Gyodae Station Chinese restaurant for first-time dim sum: Maeranbang

I was visiting Seoul and wanted to eat something different from what I usually have. While sipping a morning coffee, I searched for good restaurants near Gyodae Station, and the upscale Chinese restaurant Maeranbang popped right up, so I booked and went straight there.

In person, the interior was stylish and the mood was great, so I'd recommend it for a company dinner. Let me show you around~!

Where is Maeranbang Gyodae Branch, and what are the hours and parking?

Maeranbang Gyodae Branch is only a 3-minute walk from Gyodae Station Exit 9, and just 1 minute from Exit 14! It's close to the subway, so it's easy to get to.

• Hours: daily 11:00-21:50
• Break time: 15:00-17:00
• Last order: 20:20
• Open 365 days, no closing days
• Parking: the lot next to the building is available, ₩3,000 for the first 30 minutes / +₩1,000 per 10 minutes / max ₩10,000 (valet service available)

I don't drive, so I took the subway. It was a day with a heat wave warning, so being right by the subway exit was so nice! The restaurant is on the first basement floor, next to a 7-Eleven.

Like a proper upscale Chinese restaurant, the stairs down aren't gloomy at all; they already feel classy.

Inside Maeranbang Gyodae Branch: are the rooms good for company dinners and family meetings?

The inside is really spacious, with lots of tables. The decor has the feel of a Hong Kong five-star hotel: glamorous yet clean and elegant.

The round tables are separated by partitions, so even in the main hall you can dine privately, which I liked. There are also group rooms, so it seems good for company dinners.

Further inside, there are private rooms in a row. They'd be great for eating while talking quietly. Probably fine for a first meeting between two families (sanggyeonrye) too!

This is the VIP room. In dramas, important people have deep conversations over meals in places like this, so it felt a little surreal to be there haha

Apparently a drama was actually filmed here, and important people dine in this VIP room on big occasions. It's a popular room, so reservations are a must!

I booked a round table in the main hall. The whole place isn't noisy, so you don't have to take a room to be comfortable😆

Maeranbang Gyodae Branch menu and set course prices

The menu at Maeranbang Gyodae Branch is really varied: appetizers, dim sum, special dishes, noodles, rice dishes and course meals. I ordered one plump crab soup as a starter. The chef's recommendations, mala corn ribs and eggplant mentaiko-style shrimp toast (menbosha), also sound great, and I definitely want to try them next time haha

Dim sum: 7 kinds, 3 pieces each

• Handmade xiaolongbao (soup dumplings)
• Juicy shrimp har gow
• Gucaijiao (chive dumplings)
• Soft chive cheung fun (rice noodle rolls)
• Truffle crystal dumplings
• Wedding siu mai
• Mala xiaolongbao

I wanted to order one of each, but I had to get main dishes too, so I held back..^^ The dim sum I ordered were the handmade xiaolongbao and the wedding siu mai.

Special dishes, noodles and rice

For the special dish, I ordered eoyang donggo (fried shrimp-stuffed shiitake in eoyang sauce). There was so much I wanted, like tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork), yusanseul, yangjangpi, dongpayuk and seafood nurungji soup, but I'd been craving eoyang donggo for ages!

There are noodles and rice dishes too. Next time I'm definitely trying the jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup)..

6 set courses, from ₩18,000 to ₩90,000 per person

There are 6 courses in total at Maeranbang Gyodae Branch, from a budget ₩18,000 course up to the Maeranbang Signature Course S at ₩90,000 per person. The ₩90,000 one would be nice to enjoy on an anniversary.

How were the crab soup, eoyang donggo and dim sum at Maeranbang?

Plump crab soup

The crab soup came in a deep bowl. The egg whites were fluffy and soft, with a cloud-like texture that surprised me! There was quite a lot of crab meat too. Nice, perfect as an appetizer.

Main dish: eoyang donggo (stuffed shiitake mushrooms)

Eoyang donggo, the main dish of our meal, is shiitake mushrooms stuffed with shrimp, fried, then coated in eoyang sauce.

Look how packed with shrimp it is! The bouncy shrimp and shiitake go together so well. They're quite big and you can't eat one in a single bite, so I cut them into bite-size pieces with scissors.

Topped with plenty of eoyang sauce, it's insanely good~ Think of eoyang sauce as a kind of Chinese chili sauce: a little spicy, tangy and sweet.

First-time dim sum: xiaolongbao and wedding siu mai

Honestly, this was my first time ever eating dim sum haha The xiaolongbao was so juicy, wow! It felt like a moist meat dumpling!

I ordered the wedding siu mai because I heard it's shaped like a lucky pouch with shrimp and meat inside. First, it's cute haha It was a little chewy and soft, with a slight truffle aroma, and I loved it!

Hallabong sherbet from the review event

The hallabong (Korean tangerine) sherbet I got from the review event! Chinese food leaves your mouth a bit oily, so finishing with a refreshing sherbet is perfect. With dessert included, there's no need to go to a café afterward~

Maeranbang Gyodae Branch verdict: which occasions is it best for?

Elegant interior and delicious food: Maeranbang is a great pick near Gyodae Station! The service was satisfying too, so I'd like to come back.

• A Chinese restaurant with rooms, recommended for first meetings between families, family outings and company dinners✔️
• It has high-end courses too, so it works for important VIP meals✔️
• Corkage is available (₩20,000 per bottle)✔️
• You can bring in and eat your own cake, so I recommend it for anniversary meals✔️