Spicy octopus rice bowl with kimchi jjigae at Gangnam's 1992 Deopbap

A few days ago I was in Gangnam Station on a weekday evening looking for somewhere to eat dinner alone. There are tons of restaurants around Gangnam Station, but when you actually try to walk in alone for a meal, a lot of places have menus or prices that feel awkward for solo dining. But every once in a while you find a place that nails both taste and value. That's exactly what 1992 Deopbap & Jjageuli Gangnam Main Branch turned out to be after some searching that day.

What kind of restaurant is 1992 Deopbap & Jjageuli in Gangnam?

As the name suggests, 1992 Deopbap & Jjageuli Gangnam Main Branch mainly serves deopbap (rice bowls) and jjageuli (stew), along with a range of other Korean dishes. It's located on Gangnam-daero 84-gil, and from the entrance the interior has a traditional feel that catches your eye right away.

There's a menu board out front too, so it was easy to check the menu and prices before going in. There were way more menu items than I expected.

1992 Deopbap menu and prices

The signature dish, deumppuk jjageuli, is ₩13,500. The Jeolla-style gochujang pork rice bowl and Jeolla-style yukhoe (beef tartare) rice bowl are also ₩13,500 each. Jeonju bibimbap is ₩13,500. The solo meat set menu is ₩15,900.

There's also doenjang jjageuli, pork cutlet rice bowl, dak-galbi rice bowl, kimchi pork rice bowl, and more. I also spotted some more unusual options like spicy jjukkumi (webfoot octopus) rice bowl and seafood ssamjang pork rice bowl. Considering this is smack in the middle of Gangnam Station, most items sit in the low-to-mid ₩10,000s, so the prices felt reasonable.

Is 1992 Deopbap comfortable for eating alone near Gangnam Station?

Once inside, I noticed a lot of people eating alone. If you're looking for a solo dining spot near Gangnam Station on a weekday, this place feels easy to walk into.

When I visited, there were quite a few international customers too. Maybe it's because dishes like bibimbap and deopbap are already familiar Korean foods to visitors, but there was a diverse mix of people eating.

There are also outdoor tables, so you can eat while taking in the streets of Gangnam.

You order via kiosk, and any additional orders can be placed through the table system. Being able to add orders right from the table was convenient.

There's also a self-serve corner in one part of the restaurant with water, utensils, and mouthwash. Being able to grab what you need yourself actually makes solo dining easier.

The spicy octopus rice bowl served with kimchi jjigae

What I ordered that day was the spicy octopus stir-fry rice bowl.

I ordered it in the combo that comes with kimchi jjigae.

The variety of sides was a nice bonus too!

And that day I also ordered a light can of beer. The fridge had Tsingtao and several other drinks ready to go. Pairing spicy octopus rice bowl with a cold beer felt like the perfect little reward for a weekday evening.

The food came out fast! I also liked that everything arrived together as a full spread with side dishes.

As you can see in the photo, a big bowl arrives generously filled with rice and spicy-seasoned octopus, topped with a fried egg, seaweed flakes, and vegetables.

Mixing the warm rice evenly with the seasoning made it feel like a proper, satisfying meal.

The octopus was coated thick with spicy seasoning, which paired really well with the rice.

Breaking the fried egg yolk and mixing it in softened the spiciness a bit. Once the seaweed flakes got mixed in too, it had that familiar flavor you can't stop reaching for.

Eating the octopus rice bowl and kimchi jjigae in turns

The kimchi jjigae that came with it was great too. If you only eat the rice bowl, it can start to feel a bit one-note partway through, but spooning in the hot, spicy kimchi jjigae now and then made for a great combo.

Alternating bites of the spicy octopus rice bowl with sips of the soup made for a pretty filling spread, even for a solo dinner.

Does 1992 Deopbap work for groups as well?

Overall, the range of Korean dishes is quite wide, so it looked like a good spot for groups too, with everyone ordering to their own taste. It's the kind of menu lineup that works even if one person wants jjageuli, another wants bibimbap, and another wants a rice bowl.

Above all, what I liked most was being able to eat a proper Korean meal near Gangnam Station without it feeling overly elaborate, even eating alone. Given Gangnam's prices, the cost is relatively easy on the wallet too. You can keep it simple and just eat and go, or pair a spicy dish with a can of beer like I did.

If you're looking for a solo dining spot near Gangnam Station on a weekday, 1992 Deopbap & Jjageuli Gangnam Main Branch is a pretty solid choice. It's the kind of place I'll think of again on days when I want something hearty, like a spicy octopus rice bowl paired with warm kimchi jjigae.