Family dinner with crispy sweet and sour pork at Jjamppong Jijon

When a family can't decide what to eat, Chinese food is always a safe bet. Today's find is Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch, tucked in an alley off Teheran-ro, a Chinese restaurant near Yeoksam Station for a proper lunch or dinner.

How far is it from Yeoksam Station Exit 3?

It's a little over 400 meters from Exit 3 of Yeoksam Station, on the 2nd floor of Semyung Plaza Building B. There's also an outdoor terrace with tables right by the entrance, which looked like a nice spot to wait while getting some fresh air.

If you're driving, you can hand off your car to the valet for ₩3,000. Parking can be a bit of a headache around Yeoksam-dong, so it's good to know this in advance.

• Name: Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch
• Address: 2nd floor, Building B, Semyung Plaza, 21 Teheran-ro 10-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Weekdays 10:00–22:00 / Weekends 10:00–21:00
• Parking: Valet ₩3,000
• Yeoksam Station: Exit 3, 464m

What's the vibe inside?

Walking in, the dining hall was very spacious and clean, with a calm atmosphere instead of the usual bustle you'd expect at a Chinese restaurant.

The tables were spaced generously too, so even sitting with a kid didn't feel cramped at all — a comfortable meal all around.

We visited around 6:50pm and it was fairly quiet, so we got a table right away without waiting. Ordering is done through the tablet at each table, so we could look over the menu at our own pace and order right away.

What's the self-serve bar like?

Side dishes like onions and kkakdugi (radish kimchi) here are all self-serve — you just grab as much as you need. It actually felt more relaxing to help yourself without worrying about asking for more.

On the other hand, the pickled radish (danmuji) was brought to the table already packaged. That felt more hygienic and put us a bit more at ease.

What we ordered and the prices

• Sweet and sour pork (large): ₩27,000 (₩20,000 base + ₩7,000 for large)
• Jjamppong: ₩13,000
• Jjajangmyeon: ₩9,500
• Total: ₩49,500

With two adults and a kid, we ordered the three staples of Chinese food to share evenly.

We went with the large sweet and sour pork, and the portion was just right for the three of us to share.

Sweet and sour pork

It really has to be the sticky rice version of sweet and sour pork — crispy outside, chewy inside, and genuinely delicious.

The batter itself was fried so well that it tasted great whether dipped in sauce or eaten plain.

Picking up a piece, the batter wasn't thick, and there was a nice thick piece of meat inside. The ratio of meat to batter was just right, which made it hard to stop reaching for more.

And here's something I really recommend trying: dipping the pork in soy sauce with a bit of chili powder sprinkled in.

It's a completely different flavor from the sweet and sour sauce, so it felt like enjoying two dishes from one plate.

Jjamppong

The ₩13,000 jjamppong lets you pick your spice level — we went with the most basic setting.

Since we had a kid with us, we kept it mild, and the broth was refreshing and worked really well. It wasn't just spicy — the aftertaste was clean too, so we kept going back for more spoonfuls.

The noodles were nicely chewy too, and the texture went really well with the broth.

Not wanting to waste the broth, we scooped some rice into it, and it turned out to be a real treat. There's rice at the self-serve bar, so I'd recommend spooning some into the broth once you finish the noodles.

Jjajangmyeon

The ₩9,500 jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles) had a generous amount of sauce on top, which made it easy to mix evenly through the noodles.

It wasn't just sweet — it wasn't greasy at all either, so even our kid ate it without any fuss. It's that familiar yet savory jjajang flavor that should work for pretty much anyone at the table.

Going back and forth between the spicy jjamppong and the jjajangmyeon made for a fun way to enjoy two flavors at once.

After finishing, there was a fair amount of jjajang sauce left, so we added rice and mixed it up for one more round.

If you want both noodles and rice at a Chinese restaurant near Yeoksam Station, this is a really satisfying way to do it.

Plum tea and yuja tea after the meal

After finishing the meal, there's chilled plum tea and yuja tea waiting at the self-serve corner. Having a cup after the spicy jjamppong cleared the palate nicely — a good finish to the meal.

Who this place suits

• Anyone looking for a hearty meal at a Chinese restaurant near Yeoksam Station
• Families who want to share a variety of dishes
• Fans of crispy, chewy sweet and sour pork made with sticky rice batter
• Anyone who wants to choose their own spice level for jjamppong
• Those who like helping themselves to as much side dish as they want
• Anyone who wants to eat comfortably in a spacious, clean space

Final thoughts

Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch is a great spot to enjoy the basics of Chinese food — sweet and sour pork, jjamppong, and jjajangmyeon — all in one visit.

The sweet and sour pork stood out the most, and I really recommend trying the soy sauce with chili powder dip at least once.

The hall is spacious and clean, and going in the evening meant it was quiet enough for a relaxed family meal.

The three of us ate well, large sweet and sour pork included, for ₩49,500 — really good value for the money.

If you're craving a spicy bowl at a Chinese restaurant near Yeoksam Station, I'd recommend quietly discovering Jjamppong Jijon.