Gyesan-dong, Daejeon octopus restaurant with retro snacks: Boksakkot

Yuseong, Daejeon restaurant [Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch] :: Sutonggol octopus restaurant, the jjuchipa set full of fire-grilled smoky flavor

📍 Hours 11:00 - 21:30 📍 Last order 20:30

This is Hyunbly, the blog that keeps track of good restaurants. A place great for a filling meal off a set menu — spicy stir-fried octopus, gorgonzola wood-fired pizza, rice balls. I went to Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch, a Yuseong, Daejeon restaurant. 👐

It's located in Gyesan-dong near Sutonggol in Daejeon, so it's great for a meal after an outing to Sutonggol, Daejeon National Cemetery, or Donghaksa Temple — and it's also a perfect spot for family meals out, friend gatherings, or work dinners.

How many cars can park at Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch?

Plenty of parking, great for driving there. Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch has generous parking space.

• Weekdays: parking lot in front of the store — about 40 spots. If full, roadside parking right in front is available.
• Weekends: about 40 spots in the lot in front. If full, the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute Forest Technology Commercialization Center parking lot can be used.

Dohwawon annex: the customers-only lounge

Right next to the main building of Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch is Dohwawon (도화원), a customer-only lounge space.

This is not a café. It's a space only for customers who have eaten at Boksakkot. If you mistook this for a café, please use a different café~!!

▶️▶️▶️ Scroll right. The customer-only lounge Dohwawon also has a snack self-serve corner where you can freely enjoy 6 kinds of old-fashioned snacks. Personally I really loved this old-fashioned snack corner. (I guess I'm old-school.)

After the meal, dessert too! I liked that Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch lets you take your time even after eating with a proper dessert period. You can relax at the Dohwawon annex. The inside is spacious, clean, cozy and comfortable — a real café vibe. There's a terrace too. Instead of leaving right after eating, you can stay a bit longer with a cup of coffee. Being able to handle both the meal and dessert in one place also makes it a convenient spot for gatherings.

Inside the main building

Old-fashioned snacks & ice cream sales corner.

Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch is located in Gyesan-dong, Yuseong, Daejeon, close to Daejeon Sutonggol. It's also conveniently located for reaching Daejeon National Cemetery, Donghaksa Temple, Hakha-dong, Jinjam-dong, Guam-dong, and even Doan Lake Park, so it seems easy to visit from all sorts of areas.

Above all, the store is quite spacious. With over 130 seats and a separate group table area, it's a solid place for those looking for a spot for family gatherings or group dinners. In particular, there's a separate 50-person group table, so keep that in mind if you're planning a group visit.

A spacious, comfortable interior atmosphere. A upscale interior blending wood and black tones. The ceiling combines black frames with cozy lighting, and large windows let in sunlight for an overall comfortable feel. The tables are spaced generously apart, so it's comfortable to dine even with a large group! By the window there are seats where you can enjoy the outside view through the large picture windows while eating.

The kids' room for visits with children

Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch also has a kids' room. It's a space where children can play a bit after finishing their meal, which seems especially useful for families. With the kids' room available, parents can eat a bit more at ease. If you're looking for a spot for a family meal out, this is worth checking too.

Self-serve bar and café corner

There's also a self-serve corner where you can freely help yourself to 5 kinds of drinks, seaweed soup, plain rice, scorched rice tea, basic side dishes, and dishware. It was nice being able to use as much as needed, comfortably.

The café space at Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch. There's a café corner at the entrance too. The menu is so varied it surprised me!!! Any one item from the whole menu is provided free. I chose iced café latte and iced café mocha, got them to go, and enjoyed a leisurely cup of coffee at Dohwawon.

A serving robot brings it to you safely.

What comes with the jjuchipa set for two at spice level 2?

The menu ordered was the jjuchipa set for two, spice level 2 (spice level is adjustable). This is a menu that can only be ordered starting from 2 people.

• 🔸Fire-grilled octopus
• 🔸Pasta noodles included as standard
• 🔸Plenty of mozzarella cheese
• 🔸Rice balls
• 🔸Gorgonzola wood-fired pizza (choice of gorgonzola or pepperoni)
• 🔸Salad, mukbap (acorn jelly with rice cakes), basic side dishes
• 🔸Coffee or tea served after the meal

Salad, mukbap, japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), seasoned bean sprouts, young radish kimchi, radish-beet pickles and more are neatly set out as the basic side dishes.

Slurping up the pasta noodles too. This jjuchipa set includes pasta noodles as a standard side dish. As the octopus sauce coats the noodles evenly, it tastes like a spicy bibim noodle dish — delicious. The chewy noodles with the spicy sauce and rich cheese together were really tasty.

Smoky fire-grilled octopus: how hot is spice level 2?

Fire-grilled octopus full of smoky flavor. Plenty of mozzarella cheese is piled on top of the stir-fried octopus. The spice level chosen was level 2 — moderately spicy, with the subtle smoky flavor unique to fire-grilling added on top, just right to eat enjoyably.

The octopus had a springy, chewy texture. The sauce was spicy-sweet with a savory umami style. As the mozzarella cheese melts, it softens the spiciness, so the cheese and octopus blend well for a savory, clean flavor. If you're looking for a good octopus restaurant in Daejeon, this fire-grilled octopus stir-fry should satisfy.

They form the rice and seaweed flakes into round balls right at the table. Eaten together with the spicy octopus sauce, it mellows the heat while adding a savory flavor — perfect combo, no notes.

Gorgonzola wood-fired pizza

Gorgonzola pizza. The edges were golden-brown and crisp, while the center had that savory, soft stretchy cheese. Since the octopus dish is spicy, eating it alongside the gorgonzola pizza to cool the heat down worked really well. If you're visiting with kids, this is a menu they'd likely enjoy, so it works well as a family dining option too.

Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch: the verdict

Ordered — jjuchipa set for two / spice level 2. Set includes fire-grilled octopus + pasta noodles + mozzarella cheese + rice balls + gorgonzola wood-fired pizza + salad + mukbap + basic side dishes + coffee or tea.

Facilities — 130+ seats / group tables / separate 50-person group room / kids' room / self-serve bar / drink self-serve corner / café corner / Dohwawon annex / old-fashioned snack self-serve corner.

Parking — about 40 spots on weekdays / about 40 spots in front on weekends, plus the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute Forest Technology Commercialization Center lot when full.

• 🔸Spicy fire-grilled octopus
• 🔸An octopus restaurant near Sutonggol, Daejeon
• 🔸A comfortable place to eat with family
• 🔸A restaurant to visit with kids
• 🔸A Yuseong, Daejeon restaurant with spacious parking
• 🔸A spot for group gatherings or work dinners
• 🔸Octopus and pizza set combo

With over 130 seats, a separate group table, ample parking, kids' room, self-serve corner and café corner all in one place, this is a great spot to visit with a large group. If you're looking for a place to eat after a Sutonggol outing or a visit to Daejeon National Cemetery, try the spicy fire-grilled octopus at Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch, a Yuseong, Daejeon restaurant. If you're searching for a good restaurant in Yuseong, Daejeon, I highly recommend Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch. 🙌