Balsan Station Korean restaurant with FacePay kiosk ordering: Mikodam

I visited Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch, a Korean set-menu restaurant in Deungchon-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul.

• Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00
• Address: 42 Gangseo-ro 54-gil, 1F Unit 2, Gangseo-gu, Seoul (672 Deungchon-dong), South Korea

How long is the walk from Balsan Station to Mikodam?

Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch is a 4-minute walk from Balsan Station on Line 5 (per Naver Map). It's really close to the station, so the accessibility is great~!

Parking at Mikodam: 77 cars, 3 hours free

Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch has its own separate parking area right next to the restaurant. It's a 4-story parking building with room for a whopping 77 cars. A lot of places near Balsan Station don't have parking, so this was especially convenient for me as a newer driver haha :) If you're looking for a restaurant with parking near Balsan Station, Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch is perfect~~! Parking is free for up to 3 hours, which is plenty of time for a meal~ Just make sure to get your parking stamp after you finish eating!:)

Reservations are available for groups of 4 or more, and there are separate private rooms too.

Seating and corkage for family gatherings

Since the menu is Korean home-style set food (hanjeongsik), there's something for everyone, which makes it a great place for family gatherings. The interior is spacious and the tables are big too! And by the way, corkage is available.

Birthday event: a free large yukjeon

Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch runs a standing event where, if you visit within a week before or after your birthday, they give you a free large portion of beef jeon (pan-fried beef)! (You must bring ID)

Paying with Toss FacePay and ordering by kiosk

Toss FacePay is available here. These days paying with FacePay racks up quite a lot of points, which is a nice little bonus~

There's a kiosk at every table, so ordering is convenient! There are different types of seaweed soup — abalone, flounder, and more — with set menus you can choose per person, so there's no need to overthink it, which was nice.

What comes in the Korean set for two

I visited with one other person and we ordered the Korean set for 2, made up of seaweed soup, cockle bibimbap, and a side dish.

The chopsticks and spoons were individually wrapped in the table drawer, which felt nice and hygienic.

They give you a rolled egg (gyeranmari) as part of the photo review event.

How many side dishes, and how refills work

Not long after we ordered, the food started arriving piece by piece — I was surprised at how generous the number of side dishes was.

By the way, you can also request side-dish refills through the kiosk. But honestly the portions were already so generous we couldn't even get through them to need a refill..

You could feel the care put into every single side dish, and they were genuinely delicious.

Beef seaweed soup, cockle bibim and grilled fish

I chose the beef seaweed soup (miyeokguk). The broth had a deep, savory flavor that kept me coming back for more spoonfuls!

The cockle bibim had plump, firm cockles with great texture, and it was so nutty and delicious mixed into the rice.

The grilled fish was huge, clean-tasting, and the flesh was super tender~

The side dish to try: Jeju soy-marinated crab

For the side dish I chose the Jeju yellow soy crab. It was moderately sweet, not too salty, and once I picked the crab meat out and mixed it into my rice, it was a total rice thief.

Verdict and the self-serve dessert corner

Overall, every dish came out neat and carefully prepared, so this was a satisfying Korean restaurant experience. It's clean and has a good atmosphere, so it seems like it'd suit important meals too. If you want to enjoy a variety of side dishes and a hearty meal all at once, this is a place I'd recommend!

There's also warm roasted corn tea, plum tea, sikhye (sweet rice punch), and coffee set aside separately, which are perfect for dessert~:) If you're looking for a good Korean restaurant near Balsan Station or in Deungchon-dong, Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch is worth a visit.