Two-octopus mild stone jajang at a Paju Chinese restaurant: Dolpanseok

Where is Dolpanseok Jjamppong Paju Simhaksan Branch, and its hours and parking

Dolpanseok Jjamppong Paju Simhaksan Branch is a stone-plate nurungji (crispy rice) Chinese restaurant at 8-38 Dolgotji-gil, 1F, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. It's open 11:00-21:00 with last order at 20:00, and there's a parking lot right in front.

Hours 11:00 - 21:00 / Last order 20:00 / Break time Sat, Sun 16:00 - 17:00 / Closed every Tuesday / Closes early when ingredients run out / Parking lot in front of the restaurant / Entrance via Saengseongupneun Maeul side or toward Paju Lotte Outlet

A new Simhaksan hotspot spotted behind Saengseongupneun Maeul as you come in — Dolpanseok Jjamppong! To make it into Simhaksan you need real skill, so I was already excited 🤩

Inside Dolpanseok Jjamppong: open 6-seat table and partitioned booths

The parking lot was spacious and the interior was roomy too, so it felt comfortable, but customers kept streaming in and I didn't get to properly photograph the inside. The center of the restaurant has an open 6-seat table, great for groups, while the edges are divided by partitions, so it doesn't feel chaotic and you can eat quietly.

Stone jajang (medium) and Donchitang set for 41,000 won at mild spice

Dolpanseok Jjamppong's signature dishes are the nurungji stone-plate jjamppong and nurungji stone-plate jajang. This time I ordered the stone jajang (medium) + handmade Donchitang Set for ₩41,000, with an octopus add-on for ₩5,000. For spice level, I picked mild out of the 3 options.

There's a wide menu I couldn't capture in photos, but the signature dishes cooked on a stone plate — nurungji stone-plate jjamppong, nurungji stone-plate jajang — and distinctive sides like handmade Donchitang and Menbosha stood out. You could also add octopus or squid.

Spice level came in 3 options, and I heard level 2 is fire-noodle level, so as a spice wimp I went with mild. (Mild — a level kids can eat too.)

• ✔️ Cheongyang chili powder comes on the side so you can adjust the heat yourself

Paid for one octopus, got two in the stone jajang

The sizzling stone-plate visual is insane! I added one octopus, but the owner said it looked a bit small and gave me two!! The owner's generosity is also insane~~ Besides the added octopus, it was packed with plump seafood like squid and shrimp. That sizzling, bubbling stone plate is just so good 😘

• ✔️ Let it sit a moment so the jajang sauce soaks into the noodles!
• ✔️ Scoop the noodles out carefully to protect the nurungji at the bottom!

We lost our minds from hunger and only checked how to eat it properly well after we'd already been eating — but it was plenty delicious even eaten right away. If you want a thicker, richer feel, wait a bit longer!

Jajangmyeon needs chili flakes of course! I got a little nervous hearing it was cheongyang chili powder, but it was just spicy enough to be delicious 👍🏻 The noodles were well-seasoned with a bit of chewiness, which I loved.

The green onion kimchi self-serve bar at Dolpanseok Jjamppong

The real MVP here: green onion kimchi! The owner's sense of taste is amazing 👍🏻 At most Chinese restaurants you just get plain kimchi (usually not great), but here they actually have green onion kimchi! And it's delicious! Honestly, the place is called Dolpanseok Jjamppong so I meant to order jjamppong, but how can you resist jajangmyeon with green onion kimchi~~ It was so good that I kept alternating a bite of jajang dipped in it with a bite of the kimchi.

Green onion kimchi, onion and pickled radish were all at the self-serve corner so I could eat as much as I wanted 👍🏻 On top of that, rice was free — unlimited refills!

The nurungji left on the stone plate after the noodles

Once you finish all the noodles, gently flip the nurungji with a spatula! Who knew nurungji went this well with jajang? Nutty and salty — a perfect match!

How was the handmade Donchitang (pork cutlet tangsuyuk plus dakgangjeong)?

Donchitang! You could tell right away the oil was clean. The left side was pork cutlet in sweet-and-sour sauce, and the right side was dakgangjeong (Korean fried chicken) — the pork cutlet matched the sweet-and-sour sauce perfectly, and the dakgangjeong had a delicious sauce with meat that wasn't dry but tender, better than a lot of dedicated dakgangjeong places. Confirmed: this place is great at fried food! I heard the Menbosha is good too, so I'll have to try that next time.

This was the most satisfying stone-plate jajang I've ever had. The nurungji served alongside was a great addition, and I loved that the stone plate kept it warm right to the end. The fried dishes are also confirmed delicious, so next time I'll come back for the stone jjamppong and Menbosha.

They even had a nicely stocked dessert corner with gangjeong, yogurt and coffee, so I finished off refreshingly with a yogurt 😉 So happy Simhaksan has a great new restaurant ❤️