Simhaksan drive lunch at a Paju ssambap restaurant: Deulkkot Ssambap

What is lunch like at Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap after a weekend drive?

Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap is a ssambap (wrap rice) and Korean set-course restaurant at 55-10 Dolgoji-gil, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. I stopped by for lunch during a weekend drive around Simhaksan mountain — I'd heard it's a popular spot for people nearby looking for a Korean set course or ssambap, so I'd been curious about it for a while.

The weather was decent that weekend so I went for a drive around Simhaksan. Since I was already nearby, I looked around for somewhere good to eat and ended up at Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap. Once I got there, it was mealtime so there were quite a lot of customers inside. I saw a lot of families and groups eating together, so it seemed like a popular weekend meal spot.

On days when you're driving, parking matters more than you'd think, and here free parking was available, which was convenient. It was also a good location for a meal after driving around Simhaksan or visiting Paju.

Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap menu and set prices

Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap had two set courses: the Deul Set at ₩20,000 and the Kkot Set at ₩26,000. Since it was our first visit, we ordered the basic Deul Set for two.

We sat down and looked over the menu, which had two main sets.

• Deul Set ₩20,000 — pork stir-fry, squid stir-fry, doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), gangdoenjang (thick soybean paste), stone-pot rice
• Kkot Set ₩26,000 — atka mackerel or mackerel, pork stir-fry, squid stir-fry, doenjang jjigae, gangdoenjang, stone-pot rice

If you want a bit more variety, going with the Kkot Set seemed like the way to go.

Ordering was done via the QR code on the table, so we could order comfortably without having to call a staff member over.

What comes with the Deul set: a full Korean table

The Deul Set table came out with pumpkin porridge, side dishes, and doenjang jjigae first, followed by an array of banchan. If you run low on side dishes, you could grab as much as you wanted from the self-serve bar.

After a bit of a wait, the dishes started coming out one by one. First came pumpkin porridge, side dishes, and doenjang jjigae — I had a light taste of the pumpkin porridge before digging into rice. It was soft and sweet, nice to have before a meal. Then the banchan were set on the table, and there were more varieties than I expected. Seasoned pumpkin, eggplant side dish, seasoned dried laver, yeolmu kimchi, stir-fried anchovies, aged kimchi stir-fry, and pickled cucumber were all there, good side dishes to eat with rice. Overall it felt like homemade cooking with a little bit of many banchan, and for my taste the seasoning was on the slightly salty side. Of course tastes differ so please take that as just a reference.

If you run out of side dishes, you can grab more from the self-serve bar, which was convenient.

When I come to a ssambap restaurant, I tend to eat a generous amount of wrap greens.

Here, wrap greens aren't brought to the table — you grab them yourself from the self-serve bar, however much you like.

Stir-fried pork and stir-fried squid

The mains of the Deul Set were pork stir-fry and squid stir-fry. They came out hot and ready to eat right away, and paired well with the wrap greens, so the table felt completely full.

After a bit more waiting, the main dishes — pork stir-fry and squid stir-fry — arrived.

I tried a piece of pork stir-fry first, then piled it onto lettuce with garlic and side dishes — dishes like this really do taste better wrapped, haha. The squid stir-fry also went well with the wrap greens as a rice side. Since there wasn't just one menu item, we could alternate between pork and squid, so it didn't get boring even by the end.

Stone-pot rice and barley tea nurungji

For the stone-pot rice, we first scooped the rice into a bowl, then poured barley tea into the leftover pot to make nurungji (scorched rice tea). It's a comforting way to finish the meal at Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap.

The stone-pot rice that came with it also went well with the ssambap table.

We scooped the rice out into a bowl first, then poured barley tea into the remaining pot to make nurungji.

After eating a good amount of meat and side dishes, finishing with warm, nutty nurungji made the meal feel neatly wrapped up.

After the meal, coffee and ice cream were also available, so it was nice to relax a bit before heading out.

Why Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap suits a Simhaksan drive day

Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap gave us a lineup that covered everything at once — side dishes, wrap greens, pork stir-fry, squid stir-fry, gangdoenjang, doenjang jjigae, and stone-pot rice. In particular, piling pork stir-fry onto the wrap greens with a bit of gangdoenjang was a great combination.

For my taste the seasoning was overall a bit on the salty side, but it worked well eaten together with the wrap greens. Above all, free parking made it convenient to visit by car, and I thought it'd be a good stop for a hearty Korean meal after a Simhaksan drive or a trip to the Paju outlets.

Since there were a lot of customers being a weekend, the atmosphere was lively rather than quiet, and it seemed like a good spot for a family meal or a group gathering too. If you're looking for ssambap or a Korean set course near Simhaksan, it's worth a visit at least once.

📍 Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap / 55-10 Dolgoji-gil, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea / Daily 11:00–21:00, last order 20:00 / Break time Mon–Thu 15:30–17:00, none Fri–Sun / Free parking available