Siksa-dong mandu restaurant with ₩10,000 unlimited noodles: Arirang

Where is Arirang Gaeseong Son Mandu Siksa Branch?

Arirang Gaeseong Son Mandu Siksa Branch is a mandu (dumpling) hot pot specialty restaurant at 81-1 Dongguk-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do. It's open daily from 10am to 9pm with last order at 8pm, and there's a parking space right in front of the restaurant.

I was craving something hot today, so I went back to my go-to spot in Ilsan — the real deal Ilsan mandu hot pot restaurant, Arirang Gaeseong Son Mandu Siksa Branch (ゝω・´★)

I think I used to only come here with my mom, but today the whole family came together :) Parking was easy since there's a space right in front of the restaurant!

The dining room was spacious with generous distance between tables, so it felt comfortable — seems like a good spot for groups too.

Arirang Gaeseong Son Mandu menu and prices

The signature menu here is of course the shabu mandu hot pot / dumpling hot pot! You could also do half-and-half dumplings, and they had steamed dumplings plus crispy fried dumplings too!

Besides dumplings, they also have kimchi stir-fry, and the hand-cut noodles come with unlimited refills for ₩10,000, which makes it a great value lunch spot in Ilsan's Siksa-dong. I'm totally team kimchi dumpling, so I ordered the dumpling hot pot with 3 kimchi dumplings plus one steamed dumpling!

At the self-serve bar, you could add extra side dishes (fresh kimchi salad, pickled radish) and refill the broth. And since the restaurant's name literally has "hand-made dumplings" in it... they really mean it! You could see them folding each dumpling by hand right there in the dining room ( 〃▽〃) amazing!

What comes with the dumpling hot pot for three?

Here's the dumpling hot pot for 3! The dumplings were generous at 3 per person (and big too, since they're jumbo dumplings), and there was a hearty amount of bean sprouts, bok choy, mushrooms, napa cabbage, and sweet pumpkin.

Oh, and noodle add-ins and steamed dumplings also came out, one per person!! It was great to snack on while waiting for the hot pot to boil. Just looking at those plump handmade dumplings made me hungry.

And then the steamed dumplings showed up! Steamed nice and moist... dipping straight into soy sauce was so good ㅠㅠ It felt like the textbook definition of a good kimchi dumpling!

Maybe it's because the jumbo dumplings were packed so full, but after eating a few I was already stuffed (o´・∀・)o

How is the hot pot broth?

The dumpling hot pot at Arirang Gaeseong Son Mandu, a lunch favorite in Ilsan's Siksa-dong, was bubbling away — it says on the menu that the broth is made fresh from scratch, and after taking a spoonful, I could really tell the difference. The broth alone was already delicious. Not overly spicy or salty, just deep and warm ♥

Eating the dumplings and vegetables once they've soaked up all that broth warms you right up inside... so good.

How do the kimchi dumplings taste?

One bite of the kimchi dumpling once it's cooked through! You can see how packed the filling is, right — amazing (^。^)y-~ The dumpling skin was just thin enough, and the tender meaty juice paired so well with the kimchi filling — a true kimchi dumpling gem.

And since these are handmade dumplings, they're on a totally different level from frozen ones!! The meat inside is tender, and the texture when you bite into it with the kimchi is amazing too — healthy and delicious dumplings 💖

Finishing the pot with hand-cut noodles

Finished it off with noodles! The chewy hand-cut noodles were great, and I even added an extra noodle serving. I also refilled the fresh kimchi salad, and it had that classic tangy, spicy kick that great noodle restaurants have — it paired so well with the noodles!

Is Arirang worth it for lunch in Siksa-dong?

I highly recommend Arirang Gaeseong Son Mandu Siksa Branch as a lunch spot in Ilsan's Siksa-dong! They also do frozen dumpling takeout, so it's a good place to visit when you want to eat dumplings at home too.

You can eat until you're full without spending much, so I'd also recommend it as a great-value restaurant in Ilsan. The staff were kind too — I enjoyed it just as much the last time I visited and paid out of my own pocket, and this time was another satisfying, delicious meal.