Chinese restaurant lunch for three sharing dishes: Jjamppong Jijon

Today I'm bringing you a review of a Chinese restaurant I visited in Gangnam a while back. I'd been craving Chinese food for a while, and a friend recommended this place, so I went for lunch.

Jjamppong Jijon, a lunch spot near Yeoksam Station: location and hours

I didn't realize it, but it turns out to be a chain with quite a few branches. The place was clean and fairly spacious, so it seemed good not just for lunch but also for group gatherings or company dinners.

• 464m from Yeoksam Station Exit 3
• Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri 10:00–22:00 / last order 21:30
• Sat, Sun 10:00–21:00 / last order 20:30
• Group seating available
• Takeout / delivery available
• Separate men's/women's restrooms
• Kids' chair
• Reservations available

Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch is located roughly midway between Gangnam and Yeoksam Stations, about a 5–10 minute walk from either. It's on the 2nd floor of the building, so you just take the stairs up.

The vibe inside, plus a terrace and a coffee machine

The restaurant was bigger than I expected and clean overall, so it felt pleasant. There's also a terrace out front, which seemed nice for a light coffee break after lunch.

I was heading straight to a café afterward so I didn't use it, but there's a coffee machine inside the restaurant, so office workers could probably handle both the meal and coffee in one stop.

I visited around 1pm on a Sunday, and there were plenty of open seats. If there is a wait, there's a table-management kiosk, so you can wait fairly comfortably. There's also a kids' chair, so it looked fine to visit with children too.

There are plenty of tables and the space overall felt roomy, so it seemed like a good spot for dining with a group or for a gathering.

Sunlight came in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, so the interior didn't feel stuffy at all — bright and clean, which I liked.

What's at the self-serve corner?

For any extra side dishes or tableware you need, there's a self-serve corner.

They had pickled radish, onion, jasai (Chinese pickled mustard greens), and domestic kimchi (fermented cabbage). On top of side plates, tongs, and scissors, there was even kids' tableware — such a thoughtful touch! There was also a rice cooker, so you could get extra rice with no additional charge. On one side there were even hair ties, which I appreciated as a nice detail.

There was also yuzu tea and plum tea, nice for a light palate cleanser after the meal. It was a drink both adults and kids could enjoy comfortably.

Ordering via table order, with adjustable spice level

We ordered through the table-order system. As you can see, there's quite a variety on the menu, and you could even choose detailed options like spice level, so you could order to your taste. My friend recommended their spicy jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) saying it's really rich and delicious, but since I'm weak with spice, I ordered level 1.

There was also a receipt review event running — apparently, if you participate, you get 4 fried dumplings or a drink.

All the dishes we ordered came out at once. I was hungry, so I appreciated that the wait wasn't long.

Three of us sharing three dishes for lunch

There were three of us women, and we ordered three dishes to share, which was nice because we got to try a variety.

Sichuan sweet and sour pork (small)

This was my first time trying Sichuan-style sweet and sour pork here, and it was genuinely delicious. Completely my type.

A sweet-and-savory sauce, similar to ganpunggi (Chinese-style sweet and spicy fried chicken) sauce, clung to the batter, giving it a real punch of umami, and the thin, crisp glutinous rice batter was wonderfully chewy and delicious.

The meat inside was packed in generously too, so the texture was great to bite into.

Jjamjjamyeon (jjajangmyeon + jjamppong combo, level 1)

You can adjust the spice level of the jjamppong side even in the jjamjjamyeon, so I ordered level 1, described as about 1.5 times the spiciness of Shin Ramyun. It had a nicely spicy kick — a pleasantly spicy level that even I, someone weak with spice, could handle. Even though it's a half-and-half dish, the seafood was generous and the broth was rich and spicy, genuinely delicious.

For the jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles) side, we mixed in plenty of red pepper flakes. It had been a while since I had jjajangmyeon, and this was exactly the flavor I was craving.

The sweetish, hearty sauce paired perfectly with the chewy noodles, and I understood right away why my friend recommended this place.

Crab fried rice

So good we wiped the plate clean! Sometimes Chinese restaurant fried rice comes with too much oil and feels heavy to eat, but this one had just the right amount of oil and a nutty, clean flavor — genuinely delicious.

A complimentary jjamppong broth came out alongside it, which was also nice to pair with the fried rice.

Scooping up a big spoonful of fried rice with a little sauce on it is my favorite combination. Every dish we ordered was better than average, so I'd recommend this place!

In summary

If you're looking for a clean, spacious Chinese restaurant in Gangnam, I'd recommend Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch — good for lunch, solo dining, or a group dinner. Every dish we ordered was delicious, so it's a place I'd want to visit again next time I'm near Gangnam Station.