Seorak-myeon, Gapyeong octopus spot with handmade pork cutlet: Paldang

I went for octopus, but the pork cutlet ended up being the star of the meal ..

Paldang Jikhwa Bul Jjukkumi

✅ Hours 11:00 ~ 21:00 Last order 20:00 Closed every Wednesday

What is Paldang Jikhwa Bul Jjukkumi? A griddle octopus restaurant in Seorak-myeon, Gapyeong

I was searching for a good octopus place in Gapyeong and landed here — and the surprise hit turned out to be a different menu entirely!

Seating inside and how busy Paldang Jikhwa Bul Jjukkumi gets on a weekend afternoon

The interior was bigger than I expected. Seating includes five 4-person tables, three 6-person tables, three 8-person tables, and 6 bar seats — plenty for group visits. The whole place was clean and pleasant. I came just after 12pm on a Sunday and it was very relaxed.

Menu: rice bowls and griddle stir-fries, pot rice for 3,000 won more

The menu is broadly split into rice bowls and griddle stir-fries! There's octopus alone, octopus with pork belly, and octopus with Korean beef intestine, so there's something for every taste haha. Plenty of side dishes too. (Never expected the handmade pork loin cutlet, ordered for the kids who can't handle spicy food, to steal my heart ..)

Our order

Most people ordering the rice bowl seemed to pay the extra ₩3,000 for pot rice! If you love pot rice, that combo seems worth it.

Look how good this looks! Just seeing it makes my mouth water ..

Jjuksam: flame-grilled octopus and pork belly wrapped with flying fish roe, perilla leaf and seaweed

Since it's griddle stir-fried, I thought I'd have to cook it myself .. but oops, it came out already cooked (the best)! Jikhwa Bul Jjuksam (octopus and pork belly) is delicious plain, but wrapped with flying fish roe, perilla leaf, and seaweed the combination is insane .. the popping roe, the perilla fragrance, plus the nutty seaweed — I couldn't stop reaching for more, haha.

Piling the jjuksam onto perilla leaf with a heap of bean sprouts is also pure genius .. the crunchy sprouts add great texture and pair perfectly with the spicy octopus and pork. The octopus, smoky from the open flame, was so tender and springy! So good ㅠ

There's even glass noodles hiding underneath..! Soaked in all that sauce, they were delicious too ㅠ

Steamed egg to cool down the spicy octopus

Soft, well-cooked egg custard (gyeranjjim). One spoonful and it was smooth and moist, melting in my mouth haha. Eating it between bites of spicy octopus was a great pairing! The kids scooped it up too haha.

Fried rice, also wrapped in perilla leaf

Can't skip the fried rice! Wrapped in a perilla leaf, this fluffy fried rice was so good haha. I recommend wrapping everything from the jjuksam to the fried rice!

Going with kids? Order the handmade pork loin cutlet

And now, the star of the show — the handmade pork loin cutlet (donkkaseu) ..! I ordered it for the kids, but after tasting it myself I wanted to steal it all back haha. Crispy on the outside, tender meat inside — the kids ate it up too! Who knew an octopus restaurant could make such a good cutlet .. I highly recommend it!

The self-serve bar: tteokbokki, sundae and mandu

Wait .. tteokbokki, sundae, and mandu all in a self-serve bar .. I'd never seen a setup like this before haha. The sundae (blood sausage) especially was really good! So good I went back for seconds ㅠㅎㅎ Came for octopus and ended up thoroughly enjoying the self-serve bar too!

Is Paldang Jikhwa Bul Jjukkumi worth it as a family meal out?

From octopus to fried rice, egg custard, and pork cutlet, we ate a hearty meal at Paldang Jikhwa Bul Jjukkumi! The kids especially loved the cutlet, which made it a great spot to visit as a family. If you're looking for good food in Gapyeong's Seorak area, I recommend Paldang Jikhwa Bul Jjukkumi!