Big Chinese restaurant for group dinners in Yeoksam: Jjamppong Jijon

When office workers picking a lunch spot in a business district look for a restaurant, the first things they check are whether the food comes out fast, whether the place is big enough not to feel crowded, and whether the taste is a safe bet.

Today I want to introduce a Yeoksam Station lunch Chinese restaurant that's a great fit if you want a simple menu and a roomy space where you can eat comfortably — Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch!

Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch

Where is Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch, and how big is it?

Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch is located near Exit 3 of Yeoksam Station. It's on the 2nd floor of the building, so you head up a staircase to find the entrance.

There were even outdoor waiting seats outside, and at a glance you could tell it was a genuinely large restaurant!

The inside was much deeper and wider than I expected. The lighting wasn't overly bright, and the overall impression was clean and well-organized.

In particular, the back had an open-kitchen layout where you could see straight into the kitchen. Chinese restaurants can sometimes make you a little worried about hygiene, but being able to watch the cooking happen out in the open made me feel much more at ease about the food.

What's on the self-bar?

On one side of the restaurant there was a self-bar set up, and it wasn't just for grabbing extra side dishes — it was stocked with pretty much everything customers might need during their meal.

There were various side dishes like jjajangmyeon pickled radish (jachai), onions, and domestic kimchi — I grabbed some jachai.

They even thoughtfully provided hair ties so your hair wouldn't fall in your face while eating.

There was coffee and tea for a nice palate cleanser after the meal — we grabbed plum tea and yuzu tea.

What we ordered and how the table is set

We ordered jjamjjamyeon (half jjajangmyeon, half jjamppong), a small crispy sweet-and-sour pork, and since we thought a rice dish would be nice, crab fried rice.

After we ordered, I looked at the table and saw soy sauce, vinegar, chili powder, and pepper neatly set out, so we could season everything to taste.

The pickled radish came in individually packaged packs, which was hygienic, and the radish itself was thinly sliced, so it blended in cleanly and refreshingly without overpowering the food's own flavor.

As a good choice for a Yeoksam Station lunch Chinese restaurant, the food came out fast, and every dish looked appetizing with generous portions.

Jjamjjamyeon and the five jjamppong spice levels

We started with jjamjjamyeon, which spares you the eternal dilemma of jjajang vs. jjamppong at any Chinese restaurant.

For reference, you can choose the spice level of the jjamppong! We went with the chef-recommended base level (Jijon), which seemed like the best balance — there are 5 total levels, from level 1 at 1.5 times spicier than Shin Ramyun up to level 4, which is extremely spicy.

The noodles held their bounce without going mushy, so they were satisfying to chew, and the broth was spicy and clean at the same time!

Inside were generous amounts of clams, meat, various vegetables, and even quail eggs, so it was fun fishing out the toppings as you ate.

When your mouth is warmed up from the spicy jjamppong broth, moving over to the jjajangmyeon side hits at just the right moment — the timing and pairing are perfect.

The jjajangmyeon had a pleasant sweetness that lingered nicely — the kind everyone, young or old, can enjoy without complaint.

Is the small crispy sweet-and-sour pork enough for two?

Even though it's the small size, the crispy sweet-and-sour pork came out in a pretty generous portion for two people to share alongside the main dishes.

You can probably tell from the photos, but the batter color was very light and clean. At places that don't manage their oil well, fried food can smell stale or the color turns dull, but at this Yeoksam Station lunch Chinese restaurant, the first bite was nutty and light without any greasy aftertaste. The chewy, bouncy texture unique to crispy sweet-and-sour pork was also well preserved.

The sauce was poured on one side of the plate — sweet with a hint of tang at the finish, truly sweet and sour.

The thickness of the meat matters too, and the pork inside was packed full, so every bite had juicy, tender texture.

Crab fried rice with a bowl of jjamppong broth

Lastly, the crab fried rice came out together with jjamppong broth.

It wasn't just a light serving of broth — there were even clams packed inside, which felt like great value for money.

The rice grains were fried up fluffy and didn't clump together. And above all, the portion of rice was really huge.

Scoop up a spoonful of the fried rice, mix it into the sweet jjajang sauce, and the nuttiness of the egg and crab meat blend with the sauce for a can't-go-wrong, delicious combination.