Three-generation birthday table at Balsan Korean restaurant: Mikodam
In short
Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch is a Korean set-menu restaurant right across from the NC Department Store at Balsan Station in Gangseo, Seoul. Four people spanning three generations ordered the 3-person set plus a 1,000 won bowl of rice and shared flounder seaweed soup, cockles dressed two ways in soy sauce and vinegar, beef jeon and grilled mackerel, with every side dish except the mackerel refilled free through the kiosk. The table was packed end to end and both the grandmother and the child were happy, so Mikodam is already the pick for the next birthday.
Good to know
- Set composition
- 3-person set = 1 serving seaweed soup + 2 servings cockle bibim + 1 side dish
- Add-on
- Bowl of rice, 1,000 won extra
- Birthday perk
- Large beef jeon worth 27,000 won free on birthday visits
- Seaweed soup choices
- Beef / flounder / abalone
- Side dish refills
- Unlimited except mackerel, ordered through the kiosk
- Parking
- Parking tower in the building, 3 hours free
- Seating
- 4-person sofa seats, private room, high chairs available, strollers welcome
- After the meal
- Warm popped corn, plum tea, sikhye, coffee
- Event
- Free rolled omelette for a Naver receipt review
- Hours
- Daily 11:00 to 22:00
- Address
- 42 Gangseo-ro 54-gil, 1st floor, Unit 2, Gangseo-gu, Seoul
- Price reference
- ₩1,000 ≈ $0.7 · ₩27,000 ≈ $19.5 (2026-09-20)
as written by the visitor on Sep 20, 2026
Met up with my mom today for a rare full-family outing. Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch is right in front of the NC Department Store at Balsan Station, super easy to find, and the building has a spacious parking tower with 3 hours free — parking was amazing. More importantly, the menu and atmosphere were perfect for visiting with parents and a kid across three generations. Totally satisfied!
Where is Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch, and where do you park?
Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch is on the first floor of the building right in front of the NC Department Store at Balsan Station. Parking was so convenient, and the lot was spacious — perfect for a big family visit.
Staff guided us very kindly, and you just take your time browsing the kiosk to order.
They say Mikodam sources every ingredient carefully — the seaweed, cockles, rice, mackerel — which supposedly makes the flavor on a whole different level. It's famous for winning over even older diners' palates, so I had high expectations.
What comes in the 3-person set, and what does extra rice cost?
Mikodam's 3-person set comes with 1 serving of seaweed soup, 2 servings of cockle bibim, and 1 side dish. Since we were 3 adults plus 1 kid, we added a ₩1,000 bowl of rice to the 3-person set. There are also set menus and à la carte course items.
(I was going to order the 4-person set, but figured our kid wouldn't eat much, so I went with the 3-person set — totally satisfied.)
If you visit on your birthday, they give you a large beef jeon (pan-fried beef) worth ₩27,000 as a free service. The beef jeon is genuinely delicious, so make sure to book on birthdays. There's also a private room, great for gatherings and birthdays.
Seating at Mikodam: sofa seats, private room and high chairs
The basic 4-person seats at Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch are spacious sofa seating — very comfortable, clean, and pleasant.
The private room for group gatherings looked clean and nice too. It was full on a weekend evening — definitely reserve ahead! It's a perfect spot for a cozy get-together.
Plenty of high chairs are on hand, and strollers can come in too. It's a kid-friendly restaurant where the whole family can relax.
Warm corn tea, plum tea, sikhye (sweet rice punch), and coffee are ready for dessert. The bathrooms were spotless too!
Premium Wando seaweed, top-grade Beolgyo and Yeosu cockles, freshly cooked Sindongjin rice, Norwegian mackerel — Mikodam claims to deliver the best flavor through top-tier ingredients.
If you participate in the Naver receipt review event, they give you a free rolled egg. Definitely worth doing.
The full Mikodam table, served in 10 minutes
After ordering, we waited about 10 minutes and then this incredible spread came out. It's the 3-person set, but... the portions were massive. A big table completely packed with a full Korean set meal — so good.
We ordered the 3-person set, but since we added rice, they kindly brought out four soup bowls too. My mom loved the fully packed table right away (older folks are just happy when the table is loaded, haha).
The Norwegian mackerel is oven-baked with the fat drained off for a clean, light taste. The chicory salad had a spicy-sweet-sour dressing that was so good, and the japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) — wow, seriously a japchae specialist. Rich, chewy, great. The stir-fried pork felt like a main dish on its own.
Cockles two ways at Mikodam: soy sauce vs vinegar dressing
We ordered one soy-sauce cockle and one vinegar-dressed cockle. Both came in generous portions.
The soy version tastes like the famous Gangneung Eomjine cockle place (honey-sweet). The vinegar version is spicy, tossed with cabbage and gochujang vinegar sauce.
How were the side dishes at Mikodam?
The side dishes were genuinely good, every single one. Jellyfish cucumber salad — clean and tangy, great for whetting the appetite. Gopchang gim (seasoned seaweed) — wow, the seaweed was truly crisp, tasting like the expensive stuff. The fresh cabbage kimchi seemed freshly made on the spot. Pickled onions were clean-tasting. The tricolor namul (seasoned vegetables) — bracken fern, soybean paste greens, mung bean sprouts.
The seasoning was mild and suited everyone's taste, adult and child alike. There were plenty of dishes for the kids to eat too. Seaweed, namul, mackerel, seaweed soup, rolled egg — all top-notch.
The beef jeon was heavenly too. The meat is so tender it melts in your mouth. One bite of beef jeon and you're just happy. My mom really enjoyed it.
The mackerel wasn't salty at all, mildly seasoned and delicious. Peel off the slightly charred bit and there's pale, tender flesh underneath — very moist with deep flavor. Our kid absolutely loved the grilled mackerel.
Flounder seaweed soup, the right soup for a birthday table
Mikodam's seaweed soup comes in beef, flounder, or abalone, and we chose flounder. A whole flounder was in the bowl, plus tons of clams, and the broth was very refreshing.
Made with Wando seaweed, so the flavor is rich. This place is a seaweed soup specialist. Personally, the seaweed soup was the best part. (Genuinely a great place to come for a birthday.)
We also made cockle bibimbap! Both the soy and vinegar cockles were delicious with rice. As we ate, the side dishes on the table started disappearing. And the key thing about this place — everything except the mackerel is unlimited refill.
Refilling side dishes through the kiosk
At Mikodam, you can easily refill side dishes through the kiosk. Just tap to order japchae, stir-fried pork, or gopchang gim, and staff kindly bring it right over. (Refilling main-dish-level sides with no extra charge — seriously want to shout about it.)
The refill dishes! They give really generous portions too. Generous, delicious, kind — a restaurant older folks will love. A Korean restaurant I strongly recommend for a family visit with kids and elders alike, 100% satisfying... (Mikodam is definitely the spot for the next birthday.)
Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch: hours, address and parking
- Address: 42 Gangseo-ro 54-gil, 1st floor, Unit 2, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
- Hours: Daily 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
- Parking: Building parking tower, 3 hours free
Another delicious full table today, haha.
Where it is
42 Gangseo-ro 54-gil, 1st floor, Unit 2, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 강서구 강서로54길 42 1층 2호
