Samseong Station Korean restaurant, friends' octopus special: Obongjip

A filling Korean dinner with friends near Samseong Station: Obongjip Samseong Branch

There are a lot of office workers around Samseong Station, so you're often on the hunt for somewhere to eat lunch or dinner. This time I met up with friends near Samseong Station and wanted something a bit more filling, so we headed to Obongjip Samseong Branch.

With dishes like stir-fried octopus and bossam (boiled pork wraps) that go so well with rice, it seemed like a good spot for an office lunch or a company dinner too.

Where is Obongjip Samseong Branch and what are its hours?

• Name: Obongjip Samseong Branch
• Address: 62 Teheran-ro 81-gil, 1st floor, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: 11:00–22:00 (break time 14:30–17:00)
• Parking: Not available

What the storefront looks like

We visited in the evening, and the sign greeted us from far away, easy to spot even at a distance.

You all know that when there's the owner's face on the sign, you can trust the place, right? Haha — it means they're confident in their food!

Inside Obongjip Samseong Branch and its self-serve bar

Inside, Obongjip Samseong was spacious and clean, and there were even tables set up for company dinners.

There's also a separate area toward the back with room for larger groups, so if you're coming with a lot of people, it seems worth booking ahead.

And if you want more of the basic banchan (side dishes) or soup, you can refill them yourself at the self-serve bar.

During lunch hours, rice seemed to be unlimited too!

Every single banchan at Obongjip was so good that we ended up going back for refills, haha.

Obongjip's menu and how to order by tablet

Obongjip's signature dish is the stir-fried octopus, and the menu is split into main dishes and meal dishes.

You order right from your seat using the tablet.

How the octopus special tastes: bossam, stir-fried octopus and jaengban noodles

That day we ordered Obongjip's signature octopus special. As soon as we ordered, a full spread of side dishes arrived first. Simple, but every single one was delicious — we kept saying 'so good' to each other the whole meal.

First up was the bossam. The meat was tender with absolutely no gamey smell, and the bossam kimchi that came with it was insane! It was seasoned just right — sweet and delicious enough to eat on its own.

We couldn't resist and ordered makgeolli (rice wine). You all need to order the Kooksoondang makgeolli! Sweet and refreshing, it paired perfectly with Obongjip's food — I could've cried, it was that good.

Second was the stir-fried octopus. It looked like it might be spicy, but the heat level was just right, and the subtle char flavor from the open flame was really appealing. The octopus was plump and tender too, going down easily bite after bite, haha.

And finally, the jaengban noodles (cold spicy noodles on a platter). Truly speechless!! The well-cooked noodles in the sweet-and-tangy sauce slid right down — so good. They also worked as a nice palate refresher between bites of the other dishes.

Why the rice balls and kimchi pancake are worth adding

We debated whether to mix rice into the sauce or order rice balls instead, and going with rice balls turned out to be a stroke of genius. Since every dish was red and spicy, having them alongside balanced everything out perfectly.

We were about to get up and leave, but couldn't resist ordering kimchi pancake too, haha. You know kimchi pancake can actually be bad sometimes, right? Obongjip's version, made with well-fermented kimchi, was tasty and crispy.

And that's how we ended up finishing three bottles of makgeolli, haha. The food was such perfect drinking company that we couldn't stop!

Verdict: is Obongjip Samseong Branch good for a group dinner near Samseong Station?

When you're not sure what to eat around Samseong Station, it's always reassuring to have a Korean restaurant that fills you up properly. Obongjip Samseong Branch let us enjoy fire-grilled octopus stir-fry, bossam, and noodles all together, making it a memorable spot for trying a variety of dishes with a group.

If you're looking for a good restaurant near Samseong Station for lunch or a company dinner, this is worth adding to your list.