Korean restaurant for weekend day drinking near COEX: Obongjip

COEX-area favorite Obongjip Samseong Branch, a full spread of octopus stir-fry, bossam, and noodles.

If you're looking for a hearty Korean meal to share with a few people near Samseong Station, Obongjip Samseong Branch is one of the places that comes to mind. Octopus stir-fry alone is great, but that day I also wanted bossam and couldn't give up noodles either, so I went with the octopus obong special that lets you enjoy all three at once.

Where is Obongjip Samseong Branch? A short walk from Samseong Jungang Station

Obongjip Samseong Branch is at 62 Teheran-ro 81-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It's easy to reach from Samseong Jungang Station, and you can also walk over from Samseong Station or COEX. I actually walked over after visiting COEX Parnas!

Once inside, the space felt more spacious than I expected. The tables weren't crammed together, so it was comfortable eating with a group, and it seemed like it would work well for a company dinner in Samseong-dong too!

The self-serve bar at Obongjip: banchan, rice and soup

What I liked about Obongjip was the self-serve bar. If you run low on banchan (side dishes) mid-meal you can grab more yourself, and rice and soup are easy to add too — big eaters will really love this...

Even the basic setup came out generous, so I was already looking forward to the main dish before it even arrived haha.

What comes with the Octopus Obong Special?

The main event that day was the octopus obong special. It comes with grilled octopus stir-fry for two, bossam, and jaengban makguksu. One octopus dish, one meat dish, one noodle dish — a great combo to order when everyone wants something different.

If you'd rather sample a bit of everything than eat a ton of one dish, the special set definitely feels more worthwhile.

How spicy is Obongjip's fire-grilled octopus stir-fry?

The first thing I reached for was, of course, the grilled octopus stir-fry.

The octopus isn't cut into small pieces — it's plump, so you really feel that springy texture when you chew, and a subtle char flavor rises through the spicy sauce.

It's great on its own, but personally I highly recommend rice + octopus stir-fry + bean sprouts combo! Make sure to add sesame oil too haha.

The crisp bean sprouts add texture, and as the spicy sauce soaks into the rice, my spoon kept going back for more. Even someone who can't handle yeoptteok or fire noodles could eat this comfortably while still enjoying the kick!

Bossam and jaengban makguksu round out the table

If the octopus stir-fry anchors things with spice, eating bossam in between lets you get a solid dose of protein!

Notably, the bossam uses gabrisal, making it soft and juicy! It pairs well with the ssamjang and salted shrimp served alongside, and adding the sweet-and-tangy jaengban makguksu on top is pure bliss haha.

Alternating from spicy octopus → mild bossam → tangy noodles meant I never got tired of it the way you might sticking to one dish — that's a big strength of the obong special.

It was also great with beer for a rare weekend daytime drink haha.

Worth it for a hearty Korean meal near Samseong Station?

Obongjip Samseong Branch has solid main dishes plus solo set menus, so you can drop in for something light on your own, or gather with a group for a full spread — a near-perfect Samseong Station restaurant either way!

Getting char-grilled octopus stir-fry, soft bossam, and tangy noodles all in one visit makes it easy to bring people with different tastes. If you're near Samseong Station, Samseong Jungang Station, or COEX and looking for a lunch, dinner, or company dinner spot in Samseong-dong, the obong special at Obongjip Samseong Branch is worth trying. Next time I'm going for the yeonpotang haha.