Mangwon Market Japanese restaurant with figurine window seats: Padong

Padong, a Japanese rice-bowl restaurant near Mangwon Market — a real Mangwon find~

It was a weekday afternoon when I went out for a walk around Mangwon-dong. I stopped by Padong, a Japanese restaurant near Mangwon Market, for a slightly early dinner. It's not a big place, but it's a hidden gem tucked into one of Mangwon's cute little alleys. The prices are reasonable and the food is good, the kind of place that makes you want to come back again. I especially fell for the kimchi cheese nabe piled high with mozzarella cheese. Let me walk you through the menu recommendations and my Padong review~

How to find Padong: 2 minutes from the Mangwon Market entrance, and where to park

Padong is located down an alley to the right if you go straight from the Mangwon Market entrance. It's 151m (a 2-minute walk) from the Mangwon Market entrance, and 248m (a 4-minute walk) from Mangwon Station Exit 2 — so it's convenient whether you're coming from the market or the station. Most restaurants and cafés around here don't have their own parking lots, so you'll need to use a nearby public lot. For parking, use Public Parking Lot 1-2 next to the Mangwon 1-dong Community Center.

Inside Padong: a cozy basement room with figurines on the window ledge

Walking into Padong, I found a small, cozy space nicely decorated in a cute style. Maybe it was the lighting, or maybe it was the adorable figurines, but the first impression was warm and welcoming.

Since we came in for an early dinner, we got a good seat.

They had cute figurines lined up in a row, so adorable~^^

From our table, we could see cute Pokémon figures — Charmander and Snorlax — through the window. So cute~^^ This seat is a prime spot!

Padong's menu and prices

• Futomaki ₩16,000
• Mazesoba ₩12,000
• Basil soba ₩13,000
• Kimchi cheese nabe ₩15,000
• Steak rice bowl ₩13,000
• Tuna rice bowl ₩15,000
• Salmon rice bowl ₩15,000

Pretty reasonable prices, right? Good prices plus good taste — this place has earned a real word-of-mouth reputation in the neighborhood.

The three dishes we ordered at Padong

Steak rice bowl (₩13,000), salmon rice bowl (₩15,000), kimchi cheese nabe (₩15,000). We also ordered a lemonade and a Sprite. The lemonade wasn't too sour, which I personally liked.

A generous spread arrived at the table.

Steak rice bowl, 13,000 won

Padong's steak rice bowl is topped with hanger steak and vegetables, finished with a special sauce.

The steak was so tender it melted in my mouth. It's a rice bowl, but the beef was so good I wanted to just pick out the steak and eat that alone. It made me think of my son, who loves steak. Funny how good food always makes you think of family~^^

Salmon rice bowl, 15,000 won

Padong's salmon rice bowl comes with thick, well-aged salmon on top.

The salmon was really thick yet tender. My husband said the salmon rice bowl was exactly his taste.

Try it with a bit of wasabi, then pour on the soy sauce that comes with it for an even better bite. Honestly, the rice is the most important part of any rice bowl. If the rice isn't good, no matter how great the toppings are, I never feel fully satisfied. Padong's rice is cooked really well, so paired with fresh ingredients, it made for a genuinely delicious Japanese rice bowl.

Kimchi cheese nabe (kimchi and cheese hot pot), 15,000 won: mozzarella and 3 shrimp tempura

And the highlight of the day was the kimchi cheese nabe. We started with the steak and salmon rice bowls and saved the nabe for last — big mistake! I ended up eating the cheese-topped dish last of all. Luckily, the stone pot kept it hot enough that the cheese stayed soft and stretchy. Haha.

It stretches and stretches~ Is this cheese pull for real? Wow~ They really didn't hold back on the mozzarella. Plus there are three big handmade shrimp tempura pieces inside. The broth, enriched with kimchi's savory depth, is mild rather than sharp. The spice level is low enough that even kids could eat it — basically no heat at all. I found myself wondering what all the kimchi nabe I'd eaten before even was, this one was that good. I really recommend this dish at Padong~^^

Is Padong worth a return trip in Mangwon-dong?

There are tons of good restaurants and cafés in the alleys around Mangwon Market and Mangwon Station. Even though I visit Mangwon Market often, this was my first time at Padong. It's a small place, but one with a comfortable feel — and a cute, well-decorated one too. The food is good and the prices are reasonable, so I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a good meal in Mangwon-dong.

Padong hours, parking and address

• Address: 서울 마포구 월드컵로17길 47 지하1층 (47 World Cup-ro 17-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, basement 1F)
• Hours: Daily 11:30–21:00
• Closed every Monday
• No break time
• May close early if ingredients run out~
• No parking on site