City Hall Station kalguksu restaurant with parking tips: Tanbaek
In short
Tanbaek is a Korean beef kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) restaurant at 37 Jeongdong-gil, on the Deoksugung stone wall path in Jung-gu, Seoul. After seeing the Seoul Museum of Art, I walked five minutes to Tanbaek for the signature clear beef kalguksu with makgeolli, sat among the 17 bar seats on the first floor and 32 table seats upstairs, and checked the paid parking lots nearby. The line at noon is long, but Tanbaek turns tables fast because it serves noodles, and the meal itself is mild rather than heavy.
Good to know
- Address
- 37 Jeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (near City Hall Station Exit 12)
- Directions
- From City Hall Station Exit 12, walk 500m along the stone wall path to the left of Deoksugung, about 5 minutes. Ivory building with a Chinese-character sign on the 2nd floor, left of Jeongdong Theater
- What I ordered
- Clear Korean beef gom-kalguksu, makgeolli
- Other menu items
- Jang-kalguksu, Seoul-style kimchi mandu (dumplings), warm jeyuk (pork), Korean beef suyuk hot pot
- Seating
- 1st floor: 17 bar seats; 2nd floor: 32 table seats (groups of up to 12)
- Reservations
- Available through Naver and Catch Table
- Parking
- Ihwa Jeongdong Building lot, 07:00-22:00, 4,000 won per hour / Kakao T Jeongdong lot, 24 hours, 5,000 won per hour / Ihwa Girls' High School paid lot, 06:00-22:00, 6,000 won per hour
- Waiting
- Long line at noon, but turnover is fast because it is a noodle dish
as written by the visitor on Sep 17, 2026
I was near City Hall Station in Seoul and found a clean, tidy-looking kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) place, so I went to check it out. I was looking for a lunch spot when it caught my eye. Here's my visit to Tanbaek, a restaurant on Jeongdong-gil — one of my favorite streets in Seoul.
Where is Tanbaek? Deoksugung stone wall path, City Hall Station Exit 12
- Address: 37 Jeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (near City Hall Station Exit 12)
- Notable: located on Jeongdong-gil, a street where modern architecture and East-West cultures blend together
I stopped by after visiting the Seoul Museum of Art. It's the kind of place you come across while walking along the Deoksugung stone wall path. It was an easy walk from City Hall Station too, and the exterior alone had a clean, tidy feel.
Apparently, while renovating the space, they discovered a wooden beam that had survived a fire, and decided to open the restaurant around preserving that trace. Several craftspeople reportedly contributed their touch to the interior as well.
Tanbaek's signature dish: clear Korean beef kalguksu
Tanbaek's signature menu item is the clear beef kalguksu. I heard the place was started with the intention of elevating kalguksu — a noodle dish from the Joseon era — into a refined noodle dish, the way pyeongyang naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) is regarded.
They reference old-style cooking records and serve the noodles by torem-ing them (scalding with hot broth) in a clear beef broth, topped with garnish. Beyond the signature clear beef kalguksu, there's also jang-kalguksu, Seoul-style kimchi mandu (dumplings), warm jeyuk, and beef suyuk jeongol (hot pot).
I ordered the signature gom-kalguksu and a cool makgeolli. After sitting down and waiting a bit, a neat, well-arranged table setting arrived, and I happily ate the light, clean-tasting kalguksu with the refreshing makgeolli.
Kalguksu with a glass of makgeolli turned out to be a pretty solid combo. Seems like a good option for office workers nearby to have a light drink during lunch, haha — a little bit of a small escape.
How long is the noon lunch wait at Tanbaek?
Tanbaek tends to get a wait during lunchtime because of the nearby office crowd.
Turnover isn't super slow, but if you want to get in smoothly, it's better to arrive a bit early or move fast. At noon the line gets long. Still, since it's noodles, tables turn over quickly.
Getting to Tanbaek: directions, parking rates and seating
- Location: from City Hall Station Exit 12, take the stone wall path to the left of Deoksugung and walk about 500m / 5 minutes — an ivory-colored building with a Chinese-character sign on the 2nd floor, to the left of Jeongdong Theater
Parking and seating info below.
- Parking: Ihwa Jeongdong Building parking lot (07:00-22:00, ₩4,000/hr) / Kakao T Jeongdong parking (24hrs, ₩5,000/hr) / Ihwa Girls' High School paid lot (06:00-22:00, ₩6,000/hr)
- Seating & reservations: 1st floor bar, 17 seats; 2nd floor tables, 32 seats (group seating up to 12 available; reservations via Naver and Catch Table)
- There's a separate area at the 1st floor entrance for hanging coats
Is Tanbaek good for a solo lunch? Final verdict
Overall the food came out light and not-too-strong on the palate, well-arranged, so it worked fine as a solo meal. If you like clean, mild broth dishes, this could be a good pick. It reminded me a bit of Jahason Mandu too — I think it's a really solid place.
It's in a good spot for a quiet meal in a calm atmosphere, so if you're looking for a Jeongdong-gil restaurant to check out while visiting Deoksugung or City Hall, it's worth a visit. I think I'll think of it whenever I'm passing by and craving something warm and brothy.
My meal at Tanbaek, a restaurant on Jeongdong-gil, left me with an overall pleasant, easygoing memory. If you're after a clean, satisfying meal, it's worth stopping by. Jeongdong-gil is always lovely, whenever you go~
