Basement Japanese restaurant near Mangwon Station: futomaki and cold

A Japanese restaurant with great vibes in Mangwon-dong: Padong

On weekends I often head to Mangwon-dong for something delicious, and this time I visited Padong, a Japanese restaurant near Mangwon Station. They serve everything from futomaki to rice bowls, soba, and nabe, and when I showed up for weekend lunch there were already a few parties waiting ahead of me haha.

After a short wait I got in, and customers kept streaming in the whole time I was eating — clearly a popular spot in Mangwon-dong. The atmosphere is pretty and the menu is varied, so it also seemed like a good option for anyone looking for a date-night restaurant in Mangwon-dong.

Padong Mangwon location and hours

• Address: 47 World Cup-ro 17-gil, B1, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Transit: About 248m from Mangwon Station Exit 2
• Hours: Tue–Sun 11:30–21:00 (closed every Monday)

A cozy space full of Japanese charm

The exterior alone was pretty enough that it felt wrong to just walk past, and stepping inside gave a whole different feeling again 🖤

Wood-tone furniture, soft lighting, and Japanese-style props scattered around gave it a charming yet warm atmosphere.

Rather than feeling overly styled, it had the relaxed feel of dropping into a small Japanese eatery, which I personally liked. The tables weren't cramped, and natural light came in through the windows, making it a nice place to visit during the day.

What we ordered and how much

• Kimchi cheese nabe ₩15,000
• Cold soba ₩13,000
• Futomaki ₩16,000
• Lemonade ₩5,000

The lemonade came out first — cool and refreshing, and not as sweet as I expected, which was perfect for me since I'm not a fan of overly sweet drinks! 😉

Kimchi cheese nabe: spicy with a nutty edge

The kimchi cheese nabe I ordered came out first haha. A hot kimchi base loaded with mozzarella cheese and topped with shrimp tempura — the look alone was exactly my type of dish.

The spicy, clean kimchi broth got a nutty, soft boost as the cheese melted in, and with the crispy shrimp tempura on top it made for a pretty filling dish.

A familiar kimchi nabe, but the cheese and shrimp tempura made it feel a little more special.

Cool relief with the shrimp tempura cold soba

Maybe because it's still warm out, but the cold soba we ordered alongside really hit the spot.

It came with one big piece of shrimp tempura on top, plus radish, wasabi, lemon, seaweed flakes, and green onion — quite a generous-looking bowl.

Slurping the chewy buckwheat noodles in the cool tsuyu broth left my mouth feeling clean and refreshed.

It worked especially well alongside heavier dishes like the kimchi cheese nabe, and paired perfectly with the futomaki too — if you're going this season, I'd really recommend trying it.

Futomaki that delivered on both looks and taste

And you can't skip Padong's signature dish, futomaki. Loaded with generous chunks of tuna, shrimp tempura, shiso leaf, fried tofu, burdock root, dried gourd strips, and cucumber, the cross-section was colorful and mouthwatering.

It's thick enough to be a challenge in one bite, but the variety of ingredients gives it a really rich texture — I especially loved the combo of tuna and crispy shrimp tempura.

Adding the ginger and wasabi served on the side, to taste, made it even cleaner to enjoy.

Only five pieces, but each one is so big it was plenty filling haha.

Final thoughts

Padong was buzzing with customers from weekend lunchtime onward 🍤. I'd always wondered why it was so busy whenever I passed by, and after eating there today, the mystery is solved 😊

I loved the charming Japanese-style interior, and with the futomaki, kimchi cheese nabe, and cold soba each so different from one another, it was great for ordering a few dishes to share. If you're looking for a nice-atmosphere restaurant for a date in Mangwon-dong, or a Mangwon-dong spot that's a bit different from your average rice bowl place, this one's worth a visit :)