Sunday 5pm second-seating pork omakase in Magok, Seoul: Don Tamguso

My husband and I have already been together six years! Since it was our anniversary, I wanted a dinner that felt a little different from usual. haha

We're both huge meat lovers, so naturally we thought "it has to be meat for the anniversary too!" lolol But instead of the usual meat restaurant, we wanted something a bit more special and formal, and that's how we found Don Tamguso (돈탐구소). It's a place that serves a variety of courses centered on pork, so it's a great fit for anyone in Magok looking for a date spot or planning an anniversary meal.

We came for dinner after a staycation at Mayfield Hotel for our 6th anniversary — it took about 10 minutes by car from Mayfield Hotel to Don Tamguso.

Don Tamguso in Magok: address, parking and how to book

Don Tamguso is located in Unit 128, 1st floor of Botanic Park Tower 3. You can use the building's parking lot, and it had plenty of spacious, easy-to-use parking. When we paid after the meal, we gave our license plate number and got 2 hours of parking applied.

We visited on a Sunday and booked the second seating at 5pm via Naver Reservation. Operating hours seem to vary depending on the day you visit, so it's best to check directly — I'll leave a photo of that too! 👆

Reservation-only pork omakase at a 12-seat counter

We arrived right on time and were shown to our seats immediately. There was a little sign on the table with our reservation name on it, which made me feel properly welcomed from the start. haha

At the entrance there's a space to hang your coat, and the table was neatly set with cups, knives, spoons, and forks.

If it's your birthday, apparently the staff will prepare a small lettering service if you let them know in advance. Sounds like a great touch for a birthday or anniversary visit!

Inside, Don Tamguso is bar-style seating, a cozy space that fits up to about 12 people.

Watching the chef cook up close while focusing on the course really suited the omakase vibe. On the day we visited, a total of 8 diners were seated, and the course seems to start once most guests have arrived, so I'd recommend not arriving later than your reservation time.

What the Don Tamguso 8-course dinner includes

That evening's dinner course went: Soup ➡️ Salad ➡️ Lasagna ➡️ Main 1 ➡️ Rigatoni ➡️ Main 2 ➡️ Burger or Risotto ➡️ Dessert.

A lot of people were also enjoying the chef's recommended wine pairing!

But as the lightweight-drinker couple we are,,, my husband and I were happy with lemonade and zero-sugar cola. ㅠㅠlolol The food itself was so varied that we still enjoyed it fully without wine.

Course 1: creamy chestnut and button mushroom soup

The first course was a soup made with chestnut, button mushroom, and fresh cream.

Right from the first dish it somehow felt like a food that welcomes autumn! Very nutty and smooth.

Every time a dish came out, the chef kindly explained the ingredients and cooking method in detail. I listened carefully, but being clueless, all I could think was — delicious!! Really delicious!!! Nothing else came to mind. ㅠㅠlolol

Still, one thing's for sure — it was delicious. We scraped the plate clean. haha

Throughout the course, whenever we put our finished plate on the bar, it was cleared right away and the next dish was prepared without any lull.

Course 2: a sweet-and-tangy salad to open the appetite

Next was a salad with dried persimmon, orange, apple, basil, and prosciutto. The foam on top was unique too, so it caught the eye right away visually. haha If the soup felt like it was saying "okay, food is about to come in!" and gently prepping your stomach, the salad felt like "now let's really wake up that appetite!" lolol

The tangy sweetness of the fruit mixed with the saltiness of the prosciutto, and it felt like the real course was beginning.

Course 3: lasagna with shiitake mushroom texture

The lasagna was made with shiitake mushroom, white ragu, mozzarella, and a smoky sauce.

The texture of the shiitake mushroom was especially good, and it paired well with the white ragu sauce.

I remember telling my husband while eating, "this is kind of like a healthy hamburger?!" lolol Like a hamburger that uses shiitake mushroom instead of a bun, if that makes sense,,,? It was a fun dish — familiar yet unusual at the same time.

Main 1: tender shio koji pork tenderloin

The first main was a dish using shio koji, tenderloin, button mushroom, and sun-dried tomato. The tenderloin itself was really tender, and paired with the sun-dried tomato the flavor got even richer. "Now this feels like a real main dish!" I thought. haha

The vegetables that came with it went really well with the meat too. I think the chef mentioned it was a vegetable related to Germany,,, but I don't remember the exact name. ㅠㅠ In conclusion, again,,, it was delicious. lolol

The tender flavor of the meat combined with the fresh taste of the vegetables, so I could eat it to the end without getting tired of it.

Course 5: rigatoni topped with crunchy nachos

For the rigatoni, eating the pasta on top of the nacho chips gave you that crunchy nacho texture — it was delicious.

Main 2: Sichuan pepper and cumin pork belly, the best dish

The second main was a dish using pork belly, minari (water dropwort), Sichuan pepper (huajiao), cumin, and fennel.

Visually it looked a little like boiled pork slices (suyuk), but once you tasted it, it was clearly different from the pork belly dishes we usually know.

The minari especially stood out. When you think of minari, you usually picture a Korean-style seasoned side dish, right? But the chef, who trained in Western cuisine, explained he didn't want to make it a predictable seasoned dish, so he prepared it more like a salad instead. And it went really well with the pork belly.

Spices like Sichuan pepper, cumin, and fennel are also ingredients that are hard to use at home on purpose, but here the aroma didn't overpower and blended harmoniously with the meat. Even my husband, who isn't a big fan of trying new foods, said this dish was genuinely delicious. haha

Signature burger or signature risotto: which to pick

After Main 2, the choice menu comes out. I picked the signature burger, my husband picked the signature risotto.

The burger's patty was so juicy that after one bite I thought — good choice. haha

Disposable gloves were already set at the table, so I could pick it up and eat it comfortably by hand. Personally, I'm more of a burger person!

My husband, on the other hand, really loved the risotto made with Wando abalone, barley, bangpungnamul (glehnia root greens), and grana padano.

After trying the bangpungnamul, he said, "this is genuinely delicious greens," happy to have discovered a new ingredient. haha Getting to experience everything from familiar pork to ingredients you don't often encounter, all in one course, seems to be part of Don Tamguso's charm.

Dessert that kept the Don Tamguso course strong to the end

And finally, the last dessert! It was a dish with something as soft as yogurt pudding topped with blueberries.

Of everything the chef explained about the dessert, one line stuck with me the most clearly.

Don't stir it, just eat it.

lolololol So we obediently ate it without stirring. haha

Was Don Tamguso a good choice for an anniversary dinner?

For a couple like us who love meat, the Don Tamguso pork omakase was a special and satisfying anniversary meal. haha

It seems like the menu changes a bit by season, so I'd love to visit again in a different season!

If you're looking for a good date spot in Magok or want a slightly different meal for a special occasion, this is a good place to visit. Thanks to it, we got to celebrate our 6th anniversary with my husband deliciously and well. 🐷