Magok octopus restaurant with tabletop grilling: Jju Baksa Magok

I went to Jju Baksa Magok Branch, a Magok lunch spot with outdoor seating 🐙

If you're looking for restaurants near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station, especially for lunch or dinner near Seoul Botanic Park, save this post. Jju Baksa Magok Branch is just a 2-minute walk from Exit 8 of Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station, and in weather this cool, the outdoor tables are the best.

• Address: 1F 130, Daebang DMC City 2nd Officetel, 23 Magokdong-ro 10-gil, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–01:00
• Parking: Free for 2.5 hours

Where is Jju Baksa Magok Branch, and how far is it from Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station?

Jju Baksa Magok Branch is a 2-minute walk from Exit 8 of Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station. It's also close to Seoul Botanic Park, so it makes a great dinner stop after a walk through the park, and it's popular with Magok office workers for lunch too. A big menu poster on the building's pillar catches your eye right away, so it's easy to find.

The outdoor tables at Jju Baksa Magok: best seats in cool weather

The outdoor tables spreading out in front of Jju Baksa Magok Branch really stood out.

Each stainless steel round table has a butane burner set up, and sitting there with a breeze blowing, I could see other groups of customers comfortably gathered and eating too.

The lush green view you get from your seat — that's a stroke of luck only available right now! The indoor seating was also kept cool and clean.

The floor-to-ceiling windows show the greenery toward Seoul Botanic Park, so it never feels stuffy inside.

As you'd expect from a webfoot octopus restaurant near Seoul Botanic Park, I noticed quite a few celebrities coming and going too.

Jju Baksa Magok menu and prices, plus 3 spice levels

• Alcohol set (2 people) ₩38,000 — jjusamgyeop for 2 + side dish + self-made rice balls + flying fish roe + 1 bottle of alcohol
• Drink set (2 people) ₩35,000 — jjusamgyeop for 2 + side dish + self-made rice balls + flying fish roe + 1 bottle of soft drink
• Fried rice set (2 people) ₩33,000 — jjusamgyeop for 2 + side dish + flying fish roe/cheese fried rice + flying fish roe

For à la carte, there's grilled webfoot octopus ₩14,000, grilled octopus-pork belly ₩14,000, grilled octopus-pork belly-shrimp ₩15,000, the new grilled jusamsae (octopus + pork belly + shrimp) ₩16,000, and the new rosé webfoot octopus ₩16,000.

You can pick from 3 spice levels — mild (about like Shin Ramyun), medium (slightly spicier), and spicy (about like Buldak Bokkeum Myeon) — so both spice-shy folks and heat lovers can be happy.

What comes with the 35,000-won drink set (jjusamgyeop)?

Once you order, perilla leaves, pickled radish, cheonsachae (glass noodle-like vegetable), and bean sprouts come out first as the basics. Corn cheese is also included as a base dish.

I was already excited just thinking about eating it with the octopus. Next came the complimentary side dish, self-made rice balls, and flying fish roe included in the set.

The crab-egg steam was fluffy and moist. While waiting for the octopus, they help you make self-made rice balls.

I liked shaping mine into little round balls like this.

And of course, no flying fish roe would be a shame to skip. Once all these basic and set-included dishes are out, today's star, the jjusamgyeop, arrives.

Jjusamgyeop grilled at your table by the staff

At Jju Baksa Magok Branch, staff come right to your table and grill the octopus on the griddle for you. It's convenient since you don't have to flip it yourself, and more importantly, they control the heat like pros, so nothing burns and everything cooks just right.

As the red sauce bubbled and simmered, the smoky grilled aroma felt even stronger sitting outdoors.

The octopus had a chewy texture without being tough, and grilling it together with the pork belly kept the spiciness sharp without feeling greasy.

Wrapping octopus, bean sprouts, and corn in a perilla leaf for a single bite kept a crunch alive amid the spiciness, so I kept reaching for more.

Tips to know before visiting Jju Baksa Magok

• Parking: Free for 2.5 hours, so it's fine to come by car.
• First-order condition: You need at least 2 people for the first order of any menu item.
• Outdoor seating: It's popular, so there may be a wait in the evenings. Still, definitely try to get a spot! ^^
• Ordering for 4: You can choose 2 complimentary side dishes, so groups can enjoy it more economically.

How about a plate of spicy octopus at an outdoor table now that the weather's cooled down? I highly recommend Jju Baksa Magok Branch to anyone looking for a lunch or dinner spot near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station and Seoul Botanic Park.