Magok Korean BBQ restaurant with grilled rice balls: Jju Baksa Magok

It had been a while since my husband and I visited our favorite jjusam (webfoot octopus and pork belly) spot. Spicy octopus paired with pork belly — need I say more?

It's a place we swing by sometimes for lunch on the way home from shopping, near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station — Jju Baksa Magok Branch. Last weekend, on the way home from shopping again, we stopped in for spicy jjusam and a cold beer to shake off some stress. (Yes, I'm the kind of woman who's fallen for the charms of a weekend day-drink.)

Jju Baksa Magok: location near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station, hours and parking

Jju Baksa Magok Branch is at 1F, Unit 130, Daebang DMC City 2 Officetel, 23 Magokdong-ro 10-gil, Gangseo-gu, Seoul. It's open daily from 11:00 to 1:00 the next day.

• Address: 1F, Unit 130, Daebang DMC City 2 Officetel, 23 Magokdong-ro 10-gil, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–1:00 (next day)

If you're driving, make sure you find the right parking entrance — it's the Daebang DMC City 2 building! They run with no break time until 1 a.m. the next day. Use the underground parking lot in the building, and don't forget to ask for parking registration when you pay :)

It's such a popular spot in Magok that there's a wait during peak meal times. This was already my fourth visit.

What the inside and the outdoor tables look like

This is what the inside of Jju Baksa Magok Branch looks like. It's not huge, but the seats are arranged efficiently so you can eat comfortably.

There are also outdoor tables set up, and some people were eating out there. On a nice day, the outdoor tables would be lovely :)

What comes in the Jju Baksa drink set, plus the beef brisket add-on

Jju Baksa Magok Branch has a bunch of set menus, so it's fun picking what to get. Every time I go, I order the drink set. Haha.

(Not just jjusam, but jjuusam — with beef brisket, too.) Medium-spice jjuusam, a complimentary crab egg custard, and a bottle of Cass — I fully approve of this lineup. And adding beef brisket for extra meaty satisfaction gives you more than enough to fill up on.

The side dishes are radish kimchi and, I think, agar-agar salad, set as the basics. If that's not enough, you can hit up the self-serve bar.

Afternoon beers with corn cheese, rice balls and crab egg custard

A cold beer, some weekend day-drinking — there's a surprisingly seductive charm to it. Since my husband was driving, I polished off a whole cold bottle in his place.

Corn cheese + rice balls + egg custard. Corn cheese comes as a basic side, and the rice balls and egg custard are included in the set.

You can also pick which kind of egg custard you want at Jju Baksa Magok Branch. There are three options :)

• ✔️ Cheese egg custard
• ✔️ Crab egg custard
• ✔️ Soft egg custard

We went with the crab egg custard. That moist, creamy crab egg custard is so good. When you're eating spicy jjusam, egg custard is a must-have pairing. I fully endorse this set combo 👍

How spicy is the medium-spice jju-usam?

Finally, the main event — jjuusam (webfoot octopus + beef brisket). Since we added extra beef brisket, there was a ton of meat!

You can also choose how spicy your jjusam is. We went with medium (a bit spicier than Shin Ramyun). It would've been just as good even spicier, I think.

Staff stir-fry the jjuusam on the grill until it's cooked through, then let you know when it's ready to eat.

Grilling rice balls right on the pan

I saw someone put rice balls straight onto the jjusam grill once, and it looked so good I tried it myself. Copycat... middle-aged-lady edition. Eating it this way makes it even better. It's a real treat.

Honest verdict after a fourth visit

It's not even in my neighborhood, and yet this is already my fourth visit to this jjusam restaurant near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station — Jju Baksa Magok Branch. Of all the jjusam I've had, this ranks in my top three: great value and even better flavor. I'll probably be back again.