Paju ssambap restaurant with red kale ssam for kids: Simhaksan

Heading to Pyeonghwa Nuri Camping Ground in Paju with my kid this weekend~ Stopped by a good Paju restaurant, Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap, to fill up on a hearty Korean set meal before the drive! Bottom line up front: vegetables are always right~! Tasty and healthy — highly recommend Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap, a Paju Outlet favorite!!

Where is Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap, and its hours and parking

Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap is a Korean set-meal (hanjeongsik) restaurant a 10-minute walk from the Paju Lotte Outlet. It's open Mon–Sun 11:00–21:00, with a break time from 15:30–17:00, and there's on-site parking.

A great Korean-set-meal restaurant just 10 minutes' walk from the Paju Lotte Outlet.

Parking is easy~ and if the lot's full, there's a public parking lot nearby.

Inside, the space is split into two sections, with traces of celebrity visits and a nice, clean bathroom~

As a Paju Outlet favorite famous for good ssambap, this place always gets busy at peak times — waiting is basically a given! But the tables are plentiful and the two split spaces can handle group guests too.

The other side of the restaurant has a cozy vibe too.

Deuljeongsik or kkotjeongsik: what comes with each set?

The menu at Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap is refreshingly simple — just two options, deuljeongsik and kkotjeongsik. Deuljeongsik comes with pork or squid stir-fry + doenjang stew + gangdoenjang (thick fermented soybean paste) + stone-pot rice, while kkotjeongsik adds grilled atka mackerel or mackerel on top of that.

Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap, a recommended family-dining spot near Simhaksan, also has a kids menu, making it a great choice to bring children along.

The unlimited ssam vegetable bar: three rounds of lettuce

Today's hidden gem! Endless fresh wrap vegetables~ My little lettuce lover went back for three rounds.

Beyond that, if you finish the basic banchan, you can grab more from the self-serve bar, and there are also rice crackers, great as a little dessert after the meal.

They set everything up fast once you order.

The basic banchan are neat and tidy~ nicely seasoned, not overpowering — healthy side dishes.

An appetizer of pumpkin porridge came out first, and one spoonful in — sweet! Perfect for waking up the appetite before the meal!

More side dishes that pair nicely with the ssambap.

True to a Paju Outlet ssambap favorite, all the vegetables are fresh — even the salad greens are crisp and lively~ plus my favorite black sesame dressing, love it.

You just help yourself to the vegetables, so if you love veggies, go wild without holding back~~

Deuljeongsik for two at 20,000 won: doenjang stew and stone-pot rice

We ordered the deuljeongsik set for 20,000 won, sized for two people. The savory doenjang stew was so rich and deep that I gasped right after the first spoonful~!!

Stone-pot rice comes along too — scoop the rice out, pour in water, and put the lid back on for later~ The rice grains were firm and glossy, just gleaming.

Mixing rice into that savory doenjang stew makes for a hearty, complete meal~!

Hot-plate pork and squid stir-fry: mild enough for a child

Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap, a great Paju Outlet spot for a weekend outing with kids. The main dishes of the set — squid or pork stir-fry — come sizzling on a hot stone plate, which keeps them warm all the way through the meal thanks to the retained heat.

Bright red and distinctively fragrant — the squid stir-fry sauce sets off the salivary glands!!

The direct-fire pork stir-fry has that smoky char flavor, which makes it even tastier,

and the meat is generous, with a sauce that's not spicy at all — great pork stir-fry even for a meat-loving kid.

The squid stir-fry sauce is slightly milder than Shin Ramyun's savory heat, so it's a flavor that kids and adults, anyone really, should like! Unless you flat-out can't eat squid, most people would love this!!

The squid is chewy, and the onions have a crisp bite — exactly my type! Onions get mushy if stir-fried too long, but these must've gone in near the end of cooking because they're still crunchy~ All the greens are fresh, not a wilted piece in sight!

Fancy a wrap of pork in red kale and chicory~?!! Pairs wonderfully with the seasoned zucchini banchan too~ My kid, who's recently gotten into the meat-and-ssam-veggie combo, was totally absorbed in wrapping bite after bite~

Red kale is said to be richer in anthocyanins than regular kale! Eating it with meat makes me feel less guilty — a combo that lets me indulge while still looking out for my body!

Finishing with stone-pot nurungji and free ice cream

For the finish~ I opened the lid of the stone pot I'd poured water into earlier!! There it was — the crispy scorched rice, nurungji, pressed at the bottom of the pot. A perfect ending! Topping it with a bit of the squid stir-fry made it taste like honey!

My son scraped the nurungji clean, going all out on the last bites~

Cleared! A healthy, hearty lunch, done and done~

Dessert was ice cream and a cup of coffee~

Who should visit Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap

• If you're looking for a good place to eat after shopping at the Paju Outlet, this ssambap restaurant is a solid pick!
• Great for family dining with kids in tow, or bringing your parents along — highly recommend visiting Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap, a beloved Korean-set-meal spot near Simhaksan!