjamyeon caught my eye first with its bowl shaped almost like a taegeuk symbol, split half red jjamppong and half black jjajang — a great choice when you can't decide between the two.

You get to enjoy this restaurant's signature jijon jjamppong and jijon jjajang in one bowl. The base spice level was about as mild as Shin Ramyun, so it was easy to eat, and the jjamppong side was generously loaded with scallops, so every spoonful of broth had a savory hit of seafood.

Since the broth is meat-based, it was rich and heavy, but adding extra sprouts from the self-bar made it fresher and cleaner-tasting.

The jjajang side was classic old-school style, with a thick, non-watery chunjang (black bean sauce) that made me smile after just one bite.

Shrimp fried rice

The shrimp fried rice came with jjamppong broth on the side by default, though you can swap it for egg drop soup if you prefer. The bowl was piled generously full, filling just to look at.

The rice was fried to a fluffy, separate-grain texture, and the plump shrimp were used generously, giving a satisfying pop with every bite.

The jjajang sauce was just the right amount, letting the deep flavor come through in every bite.

Free drinks for dessert

To finish the meal, I grabbed a cup of hot chocolate from the self-bar. Since it's a complimentary drink, I didn't expect much, but it turned out richer and sweeter than expected — better than I'd hoped.

Is Jjamppong Jijeon Seooreung Branch worth it?

Jjamppong Jijeon Seooreung Branch was satisfying on every front — a spacious, comfortable dining room, friendly service, and reassuringly clean hygiene. The rich, hearty jjamppong broth alone was great, but with the varied self-bar, unlimited rice refills, and even a dessert corner, it really delivers on value. Highly recommended for a hearty Chinese meal after a walk around Seooreung!

Jjamppong Jijeon Seooreung Branch hours: 07:00–22:00 / last order 21:30