Gwangmyeong jjukkumi restaurant with tablet parking sign-in: Jeongipum

A jjukkumi restaurant to add to the Gwangmyeong Station IKEA and Costco run

Whenever I stop by Costco or IKEA near Gwangmyeong Station, Jeongipum Jjukkumi is basically an automatic add-on. I've come back so many times I can't even count anymore — one of my go-to jjukkumi (spicy stir-fried baby octopus) restaurants in Gwangmyeong — but one thing has changed since my early visits: it's gotten busy enough that you often see people waiting for a table now. The store has also expanded and gotten much bigger since I first started coming, with more breathing room between tables, so eating here felt more comfortable than before 〰️🙌🏻

It's not hard to find either. It's right in front of the Take Hotel near AK Plaza Gwangmyeong, so it's easy to reach if you're hunting for restaurants near Gwangmyeong Station or AK Plaza. It also fits nicely into an IKEA or Costco itinerary, which is why it's already become my go-to stop on the Gwangmyeong IKEA restaurant circuit.

And at the entrance I spotted some nice news 👀 a sign announcing that the owner got married in August. Since I've been coming here for so long, I felt genuinely happy for them — business is doing well and something good happened on top of it, so I walked in in a good mood.

Parking at Jeongipum Jjukkumi: 2 hours free, plate entered on a tablet

Parking at Jeongipum Jjukkumi Gwangmyeong 1st Branch is free for 2 hours, and you enter your license plate yourself on the tablet in front of the store. Don't just walk out after eating — make sure to register your car.

This time I visited with a reservation, so the table was already set as soon as we sat down. Ordering could also be done right at the table, which was convenient, and while browsing the staff-call menu I noticed the options were divided in surprisingly fine detail — from side dish refills to hair ties and phone chargers. The one that caught my eye the most was the affection button, the one that says 'I love you' ෆෆ

Fully loaded hot-plate jjukkumi, 19,500 won per person, ordered for two

What we ordered this time was the fully-loaded hot-plate jjukkumi at ₩19,500 per person. It comes with black angus beef belly, minari (water dropwort), cabbage, and rice cake, and we ordered two servings. The basic side dishes still come in good variety too — gim (seaweed), lemon radish salad, seasoned cabbage, bean sprouts — all things that go well with spicy jjukkumi, so there's fun in picking through them one by one. And of course, the visual made it clear we'd come to the right place again.

A generous pile of minari sits on top of the jjukkumi, surrounded by black angus beef belly, and as pictured, the amount of minari was so plentiful that even after it wilted down while cooking, it never felt lacking.

How to eat the jjukkumi hot plate at its best

• Lay crispy laver (parae-gim) on the underside of a sesame leaf
• Layer on the house-made lemon radish salad, bean sprouts, and flying fish roe on top of the laver
• Dip the jjukkumi into the white sauce and pile it on for a satisfying wrap
• After eating 80% or more, finish it off with fried rice!

How were the texture and seasoning of the jjukkumi?

The staff kept circling the tables to check how well the octopus was cooking and let us know when it was ready to eat, so we could wait comfortably. Picking up a well-cooked piece of jjukkumi, the first thing I noticed was that plump texture. It's not the small, chewy kind of octopus — it's the kind that's springy yet soft to bite into, which reminded me all over again why I keep coming back here.

The seasoning has a gentle heat with a savory depth building up underneath. It's not just spicy — with the octopus, beef belly, and minari all cooked together, there's a nutty richness added on top. There was rice cake mixed in too, which was fun to pick out here and there as we ate, but partway through I found myself slightly regretting not adding udon noodles. The sauce seemed like it would go really well with noodles, so next time I'm planning to add udon noodles too.

And then there's the complimentary steamed egg (gyeranjjim) that comes out while you're eating. It has a soft, fluffy, cloud-like texture, which made it great to take a bite of between mouthfuls of spicy jjukkumi. It also mellows out the spiciness a bit, so my chopsticks kept naturally reaching for it.

Flying fish roe for 2,000 won and the sesame leaf wrap combo

Jjukkumi is great eaten plain, but at Jeongipum Jjukkumi I always make sure to build a wrap. Put a piece of jjukkumi on a sesame leaf, pile on mayonnaise and plenty of flying fish roe, and eat it in one bite. The spiciness of the jjukkumi is joined by the nuttiness of the mayonnaise, and the flying fish roe pops in your mouth, bringing the texture to life. If you add minari along with the jjukkumi as pictured, it brings in a fragrant note too, for a whole different feel. I added ₩2,000 worth of flying fish roe, and the portion was generous enough that I could pile it on the sesame leaf without holding back. Personally, if you're coming to Jeongipum Jjukkumi for Gwangmyeong jjukkumi, I'd recommend adding the flying fish roe 👋🏻

The black angus beef belly in particular was soft and nutty, and it paired really well with the jjukkumi. One tip here: the beef belly cooks faster than the octopus, so move the cooked pieces to your plate first. If you leave it on the hot plate too long, the texture can get tough, so it's better to portion it out as you go.

Poured garlic corn cheese in a cast-iron pan, 7,000 won

The poured garlic corn cheese in a cast-iron pan, ₩7,000. This is a menu item I keep ordering on every repeat visit. There's a generous amount of cheese piled on, so when you scoop it with a spoon it stretches out long as pictured, and the corn kernels are plump too, popping pleasantly with each bite.

There's also a gentle nutty aroma of garlic that comes through, so the corn cheese is plenty tasty on its own. But the real point is eating it together with the jjukkumi. Take a bite of the spicy jjukkumi and follow it with a scoop of the warm corn cheese — the spiciness softens and the nuttiness comes alive.

Wrap jjukkumi, minari, flying fish roe, and a bit of the corn cheese together on a sesame leaf, and it's a combination that could make you want to start a whole new plate all over again. It's a great place to head to when you're shopping at IKEA or Costco and craving something spicy, which is why it's become a Gwangmyeong IKEA restaurant I keep coming back to again and again.

Why Jeongipum Jjukkumi is worth going back to

Even though I've lost count of how many times I've visited, the jjukkumi is still plump and the seasoning still matches my taste. This time in particular, eating the minari and black angus beef belly together made the flavor feel much more layered than jjukkumi alone. Add in the flying fish roe and garlic corn cheese, and you get to alternate between spicy and nutty, which makes for a great combination. It was also nice that the store has expanded — it's roomier and more comfortable than before.

We ended up cleaning out every dish, side dishes included.

If you're looking for Gwangmyeong jjukkumi, want a hearty spicy meal near Gwangmyeong Station, or need a stop after shopping at IKEA or Costco, Jeongipum Jjukkumi is the kind of place that comes to mind again. For me it's already settled in as a Gwangmyeong Station restaurant and a Gwangmyeong IKEA restaurant, so I'll probably keep swinging by naturally whenever I'm in the area.

Jeongipum Jjukkumi Gwangmyeong 1st Branch: hours, address, prices

• Address: 1F #161, 19 Yangji-ro, Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: Mon-Sun 11:30 - 22:00
• Transit: 589m from Gwangmyeong Station Exit 3