Jongno 3-ga dumpling spot hand-making mandu at the door: Jongga Mandu

It had been a while since I'd been to Jongno 3-ga, and the neighborhood still had that unmistakable Jongno atmosphere, with delicious spots tucked into every corner. Among them, the entrance of Jongga Mandu (종가만두), a mandu hot pot restaurant everyone raves about, was packed with people even on a weekday. I went and had a great meal there too : )

Where to find Jongga Mandu in Jongno 3-ga, and its hours

Jongga Mandu is located at 88 Supyo-ro, 1st floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It's open Mon-Sat 11:00-21:20 and Sunday 11:00-15:30, with a break time from 15:30 to 17:00.

How long is the wait at Jongga Mandu on a weekday lunch?

Even on a weekday lunch, there was a wait at Jongga Mandu, and we got in after about 10 minutes. Jongga Mandu in Jongno 3-ga is already famous as an office workers' favorite in the area, and it's also popular as a place people are willing to queue for. Despite the weekday visit, there were so many customers that my friend, who arrived first, wrote our name on the waiting board right away.

Jongga Mandu in Jongno 3-ga is open every day, with a break time of 15:30-17:00, and closes earlier on Sundays, so it's worth keeping in mind if you're planning a visit. The menu is posted right at the entrance too, so I looked it over while waiting.

After about a 10-minute wait, we were able to go in, and probably because it was weekday lunchtime, Jongga Mandu in Jongno 3-ga was really bustling, with customers coming in nonstop.

Hand-pinched dumplings, made right at the front of the store

At the front of Jongga Mandu, staff were making the dumplings that go into the hot pot right there in front of customers. They pinched the dumplings so quickly and neatly that it really made me think, a mandu specialty restaurant is on another level!

How to order, and what comes in the clear mandu hot pot for two

At Jongga Mandu you check the menu and order via a tablet on the table. My friend and I debated what to get and ended up ordering the clear mandu hot pot (맑은 만두전골) for two.

The food came out really quickly after ordering — the hot pot arrived along with kimchi, pickled radish, kalguksu noodles, and the dumplings.

Jongga Mandu's mandu hot pot comes with 4 dumplings per serving. We didn't specify a type, so they gave us a mix of kimchi mandu and meat mandu.

Because these are hand-made dumplings, they felt totally different from mass-produced ones, and they were pinched so beautifully. Just looking at them, I thought, this is what hand-made mandu really looks like.

How's the fried mandu at Jongga Mandu?

The fried mandu we ordered alongside was crispy on the outside and moist inside. It felt different from fried mandu I've had before, and both the texture and flavor were really good.

How to cook the clear mandu hot pot, and how it tastes

Inside the Jongga Mandu hot pot were bean sprouts, bok choy, mushrooms, and other vegetables that pair well with a hot pot, and once the broth came to a boil, all we had to do was add the dumplings.

The clear mandu hot pot boiled quickly, and when I scooped up dumplings and vegetables together, the broth was really clean and went perfectly with both.

The dumplings at Jongga Mandu in Jongno 3-ga tasted even better than I'd expected — both the meat mandu and kimchi mandu were packed full of filling and really delicious. The wrapper wasn't too thick, so there wasn't an overpowering flour taste, and the broth soaked into the dumplings so well — it was so good!

Finishing the mandu hot pot with kalguksu noodles

After scooping out all the dumplings and vegetables from the Jongga Mandu hot pot, you drop the kalguksu noodles that come with it right into the broth.

We boiled the kalguksu noodles hard for about 5 minutes, and they picked up the seasoning of the broth perfectly, making for a really delicious noodle finish. The clear mandu hot pot broth was clean yet deep in flavor, and it paired incredibly well with the kalguksu noodles.

Would I go back to Jongga Mandu in Jongno 3-ga?

A mandu hot pot is the perfect dish for this cool weather we've been having lately. Having been there myself, I really understand now why people are willing to wait in line to eat at Jongga Mandu in Jongno 3-ga! Both the value and the taste were excellent, so next time I'm looking for a great mandu hot pot restaurant in Jongno 3-ga, I'll head straight back to Jongga Mandu without a second thought : )