Coex-area Korean restaurant: octopus stir-fry into DIY noodles

5 reasons to recommend Obongjip Samseong Branch

• Octopus stir-fry with a full smoky fire-grilled flavor
• Varied menu, right down to the seaweed octopus soup
• Unlimited rice at lunch
• A spacious, clean dining room
• A meal spot near Samseong Station and COEX

I had errands in Gangnam today and suddenly got a huge craving for octopus stir-fry, so I ended up at Obongjip Samseong Branch. I already knew Obongjip as a chain with locations all over, but this time the reviews for the Samseong branch looked good, so I gave it a try.

Bottom line up front: I left satisfied after eating my way from the fire-grilled octopus stir-fry to the seaweed octopus soup — a really filling spread. If you're near Samseong Station looking for a solid, satisfying meal, I'd recommend this as a Samseong Station restaurant.

A clean Korean restaurant find near Samseong Station

This is Obongjip Samseong Branch, a Gangnam octopus stir-fry spot near Samseong Station and COEX.

• 📍 152-9 Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
• 🕰️ 11:00–22:00
• Break time — Weekdays 14:30–17:00 / Weekends 15:00–16:00
• 🚘 No parking

Obongjip Samseong Branch is a place where you can enjoy a variety of Korean dishes built around octopus, sometimes called the 'wild ginseng of the sea.'

Being near Samseong Station, which has a lot of office workers around, the place had the vibe of a popular lunch or company dinner spot. The portions are generous and the value felt solid, so it seems like a good fit for anyone hunting for Samseong-dong restaurants. It's also close to COEX, so it's a good option to keep in mind as a COEX mall restaurant if you're shopping or catching an exhibition and need somewhere to eat.

Inside Obongjip Samseong Branch: the dining room and seating

We came on a weekend for lunch and luckily got seated with no wait. But by the time we started eating, customers began streaming in and the place filled up fast. Still, since the dining room itself is spacious and clean, it didn't feel as crowded as you might expect even with all those people.

Obongjip Samseong Branch has a large space that seats up to 75, plus a room that fits up to 15, so it looks like a solid choice for group gatherings or work dinners too. If you're visiting on a weekday lunch, I'd suggest giving yourself a bit of extra time.

Obongjip's signature menu: the Obong Special

The first thing that caught my eye at Obongjip was the Obong Special! It's a set menu that lets you enjoy fire-grilled octopus stir-fry, tender bossam (boiled pork belly), and sweet-and-tangy buckwheat noodles all at once. The portion looked generous, and it seemed like a great order for a group of 3–4.

The octopus stir-fry comes in a spicy sauce with that fire-grilled smokiness layered on top, and the octopus has a chewy texture — it really felt like Obongjip's signature dish. You can also adjust the spice level, which is great for people who can't handle much heat. Apparently, at the end, mixing the leftover stir-fry sauce with rice, sesame oil, and seaweed flakes bibimbap-style is also a treat. Next time I want to come with more people and try the Obong Special properly!

What we ordered: fire-grilled octopus stir-fry + seaweed octopus soup

We initially debated ordering the Obong Special, but on this particular day, warm broth sounded better than bossam. So we went with the fire-grilled octopus stir-fry for two plus the seaweed octopus soup. Getting to have both the stir-fry and the hot soup ended up being a great menu choice. If you're looking for a Samseong Station restaurant and want both spicy food and something brothy in one meal, this combo is worth considering.

Generous banchan and the self-serve bar

While we waited for the main dishes, the basic side dishes (banchan) were set out first — seaweed soup, bean sprouts, white kimchi, seaweed flakes, all well-suited to pairing with octopus stir-fry.

If you run out of banchan, you can use the self-serve bar, and rice and soup can be refilled too. Best of all, rice is unlimited at lunch — great news for anyone like me who loves rice.

That said, the rice that came out by default was already a huge portion. Just that one bowl could fill you up pretty well, so refills weren't really necessary!

Fire-grilled octopus stir-fry with real smoky flavor

Finally, the main dish arrived — the fire-grilled octopus stir-fry! Obongjip Samseong Branch's fire-grilled octopus stir-fry is cooked over open flame to layer in that smoky flavor, and it definitely tasted different from a regular octopus stir-fry.

My partner cut the octopus into bite-sized pieces for me, so it was easy to eat. I tried the octopus first — it was plump and had such a great texture! Springy and chewy, and combined with the spicy sauce and smoky flavor, I kept reaching for more. I get now why so many people search for octopus stir-fry when looking for Samseong-dong restaurants!

How to enjoy the fire-grilled octopus stir-fry

The fire-grilled octopus stir-fry is delicious on its own, but it's even better with rice. Add seaweed flakes and bean sprouts to your rice as you like, top with the cut-up octopus stir-fry, and mix it all together — done. My personal key tip here is sesame oil. A little drizzle adds a nutty aroma and turns it into something like an octopus rice bowl!

Between the smoky, spicy octopus stir-fry and the crunch of the bean sprouts, it turned into a really satisfying meal. Perfect if you're browsing COEX restaurants and craving something spicy and filling.

Cool, deep-flavored seaweed octopus soup

Next came the seaweed octopus soup! It's made with maesaengi (fine seaweed) from Wando and octopus, known as a stamina food, and it comes with knife-cut noodles too, so you get to keep eating generously right to the end!

We were told the octopus in the soup is ready to eat once it turns red. My partner again cut the octopus into easy bite-sized pieces once it was cooked, so I could dig right in.

Since octopus can get tough if boiled too long, I'd recommend fishing it out as soon as it's cooked. I ate the plump octopus first, then tried the broth loaded with maesaengi — it was really refreshing. Thanks to the maesaengi, the broth also had a deeper flavor.

If you want a dipping sauce for the octopus, you can ask for soy-wasabi sauce. Mix the wasabi well into the soy sauce and dip the cooked octopus in — it's a completely different flavor experience. It's a clean, refreshing taste compared to the spicy stir-fry, so switching between the two kept things from getting repetitive. This combination made me think Obongjip Samseong Branch could work well not just for lunch but as a solid dinner spot too.

Finishing with noodles: a DIY knife-cut octopus noodle trick

Once you've eaten most of the vegetables and octopus, it's time for the final step — just add the knife-cut noodles to finish!

The noodles are already delicious just added into the seaweed octopus soup broth, but here's a tip I discovered. Fish out the noodles and toss them lightly in the fire-grilled octopus stir-fry sauce. The cool noodles from the seaweed soup meeting the spicy stir-fry sauce worked way better than I expected.

Eating it this way felt like enjoying three dishes in one — octopus stir-fry, octopus soup, and knife-cut octopus noodles. I was pretty happy that you can DIY this without even ordering a separate knife-cut octopus noodle dish, just by ordering the two main dishes.

Overall thoughts on Obongjip Samseong Branch

Overall, the portions across everything we ate were generous, and I loved the smoky flavor and springy texture of the fire-grilled octopus stir-fry. Most of all, ordering the spicy octopus stir-fry alongside the refreshing seaweed octopus soup let us enjoy a range of flavors in one meal.

The dining room is spacious and clean, so it seems like a good fit for family meals as well as office lunches or work dinners. In particular, being able to top up rice, soup, and side dishes at the self-serve bar, plus unlimited rice at lunch, makes it a great match for anyone wanting to eat well and fully.

If you're around Samseong Station craving octopus stir-fry or Korean food in general, it's worth stopping by as a Samseong Station restaurant. And if, like me, you're looking for somewhere to eat near COEX, keep this in mind as a COEX restaurant option too. Next time I'd love to come with a group and properly try the signature Obong Special🤍