Group of 3 with adjustable spice: Jjigaen Jjukkumi in Yongsan

An octopus spot inside Yongmun Market — what are the hours?

While searching for good food near Yongsan Station, I discovered Jjigaen Jjukkumi tucked inside Yongmun Market near Hyochang Park Station, haha. Tonight's dinner was decided. Hours run 11am to 10pm on weekdays, and 12pm to 9pm on weekends!

Menu lineup and lunch specials

As the name suggests, Jjigaen Jjukkumi Yongmun Market Branch is all about the jjukkumi (baby octopus). The main dish is sizzling pan octopus!! From there, you can mix it up as octopus with pork belly, cheese octopus, octopus with beef brisket, or plain octopus. We went with the octopus with beef brisket for three!!

Beyond the octopus, there's a wide range of options, and the lunch special — Korean pork rib stew and kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) — looked like really great value, perfect for a lunchtime visit.

Atmosphere and seating

The space was spacious with plenty of seats, which I loved. We came early evening so there was plenty of room, but by dinnertime the tables filled right up, haha. Definitely feels like a local favorite!!

And there's a little hidden pollock decoration tucked away!! The interior was so cute. The owner was really kind, and it made me hope the business does well, haha. Since it's a fiery red sizzling-pan octopus dish, they thoughtfully handed out aprons too!

The basic side dishes

Here's how the side dishes were laid out: bean sprouts, stir-fried fish cake, pickled radish, and perilla leaves! Ready to eat some octopus. You can ask for refills on the sides, which was even better — since bean sprouts go so well with the octopus, we refilled that one once.

They also thoughtfully bring out individual flying fish roe and mayo per person, haha. That was another great point. Places that only give you one for the whole table make sharing kind of awkward, so one mayo per person was awesome. With so many side dish combos, there were lots of ways to mix and eat. Topped with flying fish roe, the octopus tasted incredible!

Octopus with beef brisket for three

And here came our main dish, the octopus with beef brisket!! Piled high with beef brisket, the visual alone promised an incredible flavor. The sauce spice level is adjustable, so make sure to check when ordering, haha. Since there were three of us, we ordered the portion for three. Just a reminder — you can adjust the spice level when you order!!

The stir-fried octopus sizzling on the pan. It gets cooked right at the table, and waiting for it to cook only built up the anticipation more — so hungry~~ The per-person price was very reasonable, making it an easy spot to hit up casually with friends.

Keep stirring well

The octopus and beef brisket come out together and get stir-fried on the pan — and here's the key point!!! Just keep stirring it consistently as you eat!! Stir it evenly so it doesn't burn~~

The combination of beef brisket and octopus worked so much better together than I expected. Genuinely, insanely delicious!!!

Adjust the spice level and enjoy!

Being able to adjust the spice to your taste was an extra plus. We started off milder than Shin Ramyeon spice, then after some negotiation(?) with my friends, we added Vietnamese chili powder. Just a little bit makes it noticeably spicier, so add with caution!!

The flying fish roe mayo combo

If there's one combo you must try here, it's dipping into the flying fish roe mayo. Coating the octopus in it tames the spice while adding a savory richness — I kept reaching for more.

Perilla leaves and pickled radish come out too, and wrapping octopus plus pork belly in a perilla leaf with a bit of pickled radish for one bite was genuinely delicious. The spicy sauce paired with the perilla leaf's aroma cut through any greasiness, and even after the three of us finished it all, we still wanted more.

Finishing with cheese fried rice

Of course, a Korean meal has to end with fried rice. Finishing with the cheese fried rice made the meal so filling and delicious!! Perfectly fried, too — stir stir.

If you're near Yongsan's Yongmun Market and deciding on octopus, I highly recommend Jjigaen Jjukkumi Yongmun Market Branch!! Go early evening and you can eat comfortably without a wait. Such a perfectly delicious meal — it put me in a great mood.