Yeoksam Chinese restaurant: Hell Level 2 jjamppong, Jjamppong Jijon

I went back to Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch, a jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) place I love, after a long time. They say you fight heat with heat (iyeolchiyeol), and on a sweltering summer day, when you suddenly crave something spicy that makes you sweat... jjamppong just pops into your head. Here's my review of this famously good-value spot.

Where is Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch, and what are the hours?

Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch is open daily from 10:00 to 22:00, with last order at 21:30. It's on the 2nd floor of a building roughly halfway between Gangnam Station and Yeoksam Station. Take the stairs on the right up to the 2nd floor and you'll find the entrance.

Parking at Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch

There's a parking space in front of the building, but it looks like it's shared with the 1st-floor shop. If you're planning to come by car, I'd give them a call first!!

Is there a wait?

They've set up tables outside so people can sit and wait when there's a line. On the weekday evening we visited it wasn't busy... but it's such a famous jjamppong spot near Yeoksam Station, and such good value, that when a line does form it's longer than you'd expect.

Inside Jjamppong Jijon and the free self-bar

Once you're inside, you can help yourself to drip coffee, instant coffee and plum tea for free. It was so hot that I sat down the moment we walked in and gulped some down, and I felt a bit more alive ㅠㅠ

The self-bar has various side dishes and rice. Even if you only order jjamppong or jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles), you get steamed rice for free, which is surely part of why Jjamppong Jijon is such good value.

The other side dishes on the self-bar are pickled radish, zha cai (Chinese pickled mustard stem), Korean-grown kimchi and onions.

Inside, there are standard 4-person tables and 2-person tables at the back. The kitchen starts cooking at full blast the moment you order, so in summer maybe sit a little farther away haha

Jjamppong Jijon menu and what we ordered

Look at the menu at this budget Chinese restaurant — the prices are really kind, right? We ordered crab fried rice, jjamppong (Hell Level 2) and glutinous rice tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork).

• Crab fried rice ₩11,000
• Jjamppong (Hell Level 2) ₩13,000
• Glutinous rice tangsuyuk ₩20,000

When you first sit down, they bring packaged pickled radish and water, and sauces like chili flakes and soy sauce are already set out at the table.

Our crab fried rice, jjamppong and tangsuyuk arrived!! The smell alone was amazing, and the egg coating on every single grain of the crab fried rice looked so delicious.

How spicy is Hell Level 2 at Jjamppong Jijon?

Going by what I ate, Hell Level 2 jjamppong at Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch was about as spicy as Shin Ramyun. The name "Hell" scared me a little at first, but it was better than I expected.

It's packed with assorted seafood and chewy, bouncy noodles. You can get a double portion of jjajangmyeon, but I just can't finish a double portion of jjamppong ㅠㅡㅠ

The jjamppong has a refreshing broth base and the heat isn't excessive. I really liked that pleasant, not-annoying kind of spiciness that's just right.

The spice comes from fresh vegetables and Korean sun-dried chili flakes, so the wok flavor (bul-mat, the smoky char) stays intact. There's a reason the place is called Jjamppong Jijon ("king of jjamppong"), right??

Glutinous rice tangsuyuk, judged by someone who fried it for a year

The glutinous rice tangsuyuk (₩20,000) at Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch was a much better surprise than I expected. I once fried tangsuyuk at a Chinese restaurant for about a year, so I'm a bit picky about it, but this was truly soft and delicious.

The pork pieces are a good size, the batter is neither thick nor thin, and the sauce's sweetness and starch are neither too much nor too little. I liked it.

Even at great Chinese restaurants, the tangsuyuk is disappointing surprisingly often, but Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch's tangsuyuk is delicious too. I recommend trying it.

Why order crab fried rice when the rice is free?

Last up was the crab fried rice (₩11,000) my girlfriend ordered! If you're thinking, "Why order crab fried rice when the rice is free?", you're a rookie.. The star of Chinese food is fried rice, and when every grain is perfectly coated in egg and you mix it with jjajang sauce, it's just incredible.

The jjamppong broth served with the fried rice seems to be the basic jjamppong base, and it's cute that it even has meat in it.

It tastes best when you don't overdo the jjajang sauce and mix in just enough for it to seep between the grains of fried rice.

Is Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch good for a company dinner?

I also recommend Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch as a spot for a company dinner (hoesik) in Yeoksam. Have a big group dinner at a Chinese restaurant and you'll fall for both Chinese food and goryangju (Chinese sorghum liquor). Jjamppong goes really well with goryangju, so I recommend it for a group dinner!