Sindang izakaya group dinner with whole squid jjamppong: Lucky Dragon

These days I'm busy juggling work and wedding prep. I didn't know this before I started, but wedding invitation gatherings turn out to take up a surprisingly big chunk of the whole process.

Picking a venue for these gatherings is always a headache, and out of the menus that feel appropriate for treating people, Western food always seemed like the safest bet, lol. I kept defaulting to Western restaurants every time, and even though my friends didn't seem to mind, I — the one organizing it all — got so sick of the greasiness haha (since my friends and acquaintances rotate each time, they don't notice). It took two days straight of eating Korean food afterward before my stomach finally settled again ^^

So this time I picked something other than Western food for the first time. An izakaya bar near Sindang Station! It was also my first time doing a wedding invitation gathering at an izakaya, so I was curious how it would go — and the result was extremely satisfying haha. I'll walk through the place and the food below!

How to find Lucky Dragon JCB Sindang from Sindang Station Exit 4

Lucky Dragon JCB Sindang turned out to be just a 2-minute walk from Sindang Station Exit 4. Great news if you're getting around on foot like me haha.

While hunting for a decent gathering spot I discovered Lucky Dragon, which was also my first time visiting Sindang Station at all — turns out there are quite a lot of good restaurants and bars tucked into the alleys around here!? Maybe I feel that way more because Lucky Dragon itself was so satisfying, haha.

Inside Lucky Dragon JCB Sindang: mood and seating for groups

The interior of Lucky Dragon JCB Sindang is warm overall, with a wood-toned design. Seats are split between 2-person tables and larger group tables, so both small get-togethers and gatherings of around 6 people work fine.

Looking around the interior again — overall it's a warm wood-toned space. Honestly it felt like stepping into a tiny bar in Japan :) With both 2-seat tables and larger group tables, it works well whether you come solo or in a group of about 6. We came straight from work on a weekday, so it was around 6:30, and the sun hadn't set yet, giving the place lovely natural light.

Spoiler ahead — by the time we finished up and left, it looked like this. Once the sun goes down it gets even more atmospheric >.<

Lucky Dragon JCB Sindang menu and prices

Lucky Dragon JCB Sindang has a QR code at every table for mobile ordering. This time we ordered mapo tofu (₩14,900), whole squid Nagasaki jjamppong soup (₩19,900), handmade yaki gyoza (₩6,900), lemon draft beer (₩5,900), and Zero Coke (₩2,000).

Once again I forgot to photograph the actual menu board, haha, so here's a sly substitute — the menu photo registered on Naver. Honestly since there's a QR code at every table, we ordered on mobile the whole time lol. That's also how I didn't even realize lunch and dinner had separate menus until I went looking for the menu board just now to write this review, lol.

• Mapo tofu — ₩14,900
• Whole squid Nagasaki jjamppong soup — ₩19,900
• Handmade yaki gyoza — ₩6,900
• Lemon draft beer — ₩5,900
• Zero Coke — ₩2,000

Reading through the menu board closely, it turns out mapo tofu and handmade yaki gyoza are the signature dishes!? When in doubt, picking a signature/popular menu item never fails, so we went with both, and the whole squid Nagasaki jjamppong soup was the pick of a friend who'd done some serious research beforehand :)

Right after ordering it was still bright out, so it had a real daytime-drinking vibe, lol. I can't really drink, so I went with Zero Coke ^.^ My friend ordered the lemon draft beer, and said it was really good — the lemon scent alone was so fragrant that even non-drinker me wanted a sip, haha.

Is the signature mapo tofu worth ordering?

Lucky Dragon JCB Sindang's signature mapo tofu (₩14,900) had soft, pillowy tofu and a sauce that was spicy with real depth of flavor. My friend said she could even detect a hint of mala spice.

Lucky Dragon's signature mapo tofu ★ Honestly I rarely order mapo tofu, so I went in with low expectations, and wow — it was so good. The tofu was truly soft and pillowy, and that sauce with just the right spicy-savory balance drove me crazy ★ (my friend said she could kind of taste mala spice in it too! People who like mala would probably love this.) It was so addictive that later I had to resist ordering a bowl of rice just to mix it into that sauce ^^ haha.

Whole squid Nagasaki jjamppong soup, the best dish to drink with

My friend's pick, the whole squid Nagasaki jjamppong soup (₩19,900), comes with an entire squid dropped in whole. It's not even a signature dish, but the broth was so rich it got the best reaction as a drinking snack at Lucky Dragon JCB Sindang.

This was my friend's pick — the whole squid Nagasaki jjamppong soup. Not even a signature menu item, yet is it really allowed to be this generous and the broth this rich and delicious? A whole squid, literally the entire thing, goes into the bowl, and seen from above it really looks generous! The broth was the real deal, perfect as a drinking snack. My friend genuinely went a little crazy (?) eating this — seeing that made me so proud I'd brought her along >.<

Handmade yaki gyoza, the last plate we added

The handmade yaki gyoza (₩6,900) wasn't something we ordered from the start — we added it at the end after trying the mains. The menu description claimed it was a little tastier than Bibigo's, but it was way better than that.

Honestly this wasn't something we ordered from the beginning — it was the handmade yaki gyoza we added at the end. Having tried each of the main dishes one by one, I just knew — ah, everything here is going to be good! The vibe was great, the food was delicious, and it felt like a shame to leave without trying more, so we ordered this, and sure enough it was so good ㅠ. The menu description said it's a little tastier than Bibigo's, but honestly, chef, it's not a little — it's way, way tastier.

The final photo, where I'm not sure if this was a wedding invitation gathering or a food binge, lol. Every single dish was so good that we scraped the plates clean. My only regret is not mixing rice into that jjamppong broth, and not mixing rice into that mapo tofu sauce (?).

Does Lucky Dragon JCB Sindang work for a friends' gathering?

Next time I want to try the Chinese-style soba and kurobuta — those are also signature menu items, haha. I'm already excited just thinking about how good they'll be.

If you're looking for an izakaya near Sindang Station with a great atmosphere and great food, give Lucky Dragon JCB Sindang a try! It was such a great spot for our wedding invitation gathering too, haha. You won't regret it :))