Gwangmyeong jjukkumi restaurant with baby chair, egg custard

Today I went looking for a good jjukkumi (stir-fried octopus) spot near Gwangmyeong Station and ended up at Jeongipum Jjukkumi Gwangmyeong 1st Branch, a Gwangmyeong IKEA-area favorite! Here's my visit review ✨ (includes items I paid for myself)

Finding it from Gwangmyeong Station Exit 1

📍 1F, Unit 161, 19 Yangji-ro, Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, Jeongipum Jjukkumi Gwangmyeong 1st Branch

Look toward the road from Gwangmyeong Station Exit 1 and you'll see TAKE Hotel! It's right on the 1st floor behind the hotel, so it's not hard to find :)

• [Solo] Griddle jjukkumi
• Cast-iron pan garlic corn cheese, scoop and eat
• [In-season] Minari (water celery) add-on
• Griddle jjukkumi + extra meat (black pork belly)
• Griddle jjukkumi + extra sides (beef brisket)

Free parking at AK Plaza Gwangmyeong for 2 hours

🅿️ You can use the AK Plaza Gwangmyeong parking lot, with 2 hours free!

• [Weekday lunch] Jjukkumi griddle bibimbap special with egg custard
• Griddle jjukkumi + extra sides (beef brisket)
• [Weekday lunch] Griddle wrap set

The underground parking goes down to B8, so there was plenty of parking space haha

• [Special add-on] Chestnut-fed black pork belly
• [Special add-on] Beef brisket
• Extra jjukkumi (per person)
• Chestnut-fed black pork belly, flower cut
• Black Angus beef brisket

Jeongipum Jjukkumi Gwangmyeong 1st Branch is located just inside from Sky Realty, based off the AK Plaza main plaza! It's also within walking distance from Gwangmyeong Station Exit 1, so it was easy to find 😊

• Cast-iron pan garlic corn cheese
• Fried king prawns, 2 pieces
• Fried king prawns, 4 pieces
• Fried king prawns, 8 pieces
• Headless fried prawns, 4 pieces

Atmosphere and seating

I visited around 2pm, past the weekend lunch rush, and there were still so many customers . . ! The interior was clean and pleasant, and since the restaurant is spacious, there were plenty of seats 🤍

• [Kids' menu] Pork loin cutlet
• [Take-out, uncooked] 2-person jjukkumi meal kit set
• [Kids' menu] Cheese cutlet
• [Take-out, uncooked] Jjukkumi pack (600g)

There can be a wait on weekends, so I'd recommend booking through Naver Reservation before you go!

Many of the tables had sofa seating, so we could eat comfortably on soft seats. The spacing between tables was generous too, which made for a relaxed meal - 💟

Okay to bring a baby?

We visited with our baby and they brought a baby chair right away 👶🏻🤍 There's also a separate kids' menu, so it seemed like a great place to bring a little one!

Since we had a reservation, the table was already set up when we arrived, so we could start eating right away! A generously loaded spread of jjukkumi and pork . . 🤍

Griddle jjukkumi + extra toppings (black pork belly)

This dish piles griddle-cooked jjukkumi with chestnut-fed black pork belly, cabbage, minari, and rice cakes for a really generous serving

• Griddle jjukkumi + extra toppings (black pork belly)

The side dishes

The side dishes were bean sprouts, perilla leaves, roasted seaweed, and refreshing pickled radish

There's also mayonnaise sauce and flying fish roe that go well dipped with the jjukkumi • • a nice pairing to go along with the octopus haha

The cold cucumber soup with seaweed was tangy and refreshing, perfect for a spoonful in between bites of the spicy jjukkumi 😋

The salad topped with sesame dressing was also nutty and refreshing — it was so good I went back for a refill haha

The farm-fresh minari is the kicker

There was a generous heap of minari (water celery) too . . 💚 Since it's shipped straight from the farm, it had a real freshness and fragrant aroma

You just wait a bit for the minari to wilt down • • the staff cooked everything for us, so we just had to sit back and wait 👍

A hearty griddle full of pork belly, jjukkumi, and minari 🐙🥩 A visual that makes your mouth water just looking at it . . 🤤

That minari especially is the kicker . . 🌟 It pairs so well with the jjukkumi that the fragrant minari kept it from getting boring, all the way through!

The meat pieces were also nice and thick, and the combination of meat and seafood made it feel even more generous - ! Beyond the jjukkumi and pork belly, you also get to enjoy a variety of add-on toppings, which made it even more filling haha

The rice cakes were also nice and chewy, pairing well with the spicy sauce. Highly recommend ordering with extra add-ons • • 🫶🏼

How to eat a jjukkumi wrap

Put shredded radish, bean sprouts, and flying fish roe on the seaweed, dip the jjukkumi in the white sauce, and lay it on top — the perfect bite-sized jjukkumi wrap . . 💛

Add bean sprouts, flying fish roe, and mayonnaise to a perilla leaf, top with jjukkumi and pork belly, and eat it in one bite — this combo is just... 🤤🤍 The seasoning wasn't too intense either, and even by a spice-wimp's standard it wasn't too spicy, which made it even more satisfying!!

The complimentary egg custard

This egg custard comes complimentary. It was soft and moist, perfect to eat in between bites of the spicy jjukkumi and pork! The seasoning wasn't too strong either, so it was great to share with the baby too 👶🏻👍

Once the minari wilts down, its fragrant aroma comes through even stronger, which made it delicious . . 🤭 The jjukkumi was also plump and thick, with a satisfying chewy bite

Finish with flying fish roe fried rice

Once we'd eaten most of everything, we also ordered the flying fish roe fried rice. If you save a bit of the jjukkumi and pork belly and eat it with the fried rice, it's even more delicious 🥺💛

The flying fish roe fried rice is done • • the staff told us the roasted seaweed is even tastier if you wrap it around the rice haha

I almost regretted skipping the fried rice because I was too full... The pops of flying fish roe gave it great texture and a nutty flavor — genuinely delicious 😋

Wrapping the fried rice in fragrant perilla leaf was also a great match — nutty and aromatic together 〰