Supyo-ro dumpling hot pot with added kalguksu, Seoul: Jongga Mandu

Today's post is about a mandu (dumpling) hot pot restaurant near Jongno 3-ga Station that I've been back to over and over — Jongga Mandu, and honestly it's worth the wait. I first visited as part of a sponsored campaign, then came back a few times paying out of my own pocket with friends who love mandu, and this time I visited again. Every single time, my friends rave about it — I really think any Korean would love this place, with its impressive handmade dumplings pinched fresh every day.

Jongga Mandu opening hours

Mon–Sat 11:00 AM–9:30 PM / break time 3:30–5:00 PM / last order 2:30 PM, 8:30 PM Sunday 11:00 AM–4:00 PM / last order 3:00 PM

How to find Jongga Mandu from Jongno 3-ga Station

Jongga Mandu, a mandu hot pot restaurant near Jongno 3-ga Station that's absolutely worth the wait, sits between Euljiro 2-ga Station and Jonggak Station. It's easy to reach by bus and not hard to find at all.

This mandu hot pot restaurant near Jongno 3-ga Station used to be known under a different name — Seonggyeong Mandu Restaurant, Jongno branch — and it also had a wait back then. At some point the name suddenly changed. I actually have an old post from before the name change, from when it was so delicious I brought my friends along — a genuinely great restaurant.

Inside Jongga Mandu and the weekday evening wait

Here's the interior of Jongga Mandu. Since this area is full of office workers, there's quite a wait at lunchtime, but in the evening there are usually still two or three free tables. The restaurant is spacious, with more seating further inside. Once it hits past 6:30 PM it always gets packed. We came on a weekday!

Out front, the ladies are always hand-pinching mandu by hand. Since the dumplings that go into the hot pot are made right there, turnover is quick and honestly, they're just really delicious.

There's also a self-serve bar inside the restaurant.

They bring out the initial banchan (side dishes), but you can go get refills yourself. Last time I brought a friend, she said even the geotjeori (fresh cabbage kimchi) was so good she cleaned the whole plate, haha. They seem to make the geotjeori in-house too — genuinely delicious.

Jongga Mandu menu: clear broth and half-and-half broth

Here's the menu at Jongga Mandu, the mandu hot pot restaurant near Jongno 3-ga Station worth waiting for. When I first visited, I think there was only one broth option, but now they've got a clear broth and a half-and-half broth too? Last time I came the half-and-half wasn't even on the menu yet, so it feels like they keep adding new soup types every time I visit. We ordered the half-and-half broth hot pot for two. It's nice that you don't have to agonize much over the menu at this mandu hot pot spot.

How to eat the half-and-half broth hot pot for two

After ordering, it doesn't take long before they set up the banchan and the mandu hot pot.

The mandu always come out as 8 pieces — two meat mandu and two kimchi mandu. You cook the dumplings first, then add the rest of the shabu-shabu ingredients.

They even give you a plastic glove for putting in the dumplings so you don't mangle their shape with chopsticks, haha.

Vegetables, mushrooms, meat, and kalguksu noodles all come out together, so the portion is generous.

The hot pot ingredients are super fresh too.

Our half-and-half broth arrived. The red broth is tasty, but I'd never tried the clear broth before. Tasting it, I think I ordered well. That said, it's basically the same as a regular shabu-shabu broth.

Let's get the hot pot boiling away. Ah, it's really good. The friend who came with me this time is from Jeju Island — I've literally brought people from every corner of Korea to this place. Everyone rates it highly across the board. We all ate super satisfied.

All cooked through now.

Why even dumpling-shy friends praised Jongga Mandu

I'm not actually that big a fan of mandu. That's because frozen dumplings, being meat and flour that's often not that fresh, don't sit well with my stomach. But at Jongga Mandu, the mandu hot pot restaurant near Jongno 3-ga Station, they hand-make everything with fresh ingredients, and because so many customers come through, the dumplings turn over quickly too — it genuinely feels like eating healthy food. Even friends who usually avoid mandu because their stomach gets upset all gave it high marks. Truly amazing.

We finished off with the kalguksu too, no leftovers. That's my report on Jongga Mandu, the mandu hot pot restaurant near Jongno 3-ga Station that's absolutely worth the wait.