Hongdae dumpling restaurant: cold-OK steamed dumplings, MANDOO BAR

Homemade dumpling lovers, pay attention~ this is a post for you. It's MANDOO BAR, found along Hongdae's Red Road, and I properly tried the K-dumplings here: Korean-style dumplings with fusion toppings that give them a special flavor 👏👏👏

What kind of place is MANDOO BAR in Hongdae?

MANDOO BAR is a dumpling dining bar on Hongdae's Red Road: you order takeout by QR code on the ground floor, and upstairs on the second floor you can enjoy dumpling hot pot and beer. The concept is K-gyoza you hold in one hand, so you can eat dumplings on the move along the Red Road!

Because of the location, MANDOO BAR has no parking space of its own, but there are plenty of public car parks nearby, so check ahead if you're coming by car.

What's the second floor of MANDOO BAR like?

Every table on the second floor has a gas burner, and it's a dining bar for beer and dumpling hot pot. The interior felt like a café. In the evening the mood is drinking with dumplings as snacks, but I came at opening in the daytime and it was quiet.

MANDOO BAR menu and takeout order

I ordered okonomi gyoza, meat steamed dumplings and kimchi steamed dumplings for takeout, ₩10,000 each. Besides gyoza and steamed dumplings, the menu also had a wide range of alcohol.

A dumpling geek who wants to turn MANDOO BAR into a dumpling pilgrimage site

Okonomiyaki toppings, like the ones I loved eating in Japan, on a dumpling?! It's a combination you can't find anywhere else. As befits a fusion-concept restaurant, the drinks are varied too: Yantai kaoliang liquor, soju, beer, highballs and even cassis cocktails, so you can pair them with dumplings to taste.

• Okonomi gyoza ₩10,000
• Meat steamed dumplings ₩10,000
• Kimchi steamed dumplings ₩10,000

They packed everything neatly, so I carried it home safely.

How do the meat and kimchi steamed dumplings taste, and how big is the portion?

Even cold, MANDOO BAR's steamed dumplings had no gamey meat smell and the wrappers were still chewy. Each pack holds 8 dumplings the size of a child's fist, which is just right for one adult's meal. Dumplings are supposed to be best hot, but these were delicious even cold.

The filling was generous and packed with vegetables and meat. It's seasoned well enough that you don't need soy sauce! One pack is plenty for an adult meal, and small eaters could probably be happy with half! Being dumplings, they were filling too.

Is MANDOO BAR's okonomi gyoza salty?

The okonomi gyoza, topped with okonomiyaki toppings, had a sauce that was far too salty, which was a letdown. It's a special combination, but it tasted just like real Japanese food... I don't recommend this one 😭 It's so salty, so salty..

Try street-style dumpling takeout in Hongdae

Order takeout on the ground floor of MANDOO BAR, then eat the dumplings as street food around Hongdae, which is why I recommend them as packed food. They'd also be good to pack for a picnic at Mangwon Hangang Park.

I think they'd also go well with beer in the restaurant. The owner was kind and the place was clean, so I recommend a visit to MANDOO BAR in Hongdae.