Hongdae restaurant with self-serve side dishes: Bap Jangin set for two

Today I visited Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch, a great spot when you want a solid, filling meal in Hongdae! The sign just says "ㅂㅈㅇ," which stands for 밥장인 (Bap Jangin)~

Hongdae has so many great restaurants these days, but sometimes you don't want to agonize over choices — you just want a hearty bowl of rice. This place was perfect for exactly that kind of day.

Above all, the owner was so kind that I felt good throughout the whole meal. Food matters, of course, but places with this kind of warmth are the ones that stick in your mind :)

What comes with the two-person set at Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch?

At Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch, we ordered the two-person set. It's loaded with spam and pork, making it a hearty combo to enjoy with rice — I swapped the default dish for squid stir-fry instead!

The rice came in a generous portion, and sprinkling seaweed flakes on top made for a properly filling meal. I guess it's true what they say — Koreans really do run on rice power. Haha.

Doesn't it just look delicious!? The side dishes weren't many in number, but they went together really well.

Kimchi jjigae loaded with pork and spam

The kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) at Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch was generously packed with pork and spam, so it was hearty from the very first bite of the ingredients. The tangy, spicy broth from well-fermented kimchi combined with the savory pork and salty spam made for a proper kimchi jjigae that demands rice!

What I especially liked was that it wasn't just broth — every spoonful brought up pork and spam along with it, and eating it with rice topped with seaweed flakes made it even more filling. With a stew like this, a bowl of rice disappears in no time. :)

How spicy is the squid stir-fry?

The squid stir-fry I ordered at Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch was spicier than I expected. If you handle spicy food well, you'll probably enjoy it, but if you're not great with spice, don't make the same mistake I did (?) — I'd recommend ordering the default menu instead. Haha.

Squid with cabbage, onion, carrot, and rice cakes!! Plus a scallion topping on top~ Isn't this such a great combination!

Still, eating it together with the bean sprout side dish helped tone down the spice a bit, and the combination worked really well, so I was able to enjoy it to the last bite. A bite of spicy squid stir-fry, a bite of rice — before I knew it, the whole bowl was gone!

Self-serve side dishes: take as much as you need

One thing that made Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch convenient was that you could serve yourself as many side dishes as you needed. Rather than piling up a lot from the start, you just take what you'll eat and go back for more if you run out — which was really convenient.

Since my squid stir-fry was spicy, I ended up going back for the bean sprout side dish several times. 😂

Worth it for a filling Korean meal in Hongdae?

Overall, Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch isn't about a flashy menu — it's about that satisfying feeling of having properly eaten a meal. The generous rice with spam, pork, and spicy squid stir-fry left me full and happy, and the owner's kindness made the meal even more pleasant.

If you're in Hongdae looking for a hearty Hongdae restaurant to visit with a friend, or craving a Korean-style meal, give Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch a try :) Next time, I think I'll skip getting greedy with spice and just order the default option. Haha.

Another day, another hearty meal well eaten!