Weekday lunch spice level 1 set with octopus at a Paju Chinese

With the mornings and evenings turning chilly lately, I got a craving for good jjamppong and headed to a Paju spot I love, Dolpanseok Jjamppong.

It's right at the entrance to Simhaksan, an area absolutely packed with good restaurants — great location, great taste, spotless dining room. There's no reason not to go. A true locals' pick for Chinese food in our neighborhood.

Living near the edge of Ilsan on the Paju side, I often end up near Yadang, Unjeong, GTX Unjeong Station, and Paju Lotte Premium Outlets. Simhaksan, with its lineup of good restaurants, is perfect for a quick weekday lunch.

Dolpanseok Jjamppong

Location and hours of Dolpanseok Jjamppong Paju Simhaksan Branch

• 8-38 Dolgoji-gil, 1st floor, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Closed every Tuesday
• Sat, Sun 11:00–21:00
• Break time 16:00–17:00
• Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri 11:00–21:00
• Large parking lot in front of the restaurant

The weekday lunch order: jjamppong-for-two + donchitang set

A 2,000-won discount on the set menu, total good news 👍 Jjamppong-for-two + donchitang set is 42,000 won, with octopus added for 5,000 won. Highly recommend it. Seriously, always add the octopus — you get big pieces of octopus with a lovely chewy texture.

Eating hot jjamppong sizzling on a stone plate along with crunchy bean sprouts, then moving on to stir-fried jjamppong noodles — amazing. Next time I bring the kids, I'll have to try the stone-plate jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles) too.

There's even a guide on the table for how to best enjoy stone-plate jjamppong and stone-plate jjajang.

Unlimited rice refills and a self-serve green onion kimchi bar

Another point of pride at this Simhaksan favorite: unlimited rice refills. Boss~^^ Such a thoughtful touch for office workers on tight budgets, letting everyone fill up generously from the self-serve rice station.

A giant rice cooker full of steaming white rice, waiting at this Paju Simhaksan favorite!

Green onion kimchi, oh my god! The owner really knows food ^~~^ Green onion kimchi is the ultimate rice thief alongside jjajang, and having it stocked generously at the self-serve bar deserves major props.

Dolpanseok jjamppong with added octopus, spice level 1

Facing down the magnificent stone-plate jjamppong piled high with bean sprouts, I quickly grabbed tongs and scissors to cut into the 5,000-won octopus add-on.

The octopus was cooked to just the right chewy-tender texture — laying it gently on top of the jjamppong and wrapping it with crunchy bean sprouts was a real treat.

So good~ You can order the spice level adjusted to your taste. We went with level 1, basic Shin Ramyun spiciness, and it was pleasantly punchy and delicious. Adults who love spicy food might want to bump it up and challenge that numbing heat. This is a jjamppong place where the first bite makes you think of soju!

So what does donchitang taste like?

Donchitang. Pork cutlet? Chicken? Sweet and sour pork? Whatever it is, if it's tasty, thank you.

Pale, tender meat with the juices locked in, not dry at all — it had that savory mini pork cutlet feel. Not the cheap frozen kind at all; it tasted like a proper Japanese handmade thick pork cutlet, deep-fried in mini size, with all the refined flavor of good tonkatsu.

The chicken had that sweet-and-salty seasoning of dakgangjeong (Korean fried chicken), well coated all over, but softer, more like boneless fried chicken. Careful with the stone plate handle — it gets very hot.

Three flavors in one: noodle soup, stir-fried jjamppong, and nurungji tang

Dolpanseok jjamppong is this wonderfully clever dish where you first eat the chewy jjamppong noodles, then enjoy stir-fried jjamppong noodles with crunchy bean sprouts. And what's left at the bottom afterward turns into a genuinely thick, hearty jjamppong nurungji tang.

It was such a fun surprise to get three flavors out of one dish. I left this Paju Simhaksan favorite, Dolpanseok Jjamppong, completely full and satisfied after a great weekday lunch.

Don't forget the dessert yogurt

Don't forget the dessert yogurt! One little bottle of yogurt, nostalgic from childhood, brought a smile to our faces — this weekday lunch tour with the girls was a success.

With even dessert taken care of so thoughtfully, Dolpanseok Jjamppong is a Simhaksan Chinese restaurant that made for a happy, great-value lunch pick!