Hapjeong Indian restaurant for chicken tikka: Mandala Indian Lounge

Hapjeong, where I went craving Indian curry

I spent quite a long time in India this year, but I came back without eating a single Indian meal. A while back, when I once had local curry in India, it was so good it genuinely shocked me. I'd only ever eaten Ottogi curry in Korea, and then I had the real thing and the taste was completely different. I wanted to have it once on this trip but never got the chance, so I figured I'd at least eat it in Korea and went to a great Indian curry place.

The Hapjeong Indian restaurant I visited this time, Mandala Indian Lounge (만다라 인도 라운지), is about a 5-minute walk from Hapjeong Station, and it's not that far if you're hanging out around Hongdae either, which I think is nice.

The address is 3F, 26 Dongmak-ro 3-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea (서울특별시 마포구 독막로3길 26 3층), hours are 12:00–23:30, and last order is 23:00.

The restaurant is on the 3rd floor.

From the way up, the interior already had an Indian feel that caught my eye.

A modern, white-toned dining room

Usually when you go to an Indian restaurant it's decked out in that distinctive Indian-style décor. But this place had a modern feel in white tones.

The place felt spacious and pleasant, and the round tables and 4-person square tables were laid out with generous spacing, so it was easy to chat and eat comfortably without interference from other tables. The window seats have floor-to-ceiling glass, so you can watch the street outside while you eat.

The atmosphere is nice too, so it works as a Hapjeong date spot and is a decent place to meet up with friends as well.

A varied menu, from sets to curries

Here's the menu at Mandala Indian Lounge, the Hapjeong Indian restaurant.

If you want to order several things, ordering a set menu lets you eat a bit more cheaply. At lunch in particular there's also a single-person set, so if you end up going to Hongdae for lunch, ordering this is a good option too.

The curries came in a huge range of types: chicken, lamb, shrimp, paneer (house-made cheese), vegetable, and lentil/bean. I didn't expect there to be this many. There are tandoor dishes, appetizers and even salads, so you can order all sorts of things.

There were cocktails and wine, and hookah too.

There's also a receipt review event — write one and show it to the staff and you get a naan on the house.

Chicken tikka, chicken makhani and butter garlic naan

At Mandala Indian Lounge, the Hongdae-area Indian restaurant, I picked three things: chicken tikka from the tandoor section, chicken makhani from the chicken curries, and butter garlic naan.

Boneless chicken tikka that's easy to eat with a fork

The tandoor chicken tikka came out first — I'd originally meant to order the tandoori chicken, but they said it was sold out, so this was my second choice.

I thought it would come on skewers like in the photo, but they took them all off and brought it out ready to eat. The boneless chicken tikka was piled in the middle, with pickles and sauces on the side to cut the richness.

All the bones were removed, so it was super easy to pick up with a fork. The meat wasn't dry either — it was tender and so good. The spice flavor wasn't too strong or hot, so it's a taste that people who aren't used to Indian spices can enjoy without worry.

Soft, nutty chicken makhani

I also tried the chicken makhani, which came in a wide bowl. The taste was completely different from the curry I usually eat!! First of all, it was incredibly soft, and the nutty richness was no joke.

There was chicken in the curry too, so it was sooo good.

Butter garlic naan dipped in the makhani curry

When I go to an Indian restaurant I order butter garlic naan rather than plain naan. Once you try this you can't eat any other naan lol. It was nicely browned and really rich and nutty.

Tear off a big piece by hand and dunk it deep into the soft chicken makhani curry, and the sweet, nutty curry sauce soaks right into the chewy naan — the taste is unreal. Curry and naan really is the best combo. If you get a craving now and then for something out of the ordinary rather than your everyday food, how about ordering some Indian food at Mandala Indian Lounge in Hapjeong?