Korean restaurant behind COEX mall: one set shared by four, Obongjip

Where is Obongjip Samseong Branch? Right behind COEX mall

Today I'm introducing a Samseong Station spot, Obongjip Samseong Branch (오봉집 삼성점). Obongjip is already famous for being delicious, so I think most people already know it, but if you want to eat a hearty Korean meal in Samseong-dong, I really recommend Obongjip Samseong Branch! You get land and sea on one table, and it's perfect for a work dinner too — let me introduce this Samseong-dong favorite right away.

Obongjip Samseong Branch

Obongjip Samseong Branch is located right behind COEX mall. Since it's so close, it'd be great to grab a meal here after shopping around COEX when you get hungry!

Inside Obongjip: a wide hall built for group dinners

Inside Obongjip Samseong Branch

The interior is spacious, so it's good for both work dinners and casual meetups.

Can four people share one Obongjip Special?

Menu at Obongjip Samseong Branch

The menu is broadly split into Special sets and à la carte items. There were four of us, all women, so we ordered one Special. It's the most popular menu, the Obongjip Special — a full spread of fire-grilled octopus stir-fry, bossam (boiled pork belly), and makguksu (buckwheat noodles) all on one table! We went with the Special, but ordering à la carte and adding kalguksu (hand-cut noodle soup) would also be great.

We were told rice refills are unlimited outside dinner hours! And while the first round of side dishes comes automatically, you can freely go back for more if you run out. There's also seaweed at the self-serve bar!

What comes with the Obongjip Special spread

Our Obongjip Special arrived. It really came out looking like a full table, didn't it?? The dishes just kept coming and it was so exciting! Getting to enjoy octopus stir-fry, bossam, and jaengban makguksu all at once was so satisfying. The portions were bigger than expected too — genuinely surprised, in a good way.

Obongjip comes with seaweed soup as a default side, which was great for cooling down the spice of the octopus in between bites.

These are the two stars of the Obongjip Special. Having not one but two main characters feels like a perk only Obongjip offers haha.

Bossam and jaengban makguksu at Obongjip

An unmissable combo — bossam and makguksu. The bossam was really tender, with more lean meat than fat, so it ate clean and light. It was delicious with the bossam kimchi, but topping it with octopus stir-fry was also amazing. The sweet-and-tangy makguksu paired really well with the bossam too, and thanks to the noodles we never got tired of eating all the way through.

The big rice bowl meant for mixing with seaweed and sesame oil

The moment I saw the fire-grilled octopus stir-fry, I thought — this absolutely has to go with rice!! I really craved rice right then. I ordered a bowl of rice right away, and it came out in a big bowl — I realized it was meant for mixing everything together. I grabbed seaweed from the self-serve bar and sesame oil sitting on the table, and mixed it straight into the rice! Writing this now, it still looks so good I'm getting hungry again.

The octopus stir-fry, coated in a sweet-and-spicy sauce with a smoky char, had incredible depth of flavor! The octopus wasn't chewy or tough at all, so it went perfectly with rice, and the bean sprouts made it even better. My friend is a total Korean-food person who loves rice more than noodles, and she wiped out an entire bowl at Obongjip haha. She said it was so good she gave it a standing ovation.

Plum tea to finish: is Obongjip Samseong worth it?

Of course, plum tea after the meal. Being a proper Korean restaurant, even the finishing touch was perfect. Obongjip is already famous for being delicious, so it barely needs an introduction, but it truly was great, and the clean interior made for a fully satisfying dinner. When you can't decide on just one dish, the Obongjip Special lets you enjoy several at once. The portions were generous too, making it a great order for a group. If you're meeting friends near Samseong Station, or you love Korean food but can't decide what to eat, I highly recommend Obongjip!!