Kid-friendly Dongdaemun restaurant: polpo risotto & gnocchi, Athlonga

We were visiting Dongdaemun DDP, wondering what to have for dinner, and ended up taking my husband and our kid to 'Athlonga' (아스론가), a Dongdaemun DDP favorite. It's a really curious place. You'd never expect a Western restaurant above an old alley like this, haha.

You climb a narrow staircase between a real estate office and a church, and suddenly there's a stylish restaurant on the 3rd floor. What a twist... honestly, it even made me a little giddy ✨ And the polpo risotto I tried really... tasted like the salty risotto I had in Spain, so my spoon just wouldn't stop.

How to get to Athlonga and where to park

Athlonga is on the 3rd floor of a building a 1-minute walk from Exit 7 of Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station. The building has no parking lot, but at the paid lot 100 m away, tell them you're visiting Athlonga and it's ₩10,000 with no time limit after 5 pm!

The way there can be a bit confusing. The area around it is Central Asian Mongol Town and Russian Town, so the street has an exotic feel. A Western restaurant hiding in the middle of that is a huge twist, haha.

What's the atmosphere like at Athlonga?

Climb the narrow stairs and open the 3rd-floor door, and a completely different world from outside unfolds.

Dim lighting, exposed concrete walls, acrylic tables, and light leaking through the blinds make it atmospheric yet comfortable.

One side has a wine fridge and bar seats, a perfect mood for a date! Records and art posters hang on the walls, and the whole space has real character, so for atmosphere it was overwhelmingly the best among Dongdaemun DDP restaurants. We actually went with our kid, and even the kid said, "Mom, this place is cool," haha.

Athlonga's menu and what we ordered

Athlonga offers a wide range: pasta, steak, gnocchi, salad, dessert, wine, highballs and more. Here's what we ordered.

• Polpo risotto (octopus ink risotto)
• Truffle cream gnocchi
• Mango sorbet (received through a review event)

What does Athlonga's polpo risotto taste like?

Athlonga's polpo risotto is cooked with squid ink, and a whole octopus leg sits on top of the jet-black risotto. The look alone floored us!

With the first spoonful I thought, "This is exactly what I ate in Spain." It was salty with deep savory flavor, and my spoon kept going back in. The rice wasn't al dente but cooked to a texture Korean diners like, and that actually turned out better.

Because as I ate, I kept hitting something chewy, and when I looked closely... it seemed they had diced the octopus meat to the size of rice grains and cooked it in together! So the texture is varied and delightfully chewy, and I realized that's why they didn't cook the rice al dente. Maybe only real food nerds notice this, haha.

I also asked for pickles on the side, and they refreshed my palate now and then, so I never got tired of it to the end. A Dongdaemun DDP restaurant serving a dish this balanced and thoughtful at this price...!

Can you order the truffle cream gnocchi without truffle?

At Athlonga they gladly accepted my request to leave the truffle out of the truffle cream gnocchi. I don't particularly like truffle, so I mentioned it and they took it out. Such thoughtful care really touched me!

Even so, the gnocchi came soaked in a mushroom-scented cream sauce, and the texture was chewy and soft, almost like tteok (rice cake).

The portion was generous too! The cream was rich and smooth with a burst of savory flavor, and my husband kept saying, "This is really good." The cheese melting gently on top looked lovely as well.

The mango sorbet our kid loved

Athlonga's mango sorbet was a dessert we got through a review event.

The mango sorbet comes in a glass bowl, surrounded by walnuts, nuts and coconut flakes.

Our kid's eyes lit up the moment they saw it, and they scraped the bowl clean, haha. Tangy mango with nutty crunch was a perfect after-meal dessert. I meant to eat it myself, but my kid took it from me 😂

Athlonga pros, cons and who it suits

Pros

• ✅ Care and effort in every dish
• ✅ Gladly accepted the request to skip truffle
• ✅ Diced octopus texture in the polpo risotto
• ✅ Hidden-gem atmosphere
• ✅ Parking ₩10,000 after 5 pm
• ✅ Last order at 11 pm, so late dinners are fine

Cons

• ❌ The way there can be confusing the first time
• ❌ The place is small, so reservations are a must

Who Athlonga is for

• 👉 Anyone looking for a Dongdaemun DDP restaurant
• 👉 Anyone who wants a meal in an atmospheric Western restaurant
• 👉 Anyone who wants carefully made fine-casual dining
• 👉 Anyone who loves discovering hidden gems

Would I go back? One-line review

I fell for Athlonga three times that evening: first for the twist of a Western restaurant hidden on the 3rd floor above an alley, second for the salty, deep savory flavor of the polpo risotto, and third for the kindness of gladly accepting my request to skip the truffle. If you're wondering where to eat near Dongdaemun DDP, I really recommend it!

A hidden Western restaurant above an alley, where one spoonful brings back Spain

100% I'll be back! Next time I want to try the pasta and steak too :)

• Taste: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
• Price: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
• Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
• Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)