Seooreung Chinese restaurant before a World Cup Stadium football game

Why we had dinner at Jjamppong Jijeon before the football match

It's been a while, but I finally got back to Jjamppong Jijeon Seooreung Branch (짬뽕지존 서오릉점), a Seooreung jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) place my family absolutely loves. The two men of my house had to go watch a football match at World Cup Stadium, so we decided I'd have dinner with them at Jjamppong Jijeon and then drop them off.

It was the perfect day for it on our route, so I went in looking forward to it. And wow, it had gotten even tastier than last time, and I can't even imagine how much better it could get?! So here's my story of Jjamppong Jijeon, a place you should stop at for a meal on your way to Seooreung.

• Address: 424 Seooreung-ro, Deogyang-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi, South Korea (1st and 2nd floors)
• Hours: Daily 07:00–22:00

Is parking easy at Jjamppong Jijeon Seooreung Branch?

Like most restaurants around Seooreung, Jjamppong Jijeon Seooreung Branch has plenty of parking. It's a great place to come by car, with spaces both in front and behind the restaurant, so you don't need to worry about parking.

Opening hours and atmosphere

Jjamppong Jijeon Seooreung Branch opens at 7 a.m. every day. Plenty of places are said to run 24 hours, but I liked that you can visit this one early.

They put their whole heart into making jjamppong, so anyone who likes Chinese food should definitely give it a try. There's also a 10% table discount for soldiers. The tables are laid out generously, so it's comfortable to eat.

What's at the self-serve bar?

The self-serve bar at Jjamppong Jijeon Seooreung Branch has all the side dishes ready, like pickled radish and jjasai (pickled mustard stem). Rice is unlimited too, so it looked like a good place to eat until you're full.

After-meal drinks are also at the self-serve bar, but on top of the water purifier there was a setup for making instant coffee yourself. I guess lots of customers swear by Maxim for coffee, because Maxim coffee was what they had!

A table with jjajang, jjamppong and tangsuyuk, all ordered

You might think Jjamppong Jijeon is only good at jjamppong, but really everything here is delicious, so every time I go there are so many things I want to try. I couldn't give up any of jjajangmyeon (black bean sauce noodles), jjamppong or tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork), so I ordered them all.

When you order, the basic side dishes come out like this, and they give you a neatly packaged pack of pickled radish along with the jjasai. Of course you can fetch more from the self-serve bar if you run out, but I like getting a fresh pack.

All the food we ordered at this Seooreung jjamppong spot has arrived. I liked that Jjamppong Jijeon Seooreung Branch brings food out quickly.

Tangsuyuk: chewy batter with a sweet-salty sauce, poured on top

Tangsuyuk with a chewy batter, and the joy of pouring a sweet-and-salty sauce right over it (bumeok style)! At Jjamppong Jijeon, tangsuyuk seems to be not an option but a must.

Sampler jjamppong mandu: slightly spicy fried dumplings

This is the sampler jjamppong mandu, fried dumplings with a slight kick of spice. If you're Korean, one bite and you'll feel like you've found your taste-bud soulmate. It was a fun, different take on fried dumplings.

Jjamppong: packed with seafood and piled with chives

Now the highlights, the jjamppong and jjajangmyeon, have arrived. These two seem to be a pair you can't help ordering whenever you go to a Chinese restaurant.

Jjamppong Jijeon's jjamppong has plenty of seafood peeking out through the broth and is heaped with chives, so I'd say it nails both taste and looks.

The noodles were really springy and soft, the kind you keep wanting more of.

Large jjajangmyeon: glad I ordered it for the kid

The glossy jjajangmyeon arrived. It wasn't even mixed yet and I already wanted to dig in.

I ordered the large size (gopbaegi) of jjajangmyeon especially for the child, and I'm glad I did, because it's so good! The noodle texture is just right and the jjajang sauce is tasty, so next time I want to add the rice I skipped this time and have it as jjajang rice.

Finishing with self-serve coffee and Job's tea

To finish, I poured coffee and yulmu-cha (Job's tears tea) from the Jjamppong Jijeon Seooreung Branch self-serve bar and sipped away before leaving. Even the coffee is good at this Seooreung jjamppong spot, so we'll probably be back for another meal soon.

Jjamppong Jijeon Seooreung Branch seems like a really good restaurant even among the fiercely competitive eateries around Seooreung. It's great for a meal with kids, and I think it's also fine to drop by for a quick, casual bite.