Indian restaurant in Dongmyo after a kid's squishy toy haul: Namaste

Why Namaste Dongmyo Branch after shopping on Dongmyo's stationery and toy street

Namaste Dongmyo Branch (나마스테 동묘점) is an Indian curry restaurant near Dongmyo Station that has held a Blue Ribbon for several years running. After browsing Dongmyo's stationery and toy street with my kid and having a great time hunting for malang-i (squishy toys) and wakppu (decorated stationery), hunger hit hard, so we stopped in.

The area around Dongmyo Station is always buzzing and full of life, whenever you go. While wondering what to eat, I thought of Indian curry: exotic, yet deeply flavorful in a way people of all ages enjoy. And conveniently, <Namaste>, a Blue Ribbon spot for N years now, is right nearby! Haha!

Namaste Dongmyo Branch location and opening hours

Namaste Dongmyo Branch is at 18 Jibong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 2nd floor. It is open 11:00–22:00, with last order at 21:00. It's right in front of Dongmyo Station Exit 5, so it's easy to find.

What's the atmosphere at Namaste Dongmyo Branch like?

Namaste Dongmyo Branch specializes in authentic Indian and Nepali cuisine.

It has the authentic flavor backed by nine straight years of Blue Ribbon recognition since 2018, plus an exotic space that feels like a holiday resort in India.

Indian décor pieces and exotic music blend together, so the moment you step in it feels like you're traveling in India. We visited a little after lunchtime and there were still quite a few people.

Namaste Dongmyo Branch menu: can kids eat it?

Namaste Dongmyo Branch adapts authentic Indian curries and tandoor (clay oven) dishes to Korean tastes, so adults and kids alike can enjoy them. There is also a good variety of vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Namaste Dongmyo Branch couple set: what's in it and how big is it

The couple set at Namaste Dongmyo Branch is a set for 2 people that lets you taste a range of signature dishes at once. When it arrived, the portions were so generous that it was plenty even for 3 people sharing. Enough for two to eat until they're stuffed!

What's in the couple set

• Samosa
• Chicken tikka
• Shrimp chilli
• Chicken makhani
• Vegetable curry
• Rice
• Garlic naan
• One choice of tea, lassi or yogurt

Totally generous, right? Everything comes out at once, so you get to enjoy a big feast.

Samosa

The samosa at Namaste Dongmyo Branch is a crispy, triangular, fried Indian dumpling filled with potato and vegetables lightly seasoned with spices.

Each piece is bigger than the samosas I've had elsewhere, which I loved, haha. The filling is packed, so even one piece feels satisfying~

The tandoori chicken and shrimp chilli come on one plate. Personally, I ordered the couple set because I wanted those two, the tandoori chicken and the shrimp chilli, even more than the curry! Haha!

Tandoori chicken

The tandoori chicken at Namaste Dongmyo Branch is premium barbecue, crisp outside and juicy inside: chicken marinated in special Indian spices and yogurt, then grilled in a traditional Indian clay oven, the tandoor, until the grease is gone. I wondered if it might be dry, but not at all. It was moist and tender with zero dryness, and I could have finished a whole bowl of rice with just this.

Is the shrimp chilli too spicy for kids?

The chilli shrimp at Namaste Dongmyo Branch is spicy, just like the name says. Besides the chilli, it seems to have other hot spices too, because my elementary-school kid found it too spicy to eat, haha. It would be perfect as a beer snack, too...!

Side dishes: pickles and marinated onions

In case things get greasy along the way, pickles and marinated onions (like onion kimchi?) come as side dishes too. Those onions are sneakily addictive~ crunchy and nicely spicy.

Garlic naan

Namaste Dongmyo Branch has a variety of naan (flatbread), from plain naan to garlic naan, butter naan and more. It seems only garlic naan comes with the set~ Fresh from the oven, chewy and savory, and the naan is a big size, so I never felt short while eating curry. Crisp outside and chewy inside, which made it even better.

Mixed vegetable curry

The mixed vegetable curry at Namaste Dongmyo Branch is a vegetable curry with deep flavor, made by blending all kinds of fresh vegetables! Even kids who don't like vegetables would probably eat it without resistance, thanks to the curry's characteristic spice aroma and taste.

Chicken makhani

The chicken makhani at Namaste Dongmyo Branch is a curry where smooth, rich butter and tomato sauce come together, easy for anyone to enjoy. At an Indian curry restaurant you often wonder which curry to pick, right? That's when chicken makhani is the perfect order.

It's delicious piled generously on chewy naan that tears apart in layers, and it's just as good with tandoori chicken laid on the naan. No wonder it's a Blue Ribbon spot in Dongmyo!

Rice

Fluffy rice that pairs perfectly with curry! Curry plus rice needs no explanation... I mixed it in and all that rice vanished in no time.

Lassi to finish

To finish, a lassi, a sweet and tangy traditional yogurt drink. After spicy tandoori chicken, chilli shrimp and curry, sipping a lassi makes the meal complete.

Would I recommend Namaste Dongmyo Branch after a day on Dongmyo's toy street?

If you're eating after shopping on Dongmyo's toy street, I recommend the couple set at Namaste Dongmyo Branch. Lots of people make Dongmyo toy street a date or family outing these days, right? After shopping, you get an exotic and special dining experience.

The portions are generous and it nails both value and quality, so ordering the couple set leaves you full with nothing lacking. If you want to step away from ordinary Western or Korean food and make a different kind of memory, or taste real Indian cooking, I hope you'll feel India at Namaste, the Blue Ribbon spot in Dongmyo! :)