Namwon baby octopus restaurant: jjuksam for four at Geumseong Jjukkumi

Where is Geumseong Jjukkumi in Namwon, and what are the hours?

Here's my review of Geumseong Jjukkumi, a well-known restaurant in Namwon, Jeonbuk. It's located at 81 Ssukgogae-ro, Namwon-si, Jeonbuk, hours are 11:00–21:00, and there's a weekday break time from 14:30 to 17:00. It's closed every Monday, though it stays open as usual if a public holiday or substitute holiday falls on a Monday.

• 📌 Visit date 2026.09.15
• ● Hours 11:00 - 21:00 / Weekday break time 14:30 - 17:00
• 📍Closed every Monday (open as usual if a public holiday/substitute holiday falls on Monday)
• ● Address 81 Ssukgogae-ro, Namwon-si, Jeonbuk, South Korea

On the day I went to Namwon with my parents, husband and kid, well, you can't explore on an empty stomach! Before heading to Gwanghallu-won, I wanted a good lunch, so we went back to Geumseong Jjukkumi, a Namwon restaurant I'd loved on a previous visit.

Last time it was just our little family, and I remembered it being so good that I wanted to bring my parents along too!

After the White Dew (baekro) solar term passed, the weather suddenly turned to fall. It was a bit warm, but the gentle autumn breeze felt great — perfect weather for an outing! I have an overseas trip planned for next week, so I wanted to spend this week packing and resting at home, but with such nice weather my husband kept saying let's go somewhere.

Jjuksam for four: mild, medium or spicy?

Geumseong Jjukkumi in Namwon centers its menu on griddled baby octopus dishes, along with rice dishes and side noodles. There's a jjukkumi-only option, but since we wanted pork belly too, we went with jjuksam! You can choose mild, medium, or spicy. We ordered jjuksam for four at medium spice!

There's also a king shrimp tempura rice noodle dish on the menu.

A neatly kept dining room. It's always packed with customers, so I snapped this during a brief lull.

What's on the self-serve bar at Geumseong Jjukkumi?

At the back of Geumseong Jjukkumi there's a neatly arranged self-serve bar.

Lettuce, perilla leaves, bean sprouts, salad, garlic, ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste) and more are all set out, so we piled our plates high without limit. I especially ate a ton of bean sprouts!!!

We also each had one of the grilled eggs that came with the meal!

How does the medium-spice jjuksam taste? The octopus texture decides it

A mouthwatering sight. The griddle was piled high with thin-sliced pork belly and seasoned baby octopus. Why does it already smell this good?

We ordered medium, and for a spice wimp like me it was spicier than expected. Still, it wasn't just heat — the sweet-and-spicy seasoning made it easy to keep eating.

The octopus had a plump, chewy texture. Sometimes at jjukkumi specialty restaurants the octopus can feel disappointingly mushy, but here it was completely chewy and springy. My parents said the octopus felt "alive" (I think they meant fresh?) and ate it happily. When I asked the owner, they said octopus quality varies a lot, and Geumseong Jjukkumi insists on good product even if the price is higher.

Wrapping jjuksam in perilla leaves with mayonnaise sauce

A perilla-leaf wrap that lets you enjoy the savory pork belly too. Put chewy octopus on a perilla leaf, add bean sprouts, then a bit of cheonsachae (thin glass-noodle-like garnish) — pure heaven.

The fragrant perilla leaf, the crunchy bean sprouts, and the mild mayonnaise all pair well with the spicy octopus. A flavor you keep craving the more you eat.

Adding a little mayonnaise sauce on top makes it an absolute delicacy!

I felt glad we'd ordered medium spice. I don't love spicy food, but mild can sometimes feel too plain — this time I got to enjoy a bit of heat comfortably (helped a lot by the mayo sauce). Those who can't handle spice should go mild, and those who love spicy food should try the spicy option! Either way, it's all delicious!!!

Is Geumseong Jjukkumi a good lunch before Gwanghallu-won?

Maybe because it was an outing day in Namwon, the food felt even better. My dad says food always tastes good when you're out having fun, but no — Geumseong Jjukkumi is a genuinely good restaurant, that's why it's good!!! My husband loves spicy food, and seeing him enjoy it so much today made me happy too.

If you're touring Gwanghallu-won in Namwon and looking for a place to eat, I recommend Geumseong Jjukkumi without hesitation! Next time, I'd like to add fried rice or cheese sari (extra noodle/cheese topping) too.