Kid-friendly Ulsan Chinese restaurant: yuni-jjajang and dol jjamppong

I went on a trip to Ulsan with my kids over Chuseok. Before heading to Daewangam, I was trying to figure out where to have lunch, and someone told me about a jjamppong place with a look I'd never seen before. That's Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong (울산대왕암돌짬뽕). There's a reason I went all the way to Ulsan just for jjamppong — I really wanted to try the stone-plate jjamppong, which only exists at 3 places in the whole country.

What kind of place is Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong?

Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong is a Chinese restaurant at 6 Ilsanjin 5-gil, Dong-gu, Ulsan, known for its jjamppong served sizzling on a stone plate and its clean-tasting jjajang. It's closed every Tuesday, open Wed–Mon 11:00–21:00, with a break time from 15:30 to 17:00.

It's in a great spot to stop before Daewangam, so it fits perfectly into an Ulsan trip itinerary. Since there's a yuni-jjajang menu for kids, it also looked like a good spot for a family meal.

How long was the wait over Chuseok?

At Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong you register for the wait using Tabling in-store, and check your real-time waiting number on your phone, so it was a relief to be able to step away from the restaurant. I arrived past lunchtime, but with the holiday overlapping a weekend, the large parking lot was completely full.

Apparently even on a normal weekend it's this busy — it's a well-known place with a wait. Since it was the holidays, there were a lot of families dining, so we waited a bit, but being 14th in line, we still got in fairly quickly.

There are seats inside where you can sit and wait too. While waiting, we snacked on the crackers set out inside. Everyone else seemed to take some on their way out, but we were too full by the time we left, haha.

Is it an easy, kid-friendly restaurant to visit with children?

Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong is a kid-friendly restaurant that's easy to visit with children. There's a microwave for warming baby food, a baby chair, and baby dishware.

The spacious interior is divided into two sections, so it never felt too crowded or noisy, which was nice. You order and pay directly at your table via kiosk.

There's delicious scallion kimchi at the self-serve bar, so make sure to try it, haha.

Menu lineup and spice levels at Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong

The signature dishes at Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong are dol jjamppong and dol jjajang. These are menus meant for 2 or more people, and both jjamppong and jjajang let you adjust the spice level. We had it at level 2, and it wasn't too spicy — just right (I handle spicy food well).

The side menu is fun. There's chi-tang (chicken sweet-and-sour) and don-tang (pork cutlet sweet-and-sour) — despite the sweet-and-sour framing, they're closer to fried chicken and pork cutlet. There's also menbosha and fried mandu. Just a tip: the sweet-and-sour dishes are cheaper if ordered as a set with jjamppong or jjajang!

No need to worry about kids' menu options either. There's a yuni-jjajang, and rice is unlimited, so you can visit with kids without any pressure.

An honest review of what we ate

Was the kids' yuni-jjajang enough for two kids to share?

The kids' yuni-jjajang at Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong has finely chopped ingredients, making it easy for kids to eat. Since this place is known for jjamppong, I almost worried about what to feed the kids, but thanks to the yuni-jjajang, I came without hesitation.

My two kids, who don't eat much, shared one yuni-jjajang and still had enough to mix it thoroughly into their rice too.

What does the dol jjamppong at spice level 2 taste like?

The dol jjamppong at Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong is a stir-fried jjamppong style, served sizzling on a large stone plate piled high with bean sprouts. This is the whole reason I came here. The moment the huge stone plate hits the table, you're surprised by the sheer portion — and you can tell at a glance how rich the bubbling broth is! Apparently it's made by simmering down chicken stock.

As it keeps simmering, the seasoned broth soaks deeply into the noodles, making the flavor really intense. It's closer to a stir-fried jjamppong than a soupy one. Even at a portion for 2, the amount was huge.

It's packed with plump shrimp and squid-type seafood, and topped with crunchy bean sprouts, giving it a varied texture too.

A pro tip for the scorched rice at the bottom of the dol jjamppong

At the very bottom of the dol jjamppong stone plate, the rice crisps up like scorched rice — if you scoop it up together with the last of the noodles, you won't waste any of that rich chicken broth. If that's not enough, you can also mix in the unlimited rice.

Is the pork cutlet-style dontang a small portion?

The dontang at Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong is shaped like sweet-and-sour pork but tastes more like a pork cutlet. It comes with thick pieces of loin meat, making it a really hearty side. You can dip it in tonkatsu sauce, and it was soft enough for the kids to eat easily too.

At first I thought the portion looked small because of the bowl size, but the meat was genuinely thick, so it definitely wasn't a small amount.

Is it a good spot for a family meal on an Ulsan trip?

Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong is a jjamppong restaurant, but it's genuinely thoughtful about kids, making it a really comfortable spot for families traveling with children. The microwave, baby chair, baby dishware, plus yuni-jjajang and unlimited rice — it had it all. The never-before-seen look of the dol jjamppong was also fascinating, and since there's a menu the kids could eat, it was a great restaurant to add to a Daewangam trip itinerary.

There are several restaurants inside Daewangam itself, but eating a hearty meal at Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong first and then walking it off there was just right!

Recommended for...

• Anyone looking for good restaurants near Daewangam, Ulsan
• Anyone curious about a unique-looking dol jjamppong
• Families looking for a place to eat with kids (kid-friendly)
• Anyone planning an Ulsan trip itinerary
• Fans of stir-fried jjamppong style

If you're stuck on what to have for lunch before visiting Daewangam in Ulsan, I recommend Ulsan Daewangam Dol Jjamppong. Definitely try mixing the noodles with the scorched rice at the bottom of the stone plate!! The parking lot in front is big, so parking is easy too.