Seoul kalguksu restaurant near Deoksugung: sampler platter at Tanbaek
In short
Tanbaek is a Korean restaurant serving hand-cut kalguksu noodles in beef broth on Jeongdong-gil, the stone wall path beside Deoksugung Palace in Jung-gu, Seoul. On a cool evening Tanbaek's mixed sampler platter (52,000 won) arrived with gom kalguksu, yukgaejang kalguksu, warm boiled pork and two kimchi mandu, so the signature dishes came all at once, while the mushroom rice was sold out that night. Tanbaek is a good call for a hot bowl of soup after a walk along the Deoksugung stone wall.
Good to know
- Address
- 37 Jeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
- Mixed sampler platter
- 52,000 won (gom kalguksu, beef kalguksu, warm boiled pork, 2 kimchi mandu)
- Facilities
- Wi-Fi, reservations, groups welcome, high chairs, mobile payment
- Summer-only menu
- Soybean bibim kalguksu (cold noodles in soybean sauce)
- Note
- Mushroom rice was sold out at the time of the visit
- Price reference
- ₩52,000 ≈ $38.5 (2026-09-15)
as written by the visitor on Sep 13, 2026
- 📌 37 Jeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
- ✔️ Wi-Fi, reservations, group seating, baby chairs, easy payment ⭕️
Where is Tanbaek on the Deoksugung stone wall path?
Today I want to introduce Tanbaek, a Jeongdong-gil kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) spot I visited after walking along the Deoksugung Palace stone wall.🍜 The area near City Hall and Gwanghwamun is great for a stroll from Deoksugung to Jeongdong-gil, especially now that the weather's turning cool, so I stop by often‼️ On an evening with a gentle breeze, I wanted a hot bowl of soup, and that's how I ended up at Tanbaek, a kalguksu spot on Jeongdong-gil.
Inside Tanbaek: atmosphere and seating
Tanbaek, a spot on the Deoksugung stone wall path and Jeongdong-gil. The calm mood specific to Jeongdong-gil matched the atmosphere of the restaurant really well.💫 Stepping inside, the whole place felt clean yet had that comfortable feel unique to a Korean restaurant! If you work near City Hall, this seems like a good lunch spot, and it also seemed like a nice place to stop by for a warm meal during a Deoksugung date :)
What comes with Tanbaek's 52,000 won sampler platter
What we ordered was Tanbaek's mixed sampler platter for ₩52,000 — it comes with gomtang kalguksu, yukgae kalguksu, warm jeyuk, and two kimchi mandu (dumplings). That evening, the weather had suddenly turned autumn-like🍁, and I wanted something warm and soupy, so my eyes went straight to the kalguksu on the menu👀. But eating just kalguksu felt like it wasn't enough — should we also get warm jeyuk and mandu? — so in the end we ordered the ✅ mixed sampler platter (₩52,000)‼️
- ✅ Gomtang kalguksu
- ✅ Yukgae kalguksu
- ✅ Warm jeyuk
- ✅ 2 kimchi mandu
The sampler platter has all of Tanbaek's signature dishes in it‼️ A perfect choice if you want to try a bit of everything👍🏻 (because there are just too many things I wanted to eat..😆)
I was really torn about the summer-only soybean bibim kalguksu🤔, but I ended up craving hot soup more haha (the table next to us had the soybean bibim kalguksu, and it looked nutty and delicious!)
Two kimchi mandu (kimchi dumplings)
✅ 2 kimchi mandu. The kimchi mandu came out first🥟 — two big dumplings, so we split them nicely haha. The kimchi was spicy in a way that really woke up the appetite!
Warm boiled pork (onjeyuk)
✅ Warm jeyuk (pork). Right after came the piping-hot warm jeyuk🐷. Eating it with the fresh chamnamul (aster) salad made it even tastier‼️ A big bite of thick pork jowl jeyuk, chamnamul, and wasabi all together — amazing.
Gom kalguksu, and the sold-out mushroom rice
✅ Gomtang kalguksu. A clear, richly brewed Korean beef broth pairs beautifully with the chewy noodles in the gomtang kalguksu🍜. The noodles are boiled in the broth and then rinsed in cold water for an even chewier texture — really delicious‼️
The menu recommendation said it's tasty to mix mushroom rice into the broth after finishing the noodles, but unfortunately, the mushroom rice was sold out🥲 when I visited. To be fair, I was probably too full to eat it anyway, but I'll definitely order it next time‼️ It also went really well with the great kimchi that's a given at any kalguksu place.
There's also spicy dadegi (chili paste) on the table, so if you want a spicier kick, stirring some in would be great‼️
Yukgaejang kalguksu: spicy beef noodle soup
✅ Yukgaejang kalguksu. Since I wanted a spicy, hearty broth, my pick was the yukgaejang kalguksu — the same clear Korean beef broth as the gomtang, but paired with bracken fern and the spicy kick of yukgaejang (spicy beef soup) — a kalguksu that pulled it all together nicely.
Dinner at Tanbaek after a Deoksugung stone wall walk
A hearty meal from the mixed sampler platter. Kalguksu, warm jeyuk, and dumplings — a properly filling meal. If you're looking for a warm bite near the Deoksugung stone wall or Jeongdong-gil, Tanbaek is the Jeongdong-gil spot to know. It's easy to reach from City Hall Station and pairs perfectly with a walk along the Deoksugung stone wall, so if you're searching for a City Hall Station restaurant, a Deoksugung restaurant, or a Jeongdong-gil restaurant, Tanbaek is worth stopping by. Walking the Deoksugung stone wall and finishing with a warm bowl of kalguksu — that combo feels just right in this kind of weather🍂.
