24-hour Chinese restaurant in Songpa with 4 spice levels: Jjambbongwan

There are quite a few good restaurants near Bangi Station.

Among them, I went to Jjambbongwan, a Bangi-dong Chinese restaurant famous for its jjambbong (spicy seafood noodle soup), to eat my sister's soul food, jjambbong!

Jjambbongwan Seoul Bangi Branch is open 24 hours.

Jjambbongwan Seoul Bangi Branch menu, prices and kiosk ordering

You can see the menu and prices at the entrance of Jjambbongwan.

After eating here this time, everything was so good I thought I'd have to try the cooked dishes next time too!

Jjambbongwan lets you order by kiosk, and we ordered

• Jjambbongbap, basic (deliciously spicy) — ₩11,000
• Jjajangmyeon, basic (deliciously mild) — ₩8,000
• Japchaebap, basic (deliciously mild) — ₩10,000

from the kiosk.

On the kiosk it said something like "stir-fried in a traditional Chinese wok for a next-level smoky flavor, a Jjambbongwan that breaks free from ordinary Chinese food," and I guess that's why it's famous as the Bangi-dong Chinese restaurant for jjambbong.

Self-serve sides, restroom and baby chairs

This is the self-serve corner!

Right next to the self-serve corner, there was a restroom inside the store.

I like that a restroom inside the store, like Jjambbongwan's, is so much more comfortable to use than one outside.

If you have a child with you, there's a baby chair right next to the self-serve corner.

The basic side dishes at the self-serve corner: onion, danmuji (pickled radish), baek-kimchi (white kimchi), and kimchi. Just take as much as you'll eat.

Please take only small amounts, multiple times, as much as you'll actually eat!

Free drink refills and the review event

At the far end of the store there's an unlimited drink refill corner.

On hot days like these, sugar + carbonation is really the only answer.

It was so hot that day I drank Mountain Dew two or three times haha.

Jjambbongwan was also running a review event.

●Instagram photo review — Upload a photo to your Instagram feed with the hashtag! ●Naver receipt review — Using your payment receipt, leave a Naver receipt review with a photo. ① Scan the QR code on the right with your camera lens ② Go to the visitor review page ③ Click the "write a review" button that appears at the bottom of the screen once more! ④ Click the receipt icon on the left! ⑤ Take a photo of your receipt and write your review!

Take part in either one and get 5 dumplings or 3 flower buns for free!

*Please ask staff about this.

Onion, chunjang (black bean paste), kimchi, baek-kimchi, and danmuji brought from the self-serve corner. These basic sides go so well with Chinese dishes.

I learned it at Jjambbongwan — baek-kimchi pairs incredibly well with Chinese food!

I really recommend anyone visiting Jjambbongwan to try their order together with the baek-kimchi.

Jjambbongbap for 11,000 won: rich broth, generous toppings

Here's what the jjambbongbap looked like, and it came out super fast.

Oh~ the broth looked really rich, and it liked that. I took a spoonful and, sure enough, it tasted just as rich as it looked.

Jjambbongbap: fresh seafood and vegetables stir-fried at over 200°C for a hearty, spicy yet clean broth.

You can choose the spice level for jjambbongbap.

• Basic (deliciously spicy)
• Level 1 (30% — fiercely spicy)
• Level 2 (70% — insanely spicy)
• Level 3 (100% — blazing spicy)

There are 4 levels like this, and you can adjust the level with no extra charge.

Take a look at what's in the jjambbongbap. Unlike other places, Jjambbongwan gives you a generous amount of ingredients in the jjambbongbap too.

Jjambbongbap absolutely needs glass noodles +_+ The combo of glass noodles and rice is always love!

You dunk this bowl of white rice that comes with the jjambbongbap in

and enjoy the jjambbongbap — done! It really makes you say "jjambbong is the answer to hot weather," naturally.

Japchaebap for 10,000 won: the pick of the day

Here's the japchaebap's visual. Wow~ it came out looking way better than I expected.

Japchaebap — chewy, springy glass noodles meeting a variety of vegetables for a rich, well-balanced flavor.

You can choose the spice level for japchaebap too. Just like jjambbongbap, it had the same spice level options.

Of the jjambbongbap, jjajangmyeon, and japchaebap that day, my pick was the japchaebap. Both the sweetness and saltiness matched my taste exactly.

The glass noodles weren't soggy and were cooked just right, and the balance between the ingredients and the rice was great.

Next time I'll come back and switch the japchaebap's spice from level 1 to level 2.

Jjajangmyeon for 8,000 won: a childhood taste with green peas

Jjajangmyeon: plenty of meat and vegetables stir-fried at over 200°C for delicious jjajangmyeon.

Just like the other dishes, jjajangmyeon also has 4 adjustable spice levels.

This is the jjajangmyeon I ordered! Wow... my salivary glands exploded just looking at it!

Look at that glossy shine, everyone!!!

And it's been such a long time since I've had green peas! Green peas in jjajangmyeon were such a welcome sight, I was so happy haha.

Also, each table has red pepper flakes, so if you like to sprinkle some on, it's good to add a bit at a time.

Mixing the jjajangmyeon up vigorously,

eating the noodles + onion + green peas together tasted exactly like the jjajangmyeon I ate as a kid.

Really, really, when I was little there was a Chinese restaurant in my apartment complex's shopping arcade. I once had to go to the dentist in that same arcade to get a tooth pulled, and I cried because I was too scared to go. But my mom said she'd buy me jjajangmyeon if I got the tooth pulled, so I stopped crying and went to the dentist — I remember that haha.

I could taste that exact same flavor from back then, so it was nice to get a taste of nostalgia. Thank you for bringing back those memories too haha.

An iced americano and Maxim coffee from the coffee vending machine near the entrance/exit. Thanks for the meal!