Paju ssambap restaurant near Lotte Outlet, no wait at 2pm: Simhaksan

I went to Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap (심학산 들꽃쌈밥), famous as a Korean set-course restaurant near Simhaksan in Paju. It's close to the Paju Lotte Outlet, so it's good to stop by before or after shopping, and also great for a solid meal after hiking Simhaksan. You get a whole table set with fresh wrap vegetables and neat banchan (side dishes), plus stone pot rice with scorched rice at the end — my parents loved it too. Here's my review after a healthy, tasty ssambap (wrap rice) meal~

Where is Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap in Paju, and is there parking?

Deulkkot Ssambap is a ssambap set-course restaurant on Dolgoji-gil in Paju, Gyeonggi, with a parking lot right in front. It's close to both the Paju Lotte Outlet and Simhaksan, so it's convenient to stop by before or after shopping or hiking.

The brick exterior somehow matches the ssambap menu really well.

The parking lot is right in front of the restaurant.

Is there a wait at 2pm on a weekday? Inside the dining hall

Deulkkot Ssambap gets a wait at lunchtime, true to its reputation as a Paju favorite, but I visited around 2pm on a weekday and walked right in with no wait. Inside there were about 5 tables.

The interior has a calm, clean wood interior, and there were more tables than I expected. Everything was kept spotless and the staff were kind, so I ate comfortably.

There's another seating area on the other side, which looks good for groups or gatherings.

Since there's a wait at lunchtime, there's a separate waiting room set up.

The restrooms are also inside, behind the counter.

Deul-jeongsik vs kkot-jeongsik, and how QR ordering works

Deulkkot Ssambap has two basic set menus. The deul-jeongsik (들 정식) set comes with stir-fried pork, stir-fried squid, doenjang stew, gangdoenjang (thick seasoned soybean paste), and stone pot rice, while the kkot-jeongsik (꽃 정식) set adds atka mackerel and mackerel. You can also add extra items after ordering a set.

Ordering was done by QR code.

Seven banchan and pumpkin porridge to start

After ordering, the basic table setting arrives quickly. Doenjang stew and seven banchan came out. They're all homemade, so you can taste the hand-made, home-cooking feel.

Lettuce salad and gangdoenjang also came out. The lettuce salad with black sesame dressing was one I kept going back to.

Pumpkin porridge came before the meal too, which I hadn't had in a while. It wasn't overly sweet, with a mild sweetness and plainness, and I finished it quickly. Eating it just made me hungrier!

The self-serve corner: seven kinds of wrap vegetables

Before the main dishes come out, you go to the self-serve corner and bring back wrap vegetables — there are 7 fresh kinds. You just scoop as much as you want into the bowl below.

You can also bring extra banchan yourself if you run out, and there were rice crackers too — I told myself I'd try one on the way out, but I was too full and forgot, haha.

What comes with the ₩20,000 deul-jeongsik set: pork and squid on a hot plate

Ta-da! The deul-jeongsik set (₩20,000 × 2) finally arrived. Seeing the table filled up made me proud and eager to dig in!

The stir-fried pork and stir-fried squid come half-and-half on a hot plate. Full of smoky flavor and packed with meat and squid, it's the kind of visual that guarantees deliciousness with rice — my stomach was already growling.

First they scoop the rice out of the stone pot and pour in hot water — so I could enjoy the scorched rice (nurungji) later. The rice looked glossy and sticky, delicious just to look at.

Doenjang stew and gangdoenjang come with free refills

I started with the doenjang stew first. You could taste the rich, deep flavor. With tofu, onion, and zucchini in it, eating it over rice felt like it soaked right into my body. It seemed slightly salty at first, but with rice and tofu together the seasoning was just right~ The gangdoenjang wasn't too salty, so putting rice and gangdoenjang on napa cabbage was so good I kept eating it. Even just napa cabbage with gangdoenjang alone was tasty, so I went back for extra cabbage. Oh! Both the doenjang stew and gangdoenjang are refillable, just ask the staff.

I alternated between the stir-fried pork and stir-fried squid. The pork was really tender and juicy. The onions were nicely browned too, sweet and delicious eaten with the meat. The stir-fried squid also had a smoky flavor and I thought it might be spicy, but the seasoning was just the right level! The squid was big with no tough bits at all, so there was no discomfort eating it. I tried it plain with rice, wrapped in vegetables since it's a ssambap place, and topped with gangdoenjang too — eating a bit of everything, it all disappeared...?! haha. I finished off cleanly with the nurungji at the end.

Review-event lottery ticket at checkout, coffee and ice cream on the way out

Paying at the counter on the way out, there was a ₩1,000 speed lottery ticket for doing the review event!!! Worth trying, just in case~ Such a fun event that I walked out smiling.

On the way out there's also a coffee machine and ice cream out front, so you can round off the meal properly! Another delicious meal today🙏