Yeoksam Chinese restaurant combo set, Hell Level 1: Jjamppong Jijon

Today I'm writing about a Chinese restaurant with amazing accessibility, sitting right between Gangnam Station and Yeoksam Station — Jjamppong Jijon! Usually at a Chinese restaurant only one of jjajang, jjamppong, or sweet and sour pork turns out great, but here every single dish we ordered was satisfying — a real find. The space is also spacious and comfortable, so I'd highly recommend it as a group dinner spot in Yeoksam-dong!

A big, comfortable dining room built for Yeoksam group dinners

The moment I walked into Jjamppong Jijon, my first thought was, 'wow, this place is really spacious with so many tables.' The seating had generous spacing too, so it looked perfect for group gatherings or a company dinner!

On top of that, every table came fully set with utensils, chopsticks, wet wipes, and tissues, plus chili powder, soy sauce, vinegar, small dishes, and paper cups already there. No desperately flagging down staff mid-meal — so convenient!

Unlimited rice at the self-serve bar, plus yuzu tea and blue lemon ade

One of the real charms of Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch is its generous self-serve bar! Not just pickled radish and onion, but unlimited rice too — heaven for anyone with a big appetite! And there's free yuzu tea and blue lemon ade to enjoy before or after the meal!

What really touched me was the aprons hanging on the wall and the hair ties at the self-serve bar! For those of us with long hair, there's always that worry about strands dipping into the jjamppong broth — thanks to this thoughtful touch, I could just focus on eating, haha.

Jjajangmyeon, 9,500 won: sauce that soaks into every noodle

Now for the actual menu review! We ordered four dishes in total.

• Jjajangmyeon (짜장면) ₩9,500
• Jjamppong (짬뽕, Hell Level 1) ₩13,500
• Eggplant fritter + sweet and sour pork (small) set ₩37,000

Jjajangmyeon, ₩9,500. First up, the jjajangmyeon had the seasoning fully soaked into the noodles, so the sauce didn't just sit on top and the noodles themselves were nice and chewy! Sometimes the noodles and sauce feel separate and you get that raw flour taste, but here the seasoning was completely absorbed for a rich flavor. Jjajang lovers, satisfied!!

How spicy is Hell Level 1 jjamppong at Jjamppong Jijon?

Jjamppong (Hell Level 1), ₩13,500. Second up, the star of the show — jjamppong. True to its name, Jjamppong Jijon lets you pick your own spice level. The base jjamppong is ₩13,000, and on top of the standard 'Jijon' flavor, you can pay an extra ₩500 to bump it up to the spicy 'Hell' level.

Hell Level 1 is 1.5 times spicier than Shin Ramyun, Level 2 is intensely spicy, and Level 3 is 4 times spicier than Shin Ramyun. If you're proud of your spice tolerance, you might want to try 'Hell (Level 4): extremely spicy' 🔥🧯! I'm pretty weak with spice, and even Level 1, around 1.5x Shin Ramyun, was pretty fiery for me.

But it wasn't just spicy for the sake of it — it was deliciously spicy, the kind of addictive flavor that keeps your chopsticks moving, and the chewy noodles paired perfectly with the spicy broth!!

Eggplant fritter and sweet and sour pork set, 37,000 won: 2,000 won saved

Eggplant fritter + sweet and sour pork (small) set, ₩37,000. Ordering the eggplant fritter and sweet and sour pork as a set was ₩2,000 cheaper, so we went with the set!

Dish number three: the eggplant fritter, boasting a seriously imposing size!!

Each piece was big enough to cover about half my hand! Jjamppong Jijon's eggplant fritter was really unique too — the batter had a light seasoning that gave off a strangely nacho-like taste.

It comes with a light drizzle of sauce, and inside the batter the eggplant's moist juices were completely sealed in!! If you dig in right away you might burn your mouth, so make sure to blow on it and eat carefully!

And finally, the crown jewel of Chinese cuisine — glutinous rice sweet and sour pork! That distinctive chewy, springy batter made with glutinous rice was the best. Here it comes pre-drizzled with sauce, but since I'm fine eating it either dipped or drizzled, it wasn't an issue for me haha. The sweet and sour sauce was just the right sweet-tangy balance for my taste, so much so that later I ended up dipping the eggplant fritter into it too!

Can you see how chewy it is, with pieces sticking to each other? I shook it around a lot trying to show off that chewiness haha, not sure if it came through well, haha.

Final verdict on Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch

Each dish also comes with plenty of options like large portions or extra noodles, so you can customize to your taste! It's usually hard to find a place that nails jjajang, jjamppong, and sweet and sour pork all at once, but Jjamppong Jijon Gangnam Branch didn't miss on a single dish! If you're after a hearty, delicious meal, or looking for a spacious, comfortable group dinner spot in Yeoksam-dong, I'd definitely recommend giving it a try!