Private room seats and king pork cutlet, a Jonggak eatery: Bonghyejane

Where is Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch, and which entrance do you use?

Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch, a Jonggak lunch spot, is on the basement 2nd floor of Jongno Tower.

There are two entrances. This one is easiest if you're coming in from inside Jongno Tower,

and this one is the easiest entrance if you're coming from Jonggak Station. I knew about the Mokdong 41 Tower branch of Bonghyejane, but I had no idea there was a Jongno Tower branch — apparently it just opened.

Jung Joon-ha and Hibab have visited this Bonghyejane specialty restaurant.

The signature whole octopus stir-fry, cooked directly over flame for a rich smoky-spicy flavor. This is the dish Jung Joon-ha and Hibab both had.

The hidden, fully separated seating at the back of Bonghyejane

The tables inside Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch. Plenty spacious already — but that's not all.

There's also a hidden space like this.

It's a fully separated spot, so you get it all to yourselves.

Solo diners at lunch and how quiet Bonghyejane gets around 2pm

When we went at lunchtime, it was packed, true to its reputation as a Jonggak lunch favorite. Solo diners in particular were everywhere. But as it got closer to 2pm, the crowd thinned out — which meant I could snap photos of the place to my heart's content.

I know better now, but the first time I saw the name "Bonghyejane," I thought it was a person's name — the same way I once assumed Gobongmin Gimbap was named after someone. The characters in Bonghyejane mean peak, grace, and generosity — maybe it means grace and generosity as high as a mountain peak?

Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch menu and prices

The menu at this Bonghyejane, said to be one of Seoul's top three restaurants — you can also check it on the kiosk.

We ordered the octopus stir-fry set, the recommended dish at this Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch, a Jonggak favorite.

The Hyeja Jjanchisang set comes with whole octopus stir-fry or spicy baby octopus stir-fry, plus a bossam/mushroom perilla soup tasting, mukguksu (acorn jelly noodle soup), whole flounder sweet and sour, pumpkin porridge, jjolmyeon noodles, and rice. The whole octopus set is ₩42,000, the spicy baby octopus set is ₩40,000.

The Hyeja Yorisang comes with whole octopus stir-fry or spicy baby octopus stir-fry plus mukguksu, whole flounder sweet and sour, pumpkin porridge, and jjolmyeon noodles — rice must be ordered separately. Mild is the default spice level, and you can also order it non-spicy.

We also ordered the hyeja king pork cutlet.

Octopus stir-fry set: the rice is hiding on the second tier

The Bonghyejane octopus stir-fry set. Wait — where's the rice? The octopus stir-fry bowl was sitting unusually high. Turns out it was on a second level, and once we lifted it off,

there was the rice, hiding underneath. The pumpkin porridge was nicely thin, good for soothing an empty stomach, and not too sweet — also great on an empty stomach. The perilla soup had a strong perilla flavor and was a bit heavily seasoned, which made it good with rice. The octopus was so plump it was almost chewy, and the juices burst out with every bite — I loved it.

Mixing just the octopus into the rice is already tasty, but add Bonghyejane's thick 100% whole sesame oil, cold-pressed, and mix it all together — it disappears in a flash, that's how good it is.

The king pork cutlet is thin, but the portion is enormous

Whoa!!! I was shocked by the size the moment it arrived — I made such a fuss that other diners turned to look. (A little embarrassing.)

Ah, so it's big because it's thin — I figured the actual amount of meat would be about the same as a regular pork cutlet. Totally wrong. It was genuinely huge. I was even surprised to find pork cutlet underneath the cabbage salad — I assumed only cabbage was left and the cutlet was long gone, but no, there was still more. I surrender. Because the cutlet is thin, the meat flavor came through more, and it was wonderfully crispy in texture. The parts without sauce were crunchy like a cracker, and even the parts with sauce stayed crispy. Aside from being a touch moist in places, I was amazed it could stay this crispy all the way through. Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch's seasoning runs strong overall, but it was delicious.

I was too full to order the zucchini pancake, so I ended up making it at home instead — delicious. Next time I want to go back for the flounder sweet and sour, which I also missed out on.

Hours, parking and the review event at Bonghyejane

The review event at Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch, this Jonggak lunch spot, gets you a free bottle of alcohol or a drink.

• Hours: weekdays 11am-9pm, weekends 11am-8pm
• Break time 3pm-4:30pm
• Closed on Lunar New Year and Chuseok
• Free parking available — first 90 minutes free, then ₩3,600 per 30 minutes