Weekend lunch of fire-grilled octopus, pork and shrimp near Sutonggol

There are all kinds of restaurants around Sutonggol, but on weekends the area basically turns into a parking lot — really inconvenient. This time I went to a place that's technically in Sutonggol but a few minutes away, so it's actually really comfortable to eat before or after a walk around Sutonggol.

Easy parking, a spacious dining room — the whole vibe was great for a family meal out. Shall we go have a good meal together?

Location and parking at Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch

• 1F, 238-34 Wongyesan-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, South Korea
• 11:00–21:30
• Parking: free parking available in front of the restaurant

This is Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch, a well-known spot for webfoot octopus in Daejeon.

I arrived at Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch, Daejeon's go-to spot for webfoot octopus. Even from outside, it had a clean, tidy feel. Free parking made driving there really convenient, and now that they've added a second parking lot, there's really no need to worry about parking at all. It's also a great location for wandering around Sutonggol before or after your meal, making it easy to plan into a weekend outing.

There's a recommended-menu sign at the entrance, so you can check it out beforehand.

Inside there's a waiting area, so it was easy to wait comfortably if there's a line. I also liked that you can check your waiting status with the Table-ing app.

Inside the restaurant and the kids' room

We're inside Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch now. It was weekend lunchtime, and actually this photo was taken on our way out — the place was nearly full of customers. That's how good the food is, and as you'll see below, even the dessert drinks are free, so it's a really generous place.

The interior of Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch is spacious and comfortable overall, with generous spacing between tables, which made it nice for a family meal.

There's also a kids' room, which was a welcome sight for families visiting with children. If you're looking for a Sutonggol restaurant where you can eat comfortably with kids, Boksakkot Pineun Jip might be almost the only option — the kids' room was that good.

What's free at the self-serve corner

This is the self-serve corner at Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch.

Seaweed soup (miyeokguk) and rice are free. There's a variety of side dishes too, and drinks are free as well, which I really loved.

Menu and table ordering

Here's the menu at Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch. You can order from the tablet at each table.

Looking at the menu at Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch, it's really focused on healthy dishes.

They gave us these basic side dishes.

When you order, they also bring out muksabal (chilled acorn jelly salad) — really refreshing.

Fresh salad, too.

And the seaweed soup came from the self-serve corner — it had plenty of seaweed in it, so it was a hearty portion. Seaweed's good for you, after all.

How the fire-grilled octopus and pork stir-fries tasted

First, the fire-grilled octopus stir-fry was a spicy dish with that smoky charred flavor, and the chewy texture of the octopus was the highlight. The seasoning really got your appetite going and paired well with rice — a dish that anyone who likes spicy food would enjoy.

The fire-grilled pork stir-fry let you taste the richness of the pork along with that same distinctive smoky char. It had a different charm from the octopus stir-fry, so ordering both let us enjoy a range of flavors. It was a satisfying dish when you want a hearty meal.

Side dish: fried shrimp

We also tried the fried shrimp we ordered as a side dish. The crispy batter and the texture of the shrimp went really well alongside the stir-fried dishes. Eating it in between the spicy dishes made the combination even better.

Free pizza with fire-grilled menu orders

On top of that, if you order from the fire-grilled menu, they give you one free pizza per table. We chose the margherita pizza.

It was genuinely generous and delicious. They even pack up leftovers for free, so it really felt like enough for two meals, not just one.

Free drinks after the meal and the annex space

After the meal, they give you a free drink. I got an iced Americano.

This is the annex — it really does look like a café. They even have free after-meal snacks to cleanse the palate.

How was it as a family dining spot near Sutonggol?

Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch had all the amenities well covered, from free parking and a spacious interior to a waiting area, kids' room, self-serve corner and free drinks corner — a great choice for a family meal or a gathering.

If you want a hearty meal around Sutonggol, look for Boksakkot Pineun Jip Daejeon Branch, a Sutonggol favorite. With its variety of dishes and comfortable dining space, it's a place I'd want to visit again.