No-wait weekday 5pm at a Gwangju BBQ buffet: Sin Jjukkumi Duam-dong

I just got back from a short trip and there was literally nothing to eat at home..?ㅠㅠ So I decided — let's eat out!!!! And the place that immediately came to mind was one that stuck in my head ever since my first visit because it was just so, so good. I actually tried going on a Monday but forgot they're closed Mondays..!! ㅠㅠㅠ So I remembered today and double-checked it wasn't a closed day before rushing over. Here's the review!

Where is Sin Jjukkumi Duam Branch? Parking and hours

Sin Jjukkumi Duam Branch is an all-you-can-eat jjukkumi (webfoot octopus) restaurant at 4 Bamsil-ro 181beon-gil, 1F, Buk-gu, Gwangju (Duam-dong 288-48). It's open daily from 16:00 to 23:00, and you can park at the Duam 3-dong Community Center public lot, the Duam 3-dong pocket park public lot, or in the alleys and roadside around the restaurant.

• All-you-can-eat / private hire / group bookings available / takeout / delivery
• Wi-Fi / reservations / separate men's and women's restrooms / high chairs
• By car → 4 Bamsil-ro 181beon-gil, 1F, Buk-gu, Gwangju
• On foot → between Duam Town intersection and Hallimjang five-way junction, in the alley across from Kkankkan Jokbal
• By public transit → get off at Duam Town rear gate stop, 100m, 3-minute walk
• About 100m / 3-minute walk from Duam 3-dong Welfare Center

Sin Jjukkumi... once you go once, it's honestly addictive and keeps popping into your head. Today, to eat well, I made sure to wear black haha

Arriving at 5pm on a weekday: no wait, and what the room looks like

We went around 5pm on a weekday and even then a few tables already had customers. If you go later in the evening the wait gets brutal, so we went early haha. The inside is spacious! And there's plenty of table room — one table actually had about 10 grown men having a work dinner haha.

How much is the all-you-can-eat menu at Sin Jjukkumi Duam Branch?

Let me show you the menu first. Jjukkumi unlimited refill is ₩21,500 for adults / ₩15,000 for elementary students / ₩6,000 for ages 6-7 / free for age 5 and under. Jjukkumi + fresh pork belly + shaved pork belly unlimited refill is ₩23,500 for adults / ₩15,000 for elementary students / ₩6,000 for ages 6-7 / free for age 5 and under. That's how the menu is set up! Since the price gap for adding fresh and shaved pork belly is only ₩2,000, I'd recommend going with the meat-included option hahaha.

And unlimited soju and beer is ₩10,000 per person?!!! These days when a single beer can cost ₩6,000, unlimited refills for ₩10,000..!! I regretted leaving the car at home ㅠ

Table setup: the half-and-half iron pan and paper towels

First off, each table has a dual iron pan split down the middle. There's also a paper towel roll and tissues together — the one in the bigger holder is the paper towel, meant for wiping off meat grease haha.

Loading up on jjukkumi, fresh pork belly and shaved pork belly

There's a ton of shaved pork belly too, so you just scoop it up with a — genuinely giant — ladle-sized spatula and pile it on haha.

And then my beloved jjukkumi... can you see how packed full it is? They're even super plump.......... I really loaded up my plate with zero restraint haha

And the fresh pork belly ㅠㅠㅠ it wasn't too thick, which I loved.. this fresh pork belly is a serious recommend! I'd come back just to eat this alone!

And the self-serve bar has garlic, onion, corn kernels, lettuce, perilla leaves, shredded scallion, bean sprouts, scallion sauce, mayo, and more. The bean sprouts are great mixed into the jjukkumi too!

First you load on the jjukkumi haha

Then pile on the pork belly and vegetables, onion, garlic, and bean sprouts too. And pickled radish as well!

Oh! And they give you a boiled egg per person, which tastes great eaten with the jjukkumi!

The grilling order we recommend for the half-and-half pan

Okay okay okay, let me recommend an order. Put the fresh pork belly on one side, with garlic and onion in the middle!!! On the other side, grill the jjukkumi and shaved pork belly!!!

Once things are cooked enough, mix the onion with the jjukkumi sauce and stir-fry it again!! And keep the shaved pork belly on the upper side so the grease drips down!!!!

Finally, pile the bean sprouts allllll on top...

And then it's just nonstop eating haha, pure happiness.. I don't usually wrap meat in lettuce, but for some reason at Sin Jjukkumi I always crave it so much haha

As you eat, a fair amount of grease pools up in the pan. It can burn, so wipe it away with the paper towel every so often haha

Finishing with fried rice you stir up yourself

The visual is a little rough haha, but while you're eating you can request fried rice — they chop up the meat, jjukkumi, and bean sprouts ahead of time, add rice, and you stir-fry it yourself hahaha. If it's bland, just add more sauce!! hahaha

I ate so, so well at Sin Jjukkumi Duam Branch! Highly recommend haha