Seoul Botanic Park octopus restaurant with a veggie bar: Jju Baksa

Wondering what to eat around Seoul Botanic Park on a weekend or a weekday lunch? Today I'm bringing you my review of a hearty octopus meal at Jju Baksa Magok Branch, a place word-of-mouth has turned into a Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station favorite.

Where is Jju Baksa Magok Branch, and when is it open?

Jju Baksa Magok Branch is at 23 Magokdong-ro 10-gil, 1st floor unit 130, Daebang DMC Tower 2 Officetel, Gangseo-gu, Seoul. It's open daily from 11:00 to 1:00 AM the next day.

• Group seating available
• Takeout, delivery, reservations
• Wi-Fi
• Separate men's/women's restrooms
• High chairs
• Easy payment
• Parking

It's near Seoul Botanic Park and Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station.

Being close to both Seoul Botanic Park and Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station makes it a perfect stop before or after a walk, or as a Magok lunch spot.

What's on the menu at Jju Baksa Magok Branch?

There's a set menu too, so I went with the fried rice set.

What's on the self-serve vegetable bar?

Jju Baksa Magok Branch has a self-serve vegetable bar. Bean sprouts, perilla leaves, flying fish roe, pickled radish, and sauce are provided as standard.

There's a self-serve vegetable bar you can help yourself to.

These are the vegetables provided as standard — bean sprouts, perilla leaves, flying fish roe, and pickled radish.

What comes in the 38,000 won fried rice set for two?

This time I ordered the fried rice set for two. I chose the octopus mild-spice level (about as spicy as Shin Ramyeon), and with the complimentary cheese egg custard, flying fish roe cheese fried rice, Chilsung Cider, and Coca-Cola, the total came to 38,000 won.

• Fried rice set for two
• Octopus, mild-spice (about as spicy as Shin Ramyeon)
• Complimentary cheese egg custard
• Flying fish roe cheese fried rice
• Chilsung Cider, Coca-Cola
• Total: ₩38,000

This time's order was the fried rice set for two — the kind of meal you can cleanly polish off. I went with the mild-spice option (a nicely spicy heat, about like Shin Ramyeon). I can't handle spicy food well, so even mild-spice was, well, spicy.

Butter corn comes with the set too. Nutty and delicious.

Cheonsachae (glass noodle-like jellyfish substitute salad) comes along too, and it's great paired with the spicy octopus. With the self-serve bar, you can take as much as you like.

How spicy is the mild-spice octopus, really?

The mild-spice level at Jju Baksa Magok Branch was just about as spicy as Shin Ramyeon. It's a level even people who can't handle spice well can enjoy, but for a spice wimp like me, it was still spicy.

I chose the 'mild-spice' option that even people who really can't handle spicy food can enjoy.

It's a deliciously spicy sauce, right at the level of Shin Ramyeon, so my chopsticks kept reaching in. The staff cooks it all for you, so it's easy to just sit back and eat.

The octopus itself was plump with a springy, chewy texture, so you really got that bite. Dip it in the sauce on the side and you can tone down the spice.

Pile a perilla leaf with a slice of pickled radish, add cheonsachae and flying fish roe, and top it with octopus for a wrap — the spice and the freshness balance out so it never gets tiring.

The cheese egg custard that comes free with the set

The cheese egg custard that came with the fried rice set arrived in a stone pot, puffed up soft and jiggly — it passed the looks test right away. The melted cheese was nutty and it was the perfect partner to tame the spiciness of the octopus.

The cheese stretches out in long strings — a nutty egg custard to eat after the spicy octopus.

There was a guide on how to eat it, and following it made it even tastier.

Finishing with flying fish roe cheese fried rice

The highlight of the fried rice set at Jju Baksa Magok Branch is the flying fish roe cheese fried rice. They fry it up in the leftover sauce, loading it with popping flying fish roe and plenty of nutty cheese.

After finishing the octopus, this highlight is an absolute must — the flying fish roe cheese fried rice. They cook it up in the leftover sauce, loading in popping flying fish roe and plenty of nutty cheese, and scraping up the slightly crisped rice stuck to the hot plate is half the fun.

Even full, it's an addictive flavor that keeps going down, and I wrapped up the meal thoroughly satisfied.

If you're looking for a spicy, filling lunch for a Seoul Botanic Park date course or near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station, I'd recommend Jju Baksa Magok Branch. The set is generous enough to cover both value and taste! If you're searching for a good restaurant near Seoul Botanic Park, this one's for you — and the fried rice especially is genuinely delicious!