Yeouido jjukkumi spot with cook-it-yourself fried rice: Isu Jjukkumi

For a Yeouido lunch spot, I visited Isu Jjukkumi West Yeouido Branch with a weekend reservation, and the new garlic bomb jjukkumi with pork belly turned out to be a dish I won't forget.

• Location and parking
• Interior
• What we ordered
• Menu review
• Detailed info
• Overall verdict

Where Isu Jjukkumi West Yeouido is and how to get the free hour of parking

Isu Jjukkumi West Yeouido Branch is on the 2nd floor, Unit 208, at 20 Gukhoedae-ro 74-gil, and I used the building's basement parking. It wasn't applied automatically, though — I had to mention it myself at checkout to get the 1 hour free.

When people say a place has been around for a long time, I'm always half expecting and half doubting it, so this time I went to check it out for myself. I tend to book ahead whenever a place has waiting lines, and this time was no different — I reserved a table in advance. Thanks to that, I got in without any wait. Just a heads-up: if you forget to mention the parking when you leave, you might end up paying, so make sure to bring it up at checkout.

Inside Isu Jjukkumi West Yeouido on a weekend afternoon: seating and atmosphere

I visited on a weekend and expected it to be quiet, but it wasn't at all what I expected. Several foreign guests were already seated when I arrived — probably thanks to the Yeouido location.

Inside the storage compartment under each chair, there was an apron tucked away.

The tablet at each table also caught my eye. It showed a review event notice, with Chinese text underneath the Korean. That small detail made it clear this place sees a lot of foreign visitors. The review event let you choose one of hot-plate jeyuk (stir-fried pork), a drink, or a glass noodle add-on.

What we ordered at Isu Jjukkumi West Yeouido and what it cost

Isu Jjukkumi West Yeouido Branch has both charcoal-grilled jjukkumi and a separate hot-plate menu. Browsing the menu, the new garlic bomb hot-plate jjukkumi with pork belly caught my attention, so I ordered it right away.

• Garlic bomb jjukkumi with pork belly (2 people) ₩36,000
• Cheese add-on ₩2,500
• Flying fish roe add-on ₩2,000
• Special fried rice (1 serving) ₩5,000

The side dishes were perilla leaves, pickled radish, and a boiled egg with mayonnaise sauce.

The staff explained how to eat it — peel the egg, mix the yolk into the mayonnaise, and put the egg white on the hot plate to cook alongside the rest. It was a combination I'd never heard of, so it was fun and surprising.

If you want more, you can grab extra side dishes from the self-serve bar.

What does the garlic bomb jjukkumi with pork belly taste like?

The garlic bomb jjukkumi with pork belly arrived piled high with garlic in the center — a true garlic bomb, living up to its name. The pork belly came partly cooked already, so as the broth rose you just kept simmering it down while eating.

I thought bean sprouts would taste great mixed in, so I added those first, then topped it with snow cheese. The garlic aroma combined with the cheese made everything go down more smoothly.

Wrapping flying fish roe in a perilla leaf was another combination I won't forget — the popping texture paired really well with the spicy jjukkumi. Adding mayonnaise too helped tone down the spice and added a nutty flavor. Just don't overdo it, or it gets greasy — a small amount is best, haha.

Special fried rice: 5,000 won if you cook it yourself

Even full, I couldn't skip the fried rice. The menu said it was ₩5,000 if you fry it yourself, or ₩7,000 if the staff does it, so I went with the DIY option this time.

I mashed up the leftover jjukkumi and pork belly and started mixing it in first, then added the bean sprouts later. The staff explained that adding bean sprouts first releases too much water and makes the rice mushy, so adding them later keeps the rice from getting soggy. Turns out there's real technique even to fried rice — I learned something new, haha.

I finished it off by sprinkling snow cheese on top. It had been a while since I'd had fried rice like this, and it was the kind of flavor you keep reaching for.

Isu Jjukkumi West Yeouido: address, hours and reservations

• Location: 20 Gukhoedae-ro 74-gil, 2nd Floor, Unit 208, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Weekdays 11:00–22:00 (break 15:00–17:00) / Weekends 11:30–21:00 (break 15:30–17:00)
• Parking: Building basement parking, 1 hour free if requested at checkout
• Reservations: Available via Naver Reservation and Catch Table

Who Isu Jjukkumi West Yeouido suits best

• Office workers near Yeouido looking for a lunch spot
• Anyone looking for a jjukkumi restaurant for gatherings or company dinners
• Anyone curious about hot-plate jjukkumi instead of the charcoal version

A few things to know before you go

• You need to mention parking yourself at checkout to get it free
• Fried rice has separate self-fry and staff-fry options

Final verdict on Isu Jjukkumi West Yeouido

To sum it up in one line,

True to its history running since 2017, Isu Jjukkumi West Yeouido Branch made a lasting impression with just the garlic bomb jjukkumi and pork belly alone. I only knew about their charcoal menu before, but the hot-plate options — especially this new garlic bomb dish — are the kind of thing I'll keep thinking about. It felt like a solid choice for a weekday office lunch or a weekend gathering. Next time, I'd like to try the charcoal menu too.