Free parking Chinese restaurant in Yeoksam, Seoul: Jjamppong Jijon

Why I looked for a Chinese restaurant to drive to in Yeoksam

When you're looking for dinner in Yeoksam and driving there, parking is the first thing on your mind. This time I chose Jjamppong Jijon (짬뽕지존) Yeoksam Branch because it offers free parking and is easy to park at. I ordered jijon jjamppong, jijon jjajang, and Sichuan sweet and sour pork, and with rice, side dishes and drinks all available at the self-serve bar, it made for a generous meal. It suited an evening of lingering a bit longer and sharing dishes with company, rather than a quick solo bowl of jjamppong.

Free parking and finding the restaurant

It was nice not to have to worry about parking before even arriving. When making dinner plans around Yeoksam, I usually check where the parking lot is and whether it's available first — this time, parking and walking into the restaurant was easy. The operating hours posted outside may differ from the current situation, so if you're visiting late, it's worth checking with the restaurant directly.

The combo: jijon jjamppong + jijon jjajang + Sichuan sweet and sour pork

After sitting down, I ordered jijon jjamppong, jijon jjajang, and Sichuan sweet and sour pork. Ordering red-broth noodles alongside black-sauce noodles makes the table feel much fuller than ordering just one. When someone's craving broth and someone else wants jjajang, everyone can pick what they want and share a plate of sweet and sour pork on top — it makes the meal much more satisfying.

Rice and jjacai, pickled radish at the self-serve bar

After ordering, I checked out the self-serve bar first. Jjacai (짜샤이, pickled mustard tuber) and pickled radish were set out, and rice was available in whatever amount you needed. It's a welcome setup for anyone who likes rice alongside Chinese dishes. Rather than piling on a lot at once, it was more comfortable to take just enough and go back for more if needed.

A drink corner with coffee, hot chocolate, and yuja tea

What stuck with me was that the self-serve bar wasn't just for food sides — there were drinks too. Coffee, hot chocolate, macchiato, yuja tea (citron tea), and lemon-ade were all options. I prefer finishing everything in one place rather than heading out to find something else after a meal, and that flow came together naturally here. The self-serve bar's offerings may vary by visit, so it's worth checking on-site before use.

While waiting for the food at our seats, I was more curious about how we'd split three dishes than about what order to eat them in. Ordering noodle dishes as different in character as jjamppong and jjajang, plus adding Sichuan sweet and sour pork, means everyone at the table can pick what they actually want instead of settling on one person's preference. On a day for sharing several dishes, this combo felt like it worked well.

The standard side dishes were good for light bites between noodles. Being able to grab jjacai and pickled radish from the self-serve bar meant I could take just what I wanted and focus on the meal. The types and format of side dishes may change over time, but a setup where you can grab what you need yourself, like this one, felt comfortable during the meal.

Putting jijon jjamppong and jijon jjajang side by side

Once jijon jjamppong and jijon jjajang were both on the table, it was clear why ordering them together made sense. Red-broth noodles and black-sauce noodles look completely different, making them great to share on a day when picking just one bowl feels like a letdown. Each of us ordered the noodles we wanted, then swapped bites occasionally, which kept the meal from feeling repetitive. It's an especially convenient choice for a group that can't agree on one dish.

Jijon jjajang

Jijon jjajang worked well as one half of the shared noodle lineup. Ordering it alongside jjamppong widens the options compared to sticking to just the broth dish, letting everyone choose what they want from the start. This time too, some of us wanted jjamppong and others wanted jjajang, so nobody had to switch orders to match anyone else.

Jijon jjamppong and unlimited rice

Jijon jjamppong became the centerpiece on a day I wanted warm broth. Placed next to the jjajang, the table looked even more generous, and it was nice being able to use the self-serve bar when I wanted rice alongside it too. Having unlimited rice available was the experience on this particular visit, so the current policy is best confirmed with the restaurant before ordering.

Sichuan sweet and sour pork ₩22,000, shared between two

The Sichuan sweet and sour pork was a great dish to share between the two noodle bowls. When two people are each having a bowl of noodles, you start wondering whether to add a side dish — this time, adding the sweet and sour pork left no gaps in the meal. Having one big shared plate that keeps everyone's chopsticks reaching over tends to stretch out the conversation a little longer, too. The price was ₩22,000 as of this visit, and the current price should be checked against the in-store menu.

A short path from the meal to the drinks

What felt most convenient about this visit was how short the path was from the meal all the way through to the finish. If I wanted more rice, I could grab it from the self-serve bar, and once the meal was done, I could pick a coffee or tea. Combined with the free parking, it made for a particularly low-hassle evening when driving in. This is the kind of place that comes to mind when you want somewhere that cuts down on hassle both before and after the meal, not just during it.

A few things to keep in mind when ordering

Ordering jjamppong, jjajang, and sweet and sour pork all at once adds up to a fair amount of food, so it's worth deciding based on your group size and appetite. When two or more people want different Chinese dishes, the options are wide, and anyone who wants rice or side dishes can adjust to their own pace. I think I'd come back to this spot on a day like this one — driving in, and wanting to wrap up the meal with a drink all in one place.

The jijon jjamppong, jijon jjajang, and Sichuan sweet and sour pork at Jjamppong Jijon Yeoksam Branch made for a table where everyone could pick the dish they wanted. Free parking was convenient, and the self-serve bar with unlimited rice, jjacai, pickled radish, coffee, and other drinks stood out as the highlight of the visit. Worth remembering for anyone driving to Yeoksam for Chinese food, or looking for a place to share several dishes at a relaxed pace.