Curry restaurant near Dongdaemun: chicken tikka couple set at Namaste

Today I'm writing up my review of the Indian curry I ate at Namaste Dongmyo Branch :)

That day I was on a date in Dongdaemun and we walked all the way to Dongmyo, looked around the flea market, and wandered here and there! By the time we were done, we were getting hungry, so we searched for somewhere to eat and ended up here!

I generally like Indian curry, so I looked up curry restaurants near Dongmyo Station and this is where we visited! We ordered the 50,000-won couple set, and honestly way more food came out than I expected haha. Just the two of us eating it, I really thought we'd burst 🤣

From curry to naan, tandoori, and chili shrimp, there was so much variety that it was fun picking through everything! So let me introduce the dishes we tried one by one :) Starting the post now!

Where is Namaste Dongmyo Branch, and what are its hours and parking?

Namaste Dongmyo Branch is at 18 Jibong-ro, 2nd floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul, open daily from 11:00 to 22:00 with last order at 21:00.

• 📍 Address: 18 Jibong-ro, 2nd floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• ⏰ Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00 / Last order 21:00
• 🚗 Parking: On weekdays, free parking is available in the building lot if space is open; if not, you'll need to use the Changsin 1-dong Community Center public parking lot

It's worth checking the map for available parking spots too!

Inside Namaste Dongmyo Branch: can you book it for a group?

The interior of Namaste Dongmyo Branch is huge. It said group bookings are possible too, with a minimum of 2 people and up to 40!

The interior is really spacious!! It looked good for a group gathering too!!

Namaste Dongmyo Branch menu and prices

There's so much on the menu!!! When you're not sure what to pick, a set is always best..! We ordered the couple set!

What comes in the 50,000-won couple set?

The couple set at Namaste Dongmyo Branch is 50,000 won, and here's what comes with it.

• Vegetable curry
• Chicken makhani
• Lassi
• Rice
• Garlic naan
• Chili shrimp
• Chicken tikka
• Samosa

At first I thought it would be just the right amount for two, but as each dish came out one by one, the portions turned out to be bigger than expected. Between the two of us eating bits of everything, we ended up really, really full haha!

Vegetable curry

The vegetable curry had more vegetables in it than I expected!! There was corn and chicken breast cubes too, so instead of just plain curry there were things to chew on, which I liked! I officially declared this my boyfriend's favorite curry!! He said it was so good!!!

Chicken makhani

This is my favorite curry!! Chicken makhani is soft and subtly sweet and nutty~! The curry was very smooth and the chicken was soft too, so dipping the naan in it was delicious!! Personally I feel like this kind of classic curry is hard to get wrong!!

Garlic naan

What is there to say about garlic naan haha — dipping it generously in curry is delicious. Rice comes with the set too, but I liked dipping the naan in curry more, so I kept eating naan!!

What is the difference between chicken tikka and tandoori?

And I found the chicken tikka more delicious than I expected. Usually at Indian curry restaurants you get chicken breast cuts that can feel a bit dry, but here it felt soft like chicken thigh meat, so it was much softer and tastier!!

By the way!! Do you know the difference between chicken tikka and tandoori~!? Chicken tikka is chicken meat deboned, skewered, and roasted in a clay oven, while tandoori chicken is a whole chicken roasted whole or cut into pieces before roasting (the way it's prepped is different~!). What's included in the couple set is chicken tikka!

Chili shrimp

The chili shrimp was really good too. I'm not great with spicy food — I can only handle the mild version of yeoptteok (spicy rice cakes) — but by my standards this was just a little spicy. It wasn't unbearable at all though, and the slight kick actually made me keep reaching for more haha. The shrimp itself was delicious too, so I ate a lot of this!!!

Samosa

Dipping the crispy samosa in ketchup worked better than I expected!! What is a samosa!? It's an Indian dish made of potato, peas, and minced meat seasoned with spices, wrapped in a pastry dough and deep-fried!

You can probably tell from the photos, but in person it was really crispy on the outside and moist on the inside — totally crispy outside, soft inside!

Lassi

Think of lassi as an Indian yogurt drink! This one felt a bit thinner than the lassi I've had at other Indian curry restaurants!! Drinking it alongside the curry and everything else was really nice!!!

Worth the walk for curry near Dongmyo?

Personally, Namaste Dongmyo Branch suited my taste better than that famous Indian curry place in Dongdaemun!! With one couple set, you get to try curry, naan, chicken tikka, chili shrimp, and samosa, and the portions were genuinely huge for two people!!

If you're on a date in Dongdaemun, walking over to Dongmyo to look around and grab a meal seems like a great idea!! (I was so full after this that I walked all the way back to Dongdaemun again haha.) And when I went to pay, I noticed it was a Blue Ribbon-rated restaurant..!

So many Blue Ribbons...! We didn't visit because of the Blue Ribbon rating, but after eating, it somehow felt even more delicious haha. If you're looking for a good curry restaurant in Dongmyo, this one is worth a visit :)