Solo Hell Level 3 jjamppong and fried mandu, Yeoksam: Jjamppong Jijon

I had some business near Gangnam Station and was looking for a place to eat lunch alone, when I found a Chinese restaurant that looked great for solo dining. I ended up eating spicy jjamppong 🔥 and fried mandu like a champ :)

Where is Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch, and is there parking?

Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch is on the 2nd floor of Semyeong Plaza Building B, which you'll see if you walk straight from Exit 3 of Yeoksam Station toward Teheran-ro 10-gil. That's about a 5-minute walk, roughly 400m, from the station!

The spacious parking area out front is fantastic 👏 The lot is huge. The moment I saw it, I thought 'this would be great for a company dinner' — can't help it, I'm an office worker through and through 💦

Opening hours and last orders

• ⏰ Hours: Mon-Fri 10:00-22:00 (last order 21:30), weekends 10:00-21:00 (last order 20:30)
• 🅿️ Parking: Free parking available / weekday lunch - self-parking, after 15:00 on weekdays and after 10:00 on weekends - valet available (valet fee ₩3,000)
• ✅ Paid corkage available
• ✅ Solo seating
• ✅ Self-serve bar

Was there a wait at Saturday lunch?

Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch takes reservations via Naver Reservation for groups of 2 to 30. I visited without a reservation around 1:30pm on a Saturday, and when I arrived only 1-2 tables were dining.

Judging by the constant sound of delivery order alerts, it seems like everyone orders delivery for weekend lunch at home. Confirmed Gangnam delivery hotspot 👍

Solo seats and the self-serve bar: eating alone at Jjamppong Jijon

Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch has a really, really spacious dining hall with tables packed in closely. There's everything from group tables to solo seats.

The solo seats in particular are literally built for just one person haha, so I could eat alone without feeling self-conscious at all.

There's also a self-serve corner where you can grab extra side dishes yourself. From basics like onions, pickled radish, and kimchi to various tableware, plus yuzu tea and blue lemonade for dessert! And they even thought to provide hair ties for battle-mode eating 👍

I was looking around for an apron and found several hanging right next to the yuzu tea haha.

The counter even had various types of charging cables, which saved my phone that was running dangerously low on battery, phew hahaha.

There was something called 'Dim Sum Lab' next to the counter — makes you curious what kind of lab it actually is...

Jjamppong Jijon menu and the Hell spice levels explained

Beyond the signature Jijon Jjamppong, there were plenty of unique jjamppong varieties like soft tofu noodle jjamppong, sujebi (hand-pulled dough soup) jjamppong, and rice noodle jjamppong. As a jjamppong specialty restaurant, they clearly put a lot of effort into the jjamppong lineup! There are also jjajang (black bean sauce noodle) dishes and other cooked menu items besides jjamppong.

When you order jjamppong, you can choose your spice level from 0 all the way up to level 4.

• ✅ Jijon (base flavor) - signature
• ✅ Hell Level 1 - 1.5x Shin Ramyun spiciness
• ✅ Hell Level 2 - intensely spicy
• ✅ Hell Level 3 - 4x Shin Ramyun spiciness
• ✅ Hell Level 4 - extremely spicy
• Hell levels come with an extra ₩500 charge!!

What the writer ordered and what it cost

Jijon Jjamppong (Hell Level 3) ₩13,500 / Fried Mandu (8pc) ₩8,000.

I consider myself pretty spice-tolerant, self-proclaimed and confirmed by others, and I debated between Hell Level 3 and Level 4 before settling on Level 3, which is 4x the spiciness of Shin Ramyun. I was worried I might order the spiciest option and not even be able to finish it 💦 I also ordered fried mandu as a side dish to go with it!

Side dishes and the table setting

When you order at the kiosk, they bring you bottled water and pickled radish — and impressively, they gave me a whole fresh unopened bottle. It definitely felt clean and hygienic.

How spicy is Jijon Jjamppong at Hell Level 3?

The orange broth had a look that made me expect serious heat. Orange broth is generally spicier than red broth, they say... There was a cute quail egg in there, so I ate that first to protect my stomach before diving in.

It's a seafood-based jjamppong loaded with scallops and clams, with squid showing up plenty too. I personally prefer seafood-based jjamppong over meat-based — it has that refreshing, clean feel!

The noodles were chewy Chinese-style noodles, not too thick or too thin. The seasoning had soaked well into the noodles, so I could enjoy the spiciness fully.

I tried the broth too — it was clean and refreshing thanks to the seafood base, with little oiliness. It wasn't as spicy as I expected, so I guess I worried for nothing.

Freshly fried mandu, 8 pieces for 8,000 won

The fried mandu I ordered as a side had a thick dumpling skin packed full of meat and chive filling. It had been a while since I'd had mandu fried this fresh, so I was doubly moved 🥹 Freshly fried mandu really is all about that crisp texture!

Doesn't the combo of Jijon Jjamppong and fried mandu look mouthwatering just from the photo?🤤 Taking a bite of fried mandu between spoonfuls of spicy jjamppong was the perfect pairing 👍

The jjamppong was so good I even finished off the broth completely, which left me way too full, so I packed up the remaining mandu to eat for dinner. I asked hesitantly if I could get the leftovers packed to go, worried they might mind, but they happily obliged 〰️

Verdict on solo dining at Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch

I had a great spicy jjamppong meal solo dining at Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch near Yeoksam Station in Gangnam. First off, the hall is quite spacious with several solo seats, so it was perfect for eating alone without feeling self-conscious at all. Plus, being able to grab extra side dishes myself from the self-serve bar meant I didn't need to ask staff for anything, which made it even easier to eat without worrying about bothering anyone. Plus, free rice at the self-serve bar!!

Even as someone fairly spice-tolerant, I ordered Hell Level 3 with a bit of worry, but in my opinion it was definitely less spicy than Buldak Bokkeum Myeon (fire noodles) — more like the spiciness of a hot instant noodle soup. Next time I'll have to try Hell Level 4 😆

The story in one line

• ✔️ Perfect for solo dining without feeling self-conscious at the solo seats
• ✔️ Signature Jijon Jjamppong with adjustable spice levels
• ✔️ Free rice available at the self-serve bar
• ✔️ A delivery hotspot with constantly ringing order alerts
• ✔️ Spice lovers should try Hell Level 4!!