Gunpo restaurant with stone-plate fried rice finish: Deodolpan Sanbon

There are days when you've lost your appetite a little, or you just crave something spicy enough to clean your palate right out. Last weekend I was wandering around Sanbon's main shopping street wondering what to eat, and I ended up at a stone-plate stir-fry restaurant that's been a neighborhood favorite for years.

So here's my honest review of trying the signature spicy oje-doljan (squid + pork) at 'Deodolpan,' a well-known Sanbon restaurant!

Where is Deodolpan Sanbon Branch, and when is it open?

Deodolpan Sanbon Branch is on the 2nd floor of Daewoo Plaza, 16 Sanbon-ro 323beon-gil, Gunpo, Gyeonggi, South Korea. It's a 3-minute walk, about 200m, from Sanbon Station Exit 3 on Subway Line 4.

• Address: 2nd floor, 16 Sanbon-ro 323beon-gil, Sanbon-dong, Daewoo Plaza, Gunpo, Gyeonggi, South Korea
• Transit: 3-minute walk (about 200m) from Sanbon Station Exit 3, Subway Line 4
• Hours: 11:00–22:00 (last order 21:15)
• Note: Great for lunch, but also a perfect spot for a drink with dinner!

It sits right in the heart of Sanbon Rodeo Street, so it's super easy to find. Once you head up to the 2nd floor, the savory, spicy smoky smell hits you right at the entrance and gets your appetite going.

Inside Deodolpan Sanbon Branch: clean, roomy tables

Walking in, I was greeted by a neatly arranged space. The tables were spaced generously, making for a comfortable layout to eat in.

During lunch or peak hours the place fills up fast with local office workers and Sanbon residents, but we went slightly off-peak and got a table with room to spare.

Deodolpan's menu and how to order

Deodolpan's strength is its variety of stir-fry dishes, sizzled right on a scorching-hot stone plate.

Deodolpan's signature stone-plate dishes

• Oje-doljan (squid + pork stir-fry)
• Jeyuk-doljan (pork): ₩10,000
• Ojingeo-doljan (squid): ₩11,000
• Nakji-doljan / Nakssam-doljan: ₩12,000–13,000
• Sides: steamed egg, fried rice, and more

We didn't hesitate — we went straight for the signature, can't-lose combo, 'oje-doljan for two,' plus a side of steamed egg. It's the most popular order since you get to try chewy squid and savory pork in one dish.

What side dishes come with the meal?

Once you order, a neat set of side dishes arrives that pair well with the stir-fry.

• Fresh lettuce & perilla leaves: essential wrap greens for the spicy stone-plate grill
• Crunchy seasoned bean sprouts: mild seasoning that tones down the heat
• Tangy radish slices / stir-fried fish cake: refreshing, savory palate cleansers
• Cool seaweed soup: warm, deep broth that balances out the spice perfectly

The main dish: sizzling oje-dolpan (squid and pork)

Soon after, the oje-doljan arrived — tossed in a red sauce, sizzling hot on the stone plate!

Just seeing it drew a gasp. Thick pork, plump squid, and vegetables all coated in the special sauce and soaked in smoky flavor. The stone plate's heat kept the food warm from start to finish, which was honestly a huge plus.

I went for a thick piece of squid first. Chewy and springy with every bite, no fishy off-taste at all — just clean, spicy sauce soaked all the way through.

Next up, the pork stir-fry — a good ratio of lean meat to fat kept it tender rather than dry.

Two ways to eat oje-dolpan at Deodolpan

1. The classic wrap: lettuce, perilla leaf, squid and pork

Lay fragrant perilla leaf over lettuce, add both squid and pork, throw in some crunchy bean sprouts, and wrap it all into one big bite — a burst of varied textures and flavors.

2. Oje-dolpan with soft steamed egg

When the spice starts building up, a spoonful of the soft steamed egg we ordered on the side resets your palate smoothly.

The proper ending: Deodolpan's stone-plate fried rice

You can't skip the fried rice when eating stone-plate dishes — that would be rude! We left a bit of meat and squid on purpose and asked for fried rice.

The staff chopped up the leftover sauce and vegetables, added rice, seaweed flakes, and sesame oil, and stir-fried it right there on the hot stone plate. They spread the rice thin so it would crisp up slightly, and I took a spoonful.

Sweet-spicy sauce plus crispy, crusted rice grains — a perfect combination!

Thanks to the heat of the stone plate, the bottom crisped up savory and crunchy — I couldn't put my spoon down. The leftover squid pieces scattered through the rice were the icing on the cake.

Is Deodolpan Sanbon Branch worth a visit?

Sanbon favorite 'Deodolpan' is a place where you can enjoy a satisfying, no-fail meal whenever you're craving something spicy.

• Taste: Not overly sweet, with a deep smoky flavor and a pleasant kick of spice!
• Texture: A fantastic balance of chewy squid and tender pork
• Value: Generous portions plus a well-rounded meal finished off with stone-plate fried rice
• Would I return: 100%! Next time I want to try the nakji-doljan or jeyuk-doljan too.

If you're on Sanbon Rodeo Street looking for a spicy stone-plate dish or a hearty Korean meal, I highly recommend stopping by Deodolpan without a second thought!