Bucheon Chinese spot with runny-egg jjajang rice: Jjambbong Jijon

Bucheon City Hall area jjamppong: Jjambbong Jijon Bucheon Jung-dong Branch (짬뽕지존 부천중동점). We had enjoyed the jajang and jjamppong here with my parents before, so we came back to this Sinjung-dong favorite. My kid was on school break, so we took the subway to my parents' place and ate together. We were so happy with it that my parents said they'd come back on their own.

• Name: Jjambbong Jijon Bucheon Jung-dong Branch
• Address: 244 Jung-dong-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi, 1st floor
• Parking: 2 hours free in the building's underground garage, 1 hour free in the public lot
• Hours: Daily 08:00–23:00
• Amenities: Group seating, reservations, takeout, delivery, Wi-Fi, high chairs

Location and parking

The restaurant is a 10-minute walk from Exit 1 of Bucheon City Hall Station on Line 7, and within 12 minutes on foot of Sinjung-dong Station. It sits on a busy street between the two stations, so it was easy to find. The clean signboard stands out from far away. For its 5th anniversary, jjajangmyeon is on a ₩7,000 deal.

Top hygiene grade from the food safety ministry

Rarely for a Chinese restaurant, it earned the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's top "Excellent" hygiene grade with three stars, and it has kept to that standard ever since. Cleanliness was one of the things my parents liked most.

Where to park?

Use the building's underground garage for 2 hours free, or the public lot in front for 1 hour free. It's a good location for public transport, and with the parking this well sorted, driving was no trouble either.

66-seat hall and self-bar

Inside is a spacious, pleasant hall with 66 seats. It's big, but the partitions keep it from feeling chaotic, so we could eat quietly.

The sofa seats are comfortable for groups, and since my kid likes sitting on sofas, we took one.

The open kitchen cooks the smoky-flavored jjamppong, meals and dishes the moment you order. You can see it through a clear window, and the ventilation is good, so the inside stayed pleasant.

Self-bar

The self-bar has everything from steamed rice to kids' tableware, hair ties, aprons, zha cai (pickled mustard stem), onions, bean sprouts and pickled radish. Drinks are unlimited, which was nice after the meal.

There's coffee, and other drinks too, so my kid loved it, haha.

Menu, prices and what we ordered

• Sticky-rice tangsuyuk (S/M/L): ₩19,000 / ₩24,000 / ₩33,000
• Sichuan tangsuyuk (S/M/L): ₩21,000 / ₩26,000 / ₩38,000
• Jijon tangsuyuk (S/M/L): ₩18,000 / ₩23,000 / ₩32,000
• Jijon, hell, rice noodle and sujebi jjamppong: ₩13,000
• Jijon jjajang: ₩9,500 → ₩7,000 (5th anniversary event)
• Jijon jjajang rice: ₩10,000
• Jjamjjamyeon: ₩14,000

We ordered rice noodle jjamppong, jijon jjajang rice, a large jijon jjajangmyeon, sticky-rice tangsuyuk and fried dumplings.

The side dishes are pickled radish and zha cai. The radish here is thin and white, so it isn't too sour or salty, just pleasantly sweet and tangy ^^

If you write a Naver receipt review, you get a 500ml drink or 5 dumplings, once per table.

Our dishes arrived.

Jijon jjajang rice: runny fried egg and jjamppong broth

This was my kid's order. These days my kid likes rice better than jjajangmyeon, and the fried egg was a big temptation too. It comes with jjamppong broth, so after the sweet jjajang rice you can wet your mouth with something spicy.

Crack the runny fried egg and mix it all up, yum~ The portion of rice was quite large.

Rice noodle jjamppong: the pick of a mom who dislikes wheat noodles

Mom doesn't like wheat noodles much, so she ordered the rice noodle jjamppong. She liked that it doesn't pad out the portion with shells; the seafood comes shelled, just the good part. There was a lot of seafood.

She added bean sprouts from the self-bar underneath, and the rice noodles pleased her greatly. The broth, made with 100% domestic sun-dried chili powder, didn't have the artificial heat of capsaicin, so it tasted deep and clean.

Jijon jjajangmyeon, large

Jjambbong Jijon specializes in jjamppong, but the jjajangmyeon is also really good. I especially liked the thin noodles. The thin, chewy noodles soak up the sauce well and the savory flavor really comes through.

Sticky-rice tangsuyuk (small)

Tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) with a chewy sticky-rice batter. It comes with 2 pieces of fried sweet potato, which were a big hit with us too, haha.

Eaten with thinly sliced onion, it's crunchy and tasty. The sauce isn't overdone, just sweet and tangy, so it's good for dipping.

Jjamppong fried dumplings and pan-fried dumplings

The jjamppong fried dumplings were a free service for following the restaurant on Naver. They're packed with a spicy jjamppong-flavored filling. The adults loved them, but they were too spicy for my kid, so we ordered pan-fried dumplings too, haha.

My kid wanted dumplings more than tangsuyuk, so we added the pan-fried dumplings. My kid was totally satisfied. Unlike flat, hollow store-bought dumplings, these are packed full and you can taste the meat.

Overall verdict

Jjambbong Jijon Bucheon Jung-dong Branch cooks to order, so the broth and smoky flavor were rich, and with strict hygiene and a good self-bar, it's a great Sinjung-dong spot. It works for a work lunch and for group gatherings, and plenty of people come alone for jjamppong every time. If you're looking for a clean, tasty Chinese restaurant, or a place for a family meal with kids, give it a try ^^

FAQ

How is the jjamppong broth different from other places?

Instead of additives that create artificial heat, they use only 100% domestic contract-grown sun-dried chili powder, so the flavor is clean and deep, they say.

Is it okay to dine alone?

The restaurant is spacious and clean, and many people come alone, so it's a comfortable atmosphere for solo dining.