Bulgogi hot pot course with sotbap at a Gwanghwamun Korean restaurant

If you're planning a family meal with elders, a formal business meeting, or the most nerve-wracking event of all — a matchmaking meeting — the first thing you have to figure out is where to hold it. You don't want anywhere too stiff or heavy, but you also can't compromise on clean, well-made food and a calm private space.

I found a Gwanghwamun hanjeongsik meeting spot that checked every one of those boxes and is perfect for family matchmaking meals too: Modam Dining Gwanghwamun.

Where is Modam Dining Gwanghwamun, and what should you know before going?

• 10 Saemunan-ro 2-gil, Deoksugung D-Palace B1 B102·B103, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Daily 11:00–22:00 / Break time 15:00–17:00 / Last order 20:10
• 2 hours free parking with basement parking at the D-Palace building
• Naver reservations available; private rooms for 4 to large groups, high chairs on hand

It sits in the basement of Deoksugung D-Palace, right near Gwanghwamun and Seodaemun stations, so public transit access is excellent. Step through the entrance and you leave the chaotic office towers behind for something that feels like a hushed, tidy gallery — a sleek, modern hanok mood.

Private rooms and the calm interior at Modam Dining Gwanghwamun

The moment you walk in, the warm wood tones paired with ivory surfaces put you instantly at ease.

The lighting is set with soft pin spots, keeping the room dim just enough that you can focus fully on conversation.

Even the hall seating is roomy, with wide gaps between tables and booth-style partitions for a comfortable meal,

and down the hallway there are fully enclosed private rooms too.

From small groups of 4 up to 8-plus, everyone gets a private space — one look around and it's easy to see why this place is known around Gwanghwamun as a go-to spot for matchmaking meetings and family birthday gatherings!

What comes in the hanwoo bulgogi hot pot course with sotbap?

We ordered the hanwoo grade 1++ bulgogi jeongol (beef and mushroom hot pot) for two! We kept one as plain rice and swapped the other for sotbap (rice cooked in a stone pot, +₩3,000) haha.

Appetizers: mushroom gangjeong and perilla oil capellini

The biggest strength of Modam Dining is that everything doesn't land on the table at once — it's served neatly, course by course. I also noticed the thoughtful touch of shared serving chopsticks set on the table for easy portioning. The seasonal porridge that opened the course was mung-bean based, its gentle sweetness and nuttiness warming and soothing an empty stomach.

Next came a crisp cheongyang chili water kimchi, aged just right so the broth was tangy and spicy yet refreshing, resetting my palate throughout the meal. The fresh salad came with a fragrant yuzu-based dressing for brightness, and the pine nut mustard chicken salad — chicken breast and vegetables tossed in a sharp mustard sauce — had a subtle nuttiness that kept the tang pleasant rather than overwhelming.

The second course brought seasonal raw fish, pickle ceviche, Modam-style fritters, and perilla oil capellini!

Among the starters, the dish that stole the show for both eyes and taste buds was the mushroom gangjeong (sweet crispy fritters)!

The outside fried up satisfyingly crisp, and inside, the mushroom was juicy and chewy. Drizzled with a creamy house sauce and cheddar, it was so much cleaner and more savory than pork sweet-and-sour — honestly amazing fritters with an insane sauce on this one.

Plated like a painting on a clear glass plate, the smoked salmon ceviche came with crisp vegetables and a tangy horseradish tartar sauce — perfect for a bright, refreshing bite.

And then came Modam's signature dish that so many people rave about — the perilla oil capellini! It's a cold pasta of thin capellini noodles tossed generously with traditional Korean perilla oil, tsuyu sauce, shredded perilla leaf, and whole perilla seeds. One toss with the chopsticks and the first bite sent nutty perilla aroma exploding through my whole mouth — I couldn't help but gasp.

Beef bulgogi mushroom hot pot and stone-pot bibimbap

For the hearty main course, they brought out beef bulgogi mushroom jeongol and stone pot bibimbap.

Inside the piping hot stone pot sat neatly arranged egg garnish, zucchini, carrot, mung bean jelly, shiitake mushroom, and sautéed beef — even the sound of stirring it with a spoon was appetizing. I'd actually debated whether to add sotbap or not... but it turned out so much better than expected, so I'd definitely recommend upgrading to it!

The four side dishes served with the meal (spinach namul, napa cabbage kimchi, salted seafood, and sautéed eggplant) also had a mild, deep home-cooked flavor with no artificial seasoning taste. The beef bulgogi mushroom jeongol, simmered right at the table on an induction burner, was loaded with fresh enoki mushroom, shiitake, napa cabbage, scallion, and tender beef.

The broth, built from vegetable and meat stock, was mildly sweet and deep without being harsh — the kind that satisfies everyone from grandparents to kids without complaint.

Dessert at Modam Dining: chilled plum tea

After filling up on the mains, jeongol, and bibimbap, the meal wraps up with a chilled plum tea that cleans the palate. Its sweet, refreshing plum aroma washed away any greasiness and put a perfect period on the end of a Korean course haha.

Why Modam Dining Gwanghwamun works for a family hanjeongsik meal

• A clean, easy-on-the-stomach fusion hanjeongsik with modern touches like perilla oil capellini and mushroom gangjeong
• A calm, gallery-like mood with fully private rooms, well suited for matchmaking meetings and family gatherings
• The weekday lunch Modam-sang set is ₩19,900 and includes everything from appetizers to the jeongol main and dessert
• 2 hours of free building basement parking right in central Gwanghwamun

If you're looking for a space where formality and comfort coexist to treat the people you care about to a thoughtfully prepared meal, I'd highly recommend visiting Modam Dining Gwanghwamun!!