Garlic octopus hot plate lunch discount in Isu, Seoul: Isu Jjukkumi

Isu Jjukkumi Main Branch hours and parking

• Name: Isu Jjukkumi Main Branch
• Address: 41 Sadang-ro 29ga-gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 1st floor
• Hours: Daily 11:30–23:00 (last order 22:30)
• Parking: Not available / if needed, Namseong Sagye Market public parking lot is recommended

Why I went looking for Isu Jjukkumi, a restaurant near Isu Station

I moved to Seoul from Songdo, Incheon. Since I didn't know the restaurants around my new place well, I figured I'd head to Isu Station, which is lined with good places to eat.

Isu Jjukkumi seemed to be famous around here, so I paid a visit. A big TV was playing stage footage from 90s–2000s music countdown shows — totally my taste, right?

This is the story of a guy in his 30s who went nuts over the food and even polished off the cheese fried rice.

What should you order?

★★★★★ You have to order this! / ★★★★ This menu item is good! / ★★★ Love it or hate it!

• Garlic-bomb octopus and pork belly hot plate (BEST) ★★★★★

Tips for enjoying Isu Jjukkumi

First, a boiled egg comes out — mix the yolk into the mayo sauce. I put the egg white straight into the octopus.

Second, keep stirring the octopus over low heat so it doesn't burn. If the sauce reduces too much, add bean sprouts — they release a bit of water.

The self-serve bar setup

The bean sprouts were at the self-serve bar.

Mayo sauce, ssamjang, bean sprouts, pickled radish, fish cake, and perilla leaves were all set out; flying fish roe had to be ordered separately.

I wrapped pickled radish, octopus, pork belly, mayo sauce, and flying fish roe in a perilla leaf and ate it in one bite — game, set, match, hahaha. So good.

Exterior

Isu Jjukkumi is on the 1st floor and its bright red LED sign really stands out.

Lunch discount and takeout discount

They're open until 11 PM, and the vibe felt great for a drink — octopus goes so well with a drink. During lunch time (11:30–14:00), main menu items are 10% off, though weekends and holidays are excluded. Also, if you take out, you get ₩1,000 off plus a free rice ball.

Naver receipt review perk

Write a Naver receipt review and they'll give you hot plate pork (worth ₩6,000), glass noodles, or cider — isn't that pretty generous? You can apparently write duplicate reviews, so if you went with a group, everyone should write one!

Watch out for the floor bump!

On your way to grab side dishes at the self-serve bar, watch out for the floor bump below. There are warning signs all over the restaurant telling you to mind your step. Anyone who's had a bit too much to drink should really be careful. It's probably there to let wiring or cables pass underneath.

Basic side dish setup

The garlic-bomb octopus and pork belly hot plate came topped with raw pork belly, octopus, garlic, and scallions — truly living up to its name. As a basic side, a refreshing bean sprout soup came out too.

Perilla leaves, stir-fried fish cake, mayo sauce, flying fish roe, boiled egg, and pickled radish all came out. Except for the flying fish roe, everything else can be grabbed for free at the self-serve bar.

How much cheese fried rice do you get?

Once you've eaten enough, ordering the fried rice is only natural.

I ordered one serving of cheese fried rice, and it turned out to be enough for two people. They piled on the cheese like snow.

It was so good that even after grabbing extra side dishes from the self-serve bar, I scraped the plate completely clean :) I'll be back!!