Obongjip Jichuk Branch

About

Korean restaurant near Jichuk Station serving stir-fried spicy octopus, boiled pork bossam, and kalguksu noodle combinations with a self-service side bar.

Perched on the second floor of the Aincity building just steps from Jichuk Station, Obongjib Jichuk offers an energetic, communal setting built around bold Korean flavors. The dining room feels orderly and practical, outfitted with partitioned four-top tables, rear seating arrangements tailored for larger groups, and serving robots gliding across the floor to deliver platters. The core of the menu revolves around flame-kissed seafood and tender boiled pork. For groups, the Obong Special serves as the definitive anchor, pairing succulent, odorless bossam with wok-fried octopus. Sliced thin and yielding, the pork melts against crunchy strips of seasoned dried radish (mumallaengi). Beside it, the stir-fried octopus (nakji bokkeum) lands plump and juicy, retaining a tender pop with every bite. The kitchen allows guests to customize the heat across four tiers—ranging from a gentle, slightly sweet mild heat to an intense "hell" level—all tossed with cabbage and layered over crisp, blanched bean sprouts. For diners torn between noodles and rice, the kalnakji merges two cravings into one bowl. Fat octopus pieces, cabbage, and knife-cut noodles swim together in a fiery sauce topped with shredded seaweed, easily sopped up and later spooned over white rice with a heavy splash of toasted sesame oil from the tabletop cruets. Balance comes courtesy of a generous self-service bar. Diners can fetch endless refills of steamed rice, kimchi, macaroni salad, soft tofu with seasoned sauce, soy-glazed black beans, perilla leaf pickles, and garlic. Crucially, stainless-steel bowls of chilled bean sprout soup with floating shaved ice sit ready to douse the chili burn. Whether dropping by for a solo bossam lunch plate, gathering friends over spicy noodles, or lingering over a bottle of soju on a rainy afternoon, the space delivers robust, accessible home-style dining that demands an extra bowl of rice.