Tanbang-dong octopus stir-fry with two noodle refills: Chongil Nakji

Crab, webfoot octopus, octopus — these all feel like they're in season lately, and it made me want some too. Honestly I already love octopus stir-fry haha. I love adding extra noodles to it, I love mixing it with rice, haha. So that's how I ended up at Chongil Nakji, a restaurant near Daejeon Lotte Department Store.

It's a Daejeon spot that works for a hearty lunch or a satisfying dinner.

Where is Chongil Nakji, Tanbang branch, and where do you park?

Chongil Nakji, Tanbang branch is at 23-19 105-ho, Gyeryong-ro 571beon-gil, Seo-gu, Daejeon, near Daejeon Lotte Department Store and Daejeon City Hall. You can park at the Fine Olmier building's dedicated lot or in the outdoor lot!

One hour free per table, per car!

Inside Chongil Nakji and the best time to visit

It's famous as a lunch spot among office workers, so it seems like a good idea to book ahead.

Chongil Nakji menu lineup and kiosk ordering

Ordering is simple — just use the kiosk and take a seat! Chongil Nakji, Tanbang branch has a wide lineup beyond just octopus stir-fry, with pork, beef and scallop options too, and the spice level is adjustable! Perfect for a spice wimp like me.

Next to the menu board, each dish's ingredients are explained, so it was easy to pick! There's currently an event running too — collect 5 stamps and get a free octopus hot pot or beef shabu-shabu as a thank-you for repeat visits!

Side dishes and the soy-sauce bulgogi

The basic side dishes get set out. We ordered the 'special octopus stir-fry,' which comes with soy-braised bulgogi! Even the bulgogi alone, wrapped in a leaf, is really delicious. The side dishes weren't an afterthought either — even the seasoning was spot on.

Special octopus stir-fry: beef, scallop and octopus together

The special octopus stir-fry combines beef, scallop and octopus. It was surprising that octopus stir-fry could include beef too. My husband doesn't usually love octopus stir-fry, but with this combination and the smoky flavor, he said it was so good he ate two bowls of rice.

Cheonggukjang comes along with it, and the aroma wafting up is so good.

Octopus, scallop and beef combo! Everything's evenly mixed in. The stir-fry itself is coated in that smoky char, and the moment you take a bite, the smokiness fills your whole mouth, taking the savoriness up another level.

Tried mixing it into rice, then quickly mixed some into noodles too. Mixed with rice and wrapped in a leaf, it's seriously delicious 🤣🤣

Octopus size and the free-refill side dishes

Look at the size of this octopus. It's genuinely plump, big as a spoon, and the more you chew it the chewier it gets, filling your mouth. It's not just big — it was so fresh there wasn't even a hint of fishy smell.

Tried it wrapped in a leaf, then slurped it up with noodles too. The cheonggukjang, namul side dishes and wrap greens are all refillable, so if you keep asking, they'll keep bringing it haha. Funny enough, wrapping it in leaves means you end up eating a ton of the namul side dishes haha.

Big pieces of octopus kept coming out, so I couldn't help but keep taking photos.

What surprised me was that my husband and I are both kimchi lovers who often find a meal uncomfortable without it, but there was radish salad, and thanks to that we completely forgot the discomfort of no kimchi and had a really delicious meal.

Why we ordered a second noodle refill

Why is there more noodles coming out?! We ordered it again haha. The sauce on this special octopus stir-fry is so well-seasoned and so rich in savory flavor that we couldn't help but add another round of noodles.

Mixing in the namul and stirring it into rice is also pure bliss. I don't know how they get the seasoning so right, but every dish and side dish worked together — nothing to skip.

Is Chongil Nakji, Tanbang branch worth it? Final verdict

Octopus stir-fry is such a familiar dish to us, but experiencing it with that smoky char and paired with beef for the first time made it feel fresh and delicious in a new way. You could feel that every single ingredient was fresh. Add in how kind the owner and staff were, and we never felt awkward asking for refills — we could eat as much as we wanted.

Being near Daejeon Lotte Department Store and Daejeon City Hall makes it very easy to get to. And best of all, having a dedicated parking lot when driving there was so convenient!

No matter how much you love a restaurant, there's usually at least one dish or side dish that doesn't quite click. But at Chongil Nakji in Daejeon, every single dish felt like it was built to support the octopus stir-fry — everything worked in harmony, and satisfaction was really high!