Jongno 3-ga dumplings, no hot pot: soup + boiled mandu, Jongga Mandu

What to order at Jongga Mandu in Jongno 3-ga if you want dumplings, not hot pot

Jongga Mandu (종가만두) is a handmade dumpling restaurant about a 5-minute walk from Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 15. This time I ordered the rice cake dumpling soup (jorangi tteok mandu-guk) for ₩13,000 and boiled mandu for ₩10,000, which came to ₩23,000 by the table tablet's prices.

If you're hunting for a Jongno 3-ga restaurant and want the dumplings themselves rather than hot pot, this two-dish combo is the cleanest. Most dumpling places around Jongno are hot pot places, but Jongga Mandu has single dishes like dumpling soup and boiled mandu, so it's also easy to go solo.

I went myself on Monday, October 5, around 6:30 pm, and double-checked the prices against the tablet in the shop and the Naver Place menu (updated October 2).

Where is Jongga Mandu and how do you get there?

The address is 88 Supyo-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the building's first floor.

• Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 15: about 5 minutes on foot
• Euljiro 3-ga Station Exit 4: about 6 minutes on foot
• Jonggak Station Exit 4: about 10 minutes on foot
• Ikseon-dong: about 10 minutes on foot

In the evening the white Jongga Mandu sign is lit up, and the floor-to-ceiling windows let you see right into the shop from outside.

The signature dishes, handmade dumpling hot pot and bibim kalguksu, are written next to the sign, so it's easy to spot.

The banner at the entrance says half-and-half broth dumpling hot pot is ₩14,000 and clear or spicy handmade dumpling hot pot is ₩13,000, both per person, with orders for 2 or more.

Jongga Mandu hours, break time and parking

Jongga Mandu is open Monday to Saturday 11:00–21:30, with a break from 15:30 to 17:00. The hours are posted on the glass entrance door. It stays open into the evening on weekdays and Saturdays, but closes early on Sunday afternoons.

• Mon–Sat: 11:00–21:30 (break time 15:30–17:00)
• Last order: lunch 14:30, dinner 20:30
• Sunday: shop sign says 11:00–16:00, Naver Place says 11:00–15:30
• Parking: none at the shop; Jongno Sejong parking lot right in front, ₩6,000 per hour

The Sunday closing time differs by 30 minutes between the sign and Naver Place, so on Sundays it's safest to go at lunch.

Jongga Mandu on a weekday evening: what the room is like

It was around 6:30 pm on a weekday, and the tables toward the back of Jongga Mandu were already pretty full.

Every wooden table has a hot pot burner built into the middle, so the layout clearly assumes lots of hot pot diners. The big tables along the wall looked good for groups.

Jongga Mandu menu and prices

You order on the tablet attached to each table. Rice cake dumpling soup at ₩13,000 and boiled mandu at ₩10,000 were right there in the single-dish tab. These were the prices on Naver Place and the tablet.

• Half-and-half broth dumpling hot pot ₩14,000 (per person)
• Clear or spicy dumpling hot pot ₩13,000 (per person)
• Spicy beef brisket dumpling hot pot ₩16,000
• Mashed bibim kalguksu (spicy noodles) ₩12,000
• Rice cake dumpling soup ₩13,000
• Boiled mandu ₩10,000
• Fried mandu and fried shrimp ₩9,000 each

How does Jongga Mandu's rice cake dumpling soup (₩13,000) taste?

The rice cake dumpling soup comes in a gold-colored bowl with clear broth, topped with a heap of seaweed flakes. Round, little sliced rice cakes (jorangi tteok, shaped like small cocoons) float all over the top, with big dumplings tucked in between. It's also sprinkled with sliced chili, green onion and sesame seeds.

In the video you can see that the broth isn't cloudy, it's pretty clear.

The dumplings in the soup were a mix of white meat dumplings and ones with a reddish filling showing through. When I scooped one up with my spoon, it came up along with the rice cakes, that's how generous the portion is.

What comes in Jongga Mandu's boiled mandu (₩10,000)?

The boiled mandu comes on a gold plate, six dumplings arranged like a flower: three white meat dumplings and three kimchi dumplings with a red filling showing through.

Up close, the wrappers are so thin that you can see the color of the filling. The menu description also says thin wrappers packed full of filling. Each dumpling is a bit big for one bite, so I'd recommend cutting them in half.

In the video you can see a little oil seeping out onto the plate from the kimchi dumplings. They put the plate on top of the hot pot burner, so it doesn't cool down easily while you eat.

Dumpling soup + boiled mandu for ₩23,000: how many people does it feed?

Put the rice cake dumpling soup and the boiled mandu together and ₩23,000 gets you this spread. One dish with broth, one without, so it's a combo you won't get tired of.

I worked out combos for different situations using the Naver Place and tablet prices. Hot pot is priced per person and needs an order for 2 or more. Alone, the dumpling soup is enough; with two or more, adding boiled or fried mandu to a hot pot seemed like a safe choice.

The boiled mandu plate emptied first. The rice cake dumpling soup has lots of rice cakes, so one bowl alone is pretty filling.

What to know before visiting Jongga Mandu

Naver Place visit stats show the 11 am hour has the biggest share of visitors, dropping sharply after 1 pm.

• To avoid the lunch peak, go after 1 pm
• Break time is 15:30–17:00, no orders during that time
• Sundays close early in the afternoon, so go at lunch only
• Hot pot needs an order for 2 or more
• If driving, the paid lot right in front is ₩6,000 per hour; public transit recommended
• Group reservations (6–20 people) and takeout available

Jongga Mandu at a glance

• Location: 5 minutes on foot from Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 15, 6 minutes from Euljiro 3-ga Station Exit 4
• What was eaten: rice cake dumpling soup ₩13,000 + boiled mandu ₩10,000 = ₩23,000
• Dumpling soup: clear broth packed with rice cakes, heaped seaweed flakes
• Boiled mandu: 3 meat + 3 kimchi, thin wrappers show the filling
• Hours: Mon–Sat until 21:30 (break 15:30–17:00), early Sunday afternoon close

One-line summary: if you're going to a Jongno 3-ga restaurant for the dumplings themselves, rice cake dumpling soup with one plate of boiled mandu is all you need.