Busan Chinese restaurant, Beach Train date & mara gyoza: Songjeong Dol

Why I came back to Songjeong Dol Jjamppong

Songjeong Dol Jjamppong (송정돌짬뽕) is a Chinese restaurant in Songjeong, Busan, where my boyfriend and I once had a really good stone-plate jjajangmyeon (noodles in black bean sauce). So we headed back for a weekday evening date. It's famous by word of mouth, so I arrived with high hopes, and this time I picked its other signature, the stone-plate jjamppong :)

Is parking easy at Songjeong Dol Jjamppong? Right in front, with a view of the Beach Train

There's a really spacious private lot right in front of the restaurant, and the road along the building front is free to use too. If both are full, park in the alley uphill across the road. We drove out for a weekday evening date, and parking is always my worry when we go by car.

And when I turned my head after parking, the Songjeong Beach Train was passing right in front of the restaurant, with lush green scenery around it!

The sight of that cute little train rolling by made me think it'd be a lovely Haeundae date course. You can spot this Songjeong Beach restaurant from far away. ☺️

Inside Songjeong Dol Jjamppong and the waiting area

Inside is just as big and open as it looks from outside! The tables are spaced generously, so even on a weekday evening it didn't feel crowded and we could eat comfortably 😊

There was a cozy corner on one side, and when I peeked in, it turned out to be a dedicated waiting area where guests can wait for their turn comfortably! A thoughtful touch from the owner, as you'd expect from a place with a line.

The sold-out sign with a daily quantity limit

The restaurant has a sign about ingredients running out that limits daily servings (100 bowls on weekdays, 250 on weekends). You can tell they serve quality food carefully, in limited quantities.

The funny country-of-origin boards

I burst out laughing at the origin-labeling boards covering the wall, haha. Playful lines like "Owner: 100% domestic" and "Pork: domestic, whatever it takes" showed the owner's sense of humor and pride in the food at the same time.

Self-service corner, yogurt, barley tea and a baby-food microwave

On one side there's a neatly kept self-service corner with cold yogurt and warm barley tea to drink after the meal, and even a microwave for heating baby food 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 So many considerate touches that I kept marveling the whole time at this Songjeong restaurant 🥹

Songjeong Dol Jjamppong menu

Songjeong Dol Jjamppong wins with special stone-plate dishes you can only have here 😋! The signatures are nurungji (scorched rice) stone jjamppong, medium (2 servings) ₩26,000; nurungji stone jjajang, medium (2 servings) ₩24,000; chili pesto stone jjajang, medium (2 servings) ₩26,000; whole squid stone jjamppong, medium (highly recommended) ₩31,000; stone-plate mapo tofu (2 servings) + 2 rice bowls ₩23,000; and white stone jjamppong, medium (can be made not spicy) ₩26,000.

What we ordered as a couple, and the prices

• Regular stone jjamppong, medium (2 servings, spice level 1) ₩26,000
• Macaron menbosha (4 pcs), set discount ₩13,000
• Mara gyoza dumplings (6 pcs) ₩7,000

How spicy is spice level 1 stone jjamppong?

The stone jjamppong arrives on a sizzling stone plate with fresh bean sprouts piled up like a mountain! We ordered level 1, and it was pleasantly spicy and hearty, just right for our taste 😋

Before the sizzling plate cooled, they used tongs to toss the noodles and crunchy bean sprouts together in big sweeps. The sprouts wilt slightly in the heat and mingle with the spicy jjamppong seasoning, and the smell that rises is already a work of art 🤤

After a while, the broth soaked into the noodles on the hot stone, and the smoky spiciness seeped right into the noodles, more than in regular jjamppong! We got to enjoy both a hearty soupy jjamppong and the rich, saucy stir-fried style :)

Finishing with the nurungji at the bottom of the stone plate

Once you've picked out a good share of the noodles, you scrape the golden scorched rice spread across the bottom of the plate with a spatula, and the sound alone is already delicious, haha. The nurungji soaked in the thick, reduced, sweet-and-spicy jjamppong sauce makes a great finish 😋

Macaron menbosha, 4 pcs: a side packed with shrimp

The macaron menbosha (shrimp toast; 4 pcs) was ₩13,000 with the set discount, and it's a chubby, cute, macaron-looking menbosha, just like the name says. The crunch reached my fingertips the moment I lifted it with tongs, and in one bite the outside shatters while the inside is packed with bouncy shrimp 🫢

Dip it in the tangy-sweet chili sauce that comes with it and the greasiness of the fried food vanishes, so you can happily clear the last piece. It also goes well with the spicy broth of the stone jjamppong ✨

Mara gyoza, 6 pcs: fine for mara beginners?

The mara gyoza dumplings (6 pcs) are ₩7,000 and not something you see everywhere! The textbook crispy outside, juicy inside. The crunch hit my ears as soon as I picked one up with tongs.

When I split one in half, it was filled generously with meat and vegetables, and the subtle, tingly mara aroma that spread through my mouth was really appealing. The flavor isn't overpowering and is blended to suit most tastes, so I recommend it as a side even for mara beginners 👍

Songjeong Dol Jjamppong rating and revisit plans

My rating is ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ 4.7 / 5.0, and I'd come back ✔

You get smoky stone jjamppong plus crispy menbosha, so I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a no-fail Songjeong restaurant in Busan and a special Haeundae date course!