Daejeon family restaurant with a kids’ room and octopus pizza: Boksakkot

I finally made it to Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch, a restaurant in Yuseong, Daejeon that I’d always wanted to try! Since I live in Dunsan-dong, I honestly don’t get many chances to go all the way to Sutonggol just for a meal. I’d heard for ages that Boksakkot Pineun Jip was famous for family dining, and after visiting, I could see why haha. From the food to the kids’ room, self-bar, and after-meal café! Most of all, my parents were so happy with it that I’m planning to come again when relatives visit Daejeon over the Chuseok holiday :)

A handy stop before or after a Sutonggol outing

Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch is in Gyesan-dong near Sutonggol. It’s perfectly located for a stop before or after an outing to Donghaksa Temple or Sutonggol.

When I’m looking for a family gathering spot, parking is the first thing I check, and I loved that this place has such a large dedicated lot. Even if several families come in separate cars, it wouldn’t feel like a hassle. On weekends, you can use not only the lot in front of the restaurant but also the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute lot uphill, so keep that in mind!

What are the group room and kids’ room like?

I was surprised by how spacious it was as soon as I walked in. With the outside view through the large windows, it felt quite airy despite being a big restaurant! There are more than 130 seats and a separate group area for 50 people, so it seemed like a good option for larger occasions such as a parent’s birthday or a relatives’ gathering.

There’s also a kids’ room, which families visiting with children will appreciate. When I visited, there were quite a few family groups with babies too.

They even have sirloin pork cutlet and spaghetti for children, so the adults can have webfoot octopus while the kids get a separate, non-spicy meal haha.

How the Jjuchipa and Gorgonzola set tasted

Jjuchipa, ₩18,900 × 2 people (We chose the Gorgonzola pizza.)

Jjuchipa is, just as its name suggests, webfoot octopus served with cheese and pasta noodles! When it first came out, the cheese was piled so high that the visual alone was impressive.

As it cooked, the cheese melted and mixed with the spicy sauce, making it quite different from ordinary spicy stir-fried webfoot octopus. The bouncy octopus, sweet-spicy sauce, and nutty, salty cheese softened the heat beautifully. I’m pretty weak with spicy food... (and so are my parents), so Jjuchipa was exactly the right level of heat for us..! You can adjust the spiciness even if you order the regular fire-grilled stir-fried webfoot octopus, so don’t worry :)

My favorite part of the Jjuchipa was when the pasta noodles had really soaked up the sauce. With chewy noodles coated in rich cheese and spicy sauce, it almost felt like eating fusion Korean food haha. The octopus still had that crisp, springy bite too, so it was great spooned over rice. And there was sooo much octopus.

The premium rice balls that came with it were generously topped with roasted seaweed flakes and danmuji (yellow pickled radish). A bite of Jjuchipa followed by a rice ball completely mellowed the spice, so they were a great pairing.

And the set menu here is seriously amazing: when you order for two or more people, you get handmade wood-fired pizza, salad, muksabal (chilled acorn-jelly soup), and dessert drinks too!

The Gorgonzola had a thin crust that was lightly crisp around the edge, while the cheese in the middle was melted and moist.

After eating spicy Jjuchipa, a slice of mild, nutty pizza felt like it reset my palate, so I was very glad we chose the Gorgonzola, hehe.

At the self-bar, you can take as much white rice, sungnyung (scorched-rice tea), miyeokguk (seaweed soup), japchae, and side dishes as you like, and there’s also a soda dispenser. The whole spread was so generous!!!

An after-meal café and terrace, too

My absolute favorite part! The meal doesn’t simply end with the food—you also get dessert coffee or another drink.

We got an iced chocolate and warm burdock tea, then moved straight into the café area next door. Sitting on the outdoor terrace with a gentle breeze on a lovely day like this felt like pure heaven haha.

Inside the café, there was also a wide selection of old-school snacks such as gangnaengi (puffed corn), oranda (puffed-rice confection), and rice crackers, making it fun to pick at them while drinking coffee!

Having the meal → dessert → terrace all in one place was a bigger advantage than I expected when bringing my parents. You don’t have to go searching for another café and move again afterward.

If you’re looking in Yuseong, Daejeon for a family dining spot where everyone can easily find something they like and parking is convenient, this is somewhere I’d recommend!

I think satisfaction would be even higher for a large family gathering with parents and children alike. My parents loved it so much that we’ve decided, without hesitation, that this will be the location for our next family gathering :)