Magok octopus restaurant, mild spice and 4 shrimp tempura: Songjjujip

Hi, it's Yunga. Today I'm sharing a jjukkumi (webfoot octopus) restaurant in Magok that I visited last weekend. Five years ago I had a great meal like this with a coworker in Songdo, and I didn't even know one had opened near my house until I got a craving for octopus and went digging — my first visit back in a while.

Where is Songjjujip Magok, and is there parking?

Songjjujip Magok is on the 2nd floor of Central Tower 2, 158 Magokseo-ro, Gangseo-gu, Seoul. It's open daily from 11:10 to 23:00, last order at 22:00, and there's free in-building parking for 2 hours.

Maybe because it's Magok, the parking lot was really spacious and clean. A great Magok restaurant if you're driving.

It's on the 2nd floor and wasn't hard to find. It's about 5 minutes from Magoknaru Station Exit 1. Easy to locate.

Inside Songjjujip Magok: seating and what we ordered

Inside, Songjjujip Magok is set up with 4-person tables, and there are plenty of them spaced out well — it looked great for gatherings or company dinners too.

We ordered: octopus hot pot with extra add-ins (₩18,800) x2, king shrimp tempura 4pc (₩9,000), steamed egg (₩3,000), and cheese fried rice (₩3,500). Since it had been a while since I'd had octopus, we ordered a lot of extras — I never dreamed we'd finish it all.

Are the side dishes at Songjjujip Magok refillable?

As soon as we ordered, the side dishes came out right away. Salad, perilla leaves, bean sprouts, seaweed, white kimchi, and chives — all meant to be eaten alongside the octopus. Every single one is refillable, which is a relief these days when so many places charge extra for refills — here they said there's nothing they won't bring more of if you ask.

A cold soup, and a wrap the staff demonstrated in advance for first-timers. When we said it was our first visit, a staff member kindly explained how to eat it, which I really appreciated.

Loaded octopus hot pot piled with minari and cabbage

It's here, it's here! The octopus wrap set has arrived! Piled high with my beloved minari (water dropwort) and cabbage. Since it had been so long, I was so excited.

Isn't the visual just gorgeous? I think ordering all the extra add-ins was the right call. You need this much piled on top to really want to dig in. Highly recommend adding every add-in.

How spicy is it? Mild enough for spice-shy eaters

As someone who really can't handle spice, spice level matters a lot to me when eating octopus. Songjjujip is one of the few octopus restaurants I can actually enjoy. Jjukkumi dishes have gotten really spicy lately, you know? This place was spicy in just the right, enjoyable way. If you want it spicier, there's an add-on option on the kiosk.

They simmered it once more until the vegetables wilted down fully. Once the color turns a deep red, it's ready to eat.

Five stars for Songjjujip after such a long time. The minari really is the key ingredient — so abundant and flavorful. The octopus didn't taste frozen at all, cooked up chewy and genuinely delicious.

How to build a Songjjujip octopus lettuce wrap

The way to eat the Songjjujip wrap: on a perilla leaf, layer pork belly, octopus, bean sprouts, chives, and finish with mayo sauce and roe, then eat it all in one bite. Genuinely delicious...🙌🙌

Why 4 pieces of king shrimp tempura is the right order

The shrimp tempura came out while we were eating. Shrimp tempura at an octopus restaurant is just always so good.

Being king shrimp, the meat was plump and fried up crispy — a perfect pairing with the spicy octopus. Two pieces would've felt short, so we ordered four, and that was such a good call.

How are the steamed egg, rice cakes and sauce?

We ordered steamed egg too, and it came out like a bomb, all puffed up. It was soft and moist too, which was great for cooling down the spice.

The three-item combo. There's rice cake in there too — regular and cheese rice cake. What really sets Songjjujip apart from other octopus restaurants is the sauce — it's not a typical octopus sauce, it almost has a tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) vibe, with no fishy smell, giving it more of a stew-like feel than a stir-fry. Looking at the photos again is making me drool all over again, yum...

Finishing with cheese fried rice at Songjjujip Magok

Don't forget to finish with the highlight — fried rice, with extra cheese added — it's so good. For anyone looking for a great octopus restaurant in Magok, or anyone who wants a not-too-spicy octopus place, I highly recommend Songjjujip Magok💕