Gangnam Korean restaurant: September octopus + steamed egg, Obongjip

Where is Obongjip Samseong Branch, and where do you park?

Obongjip Samseong Branch is at 62 Teheran-ro 81-gil, 1F, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, in the alley behind Trade Tower across from Samseong Station. It's open daily 11:00–22:00 with a break time of 14:30–17:00, and you can park at the nearby public parking lot.

Obongjip is the chain I always trust when I'm craving stir-fried octopus and bossam 🔥🐙 Today I went to the Samseong Station branch. It's in the alley behind Trade Tower. It'd been a while since my last visit, so I went in excited to revisit the menu items I used to love!

Is Obongjip good for a Samseong Station lunch special or a group dinner?

The inside of Obongjip Samseong Branch is clean and pretty spacious, and there's even a room that fits up to 15 people. You can also reserve ahead through Naver, from 3 people up to 11 or more!

It looks like a great spot for office workers near Samseong Station for lunch or for a group dinner :)

What's on the menu at Obongjip Samseong Branch?

September is peak season for octopus!! Bouncy texture and chewy umami, Obongjip's stir-fried octopus 🐙 tastes even better in season. From the wallet-friendly Obong Special to maesaengi (fine seaweed) octopus hot pot, Obong bossam, and the lunch special.

Write a Naver receipt review and you can get crispy fried chili peppers or join a lucky draw.

The 9 banchan and the self-serve bar

The basic sides at Obongjip Samseong Branch are seaweed soup plus 9 banchan (side dishes), and the banchan can be refilled at the self-serve bar. The seaweed soup is genuinely delicious!! The kind of taste you'd want on your birthday.

From seasoned bean sprouts to stir-fried sausage and braised burdock — the banchan alone are enough for a whole bowl of rice!!

The lunch special (11:00–15:00) is stir-fried octopus, stir-fried squid, or a bossam set, and if you order it, rice is unlimited refill. Truly a great-value Samseong lunch spot.

Obongjip Special 6.2 with steamed egg 5.0 added

What I ordered was the Obongjip Special 6.2 (stir-fried octopus + bossam + makguksu noodles) and the steamed egg 5.0.

Obongjip Special 6.2 — stir-fried octopus + bossam + makguksu noodles / steamed egg 5.0

The stir-fried octopus + bossam combo is a must whenever you come to Obongjip. Note that the octopus stir-fry served in the yeoptteok-style (spicy rice cake) bowl is actually the kalnakji (knife-cut noodle octopus, a.k.a. tumba) menu ⬇️ Kalnakji comes with knife-cut noodles mixed in, so you get to enjoy the octopus and noodles together, and it's been super popular on Instagram.

How spicy is the flame-grilled stir-fried octopus?

Obongjip's stir-fried octopus is known for its spicy smoky aroma and chewy octopus texture, and the spice level is adjustable to taste :) Above all, the sauce is packed with that wok-fired flavor, which is exactly my style 🔥🔥

A whole octopus goes in without being cut up, so the portion is generous, and with plenty of cabbage and sauce, it instantly makes you crave a rice ball ~

Mixing in the bean sprouts from the banchan doubles both the crunch and the flavor. You can basically make your own stir-fried octopus bibimbap.

(FYI) I ordered the default spice level and it wasn't spicy at all — just the right level to enjoy comfortably. This is my personal-best stir-fried octopus. I want to eat this as a lunch special every single day 🥺🥺

Bossam: pork jowl swapped for regular bossam

It used to be pork jowl bossam, but it seems to have changed to regular bossam (honestly, I like it even better).

The lean-to-fat ratio is just right, and it's tender, juicy, and soft — delicious. Eating it with the bossam kimchi is just straight-up amazing ..🤤🤍 And if you pile the stir-fried octopus on top of the bossam, the spicy octopus adds another layer of flavor — a real treat!

Makguksu noodles and the steamed egg

Eating bossam without makguksu (buckwheat noodles)? That would feel incomplete. It's sweet and tangy and works like a digestive (or so they say).

Eating stir-fried octopus and bossam without steamed egg? Also unacceptable. I ordered steamed egg instead of a rice ball for extra protein, and it was a great call. It pairs so well with everything, love it 👍👍

Honestly, the stir-fried octopus + bossam + makguksu combo can't really go wrong, and since every single item is delicious, you just end up overeating. If you're looking for a great restaurant near Samseong Station, I'd recommend Obongjip for a complete Korean meal. Need I say more about it as a Samseong Station lunch special or group dinner spot? Absolutely perfect.

Plum juice dessert and the lucky draw event

Obongjip Samseong Branch also has cool plum juice ready for dessert, and be sure to try the no-losers lucky draw event. First prize is a whopping ₩200,000 Shinsegae gift certificate 🥺

Everyone, go enjoy in-season octopus at Obongjip! It's a chance you only get for one part of the year. The Obong Special is great value and hearty — I had such a delicious time ☺️