Taiwanese restaurant near Chungmuro Station: Bao Seoul date set

A different kind of Taiwanese-food date in Chungmuro

After having the same old pasta or grilled meat every time, we wanted a slightly special date and ended up at Bao Seoul Chungmuro (바오서울 충무로), a great Chungmuro restaurant.

Bao Seoul Chungmuro is a three-minute walk from Exit 5 of Chungmuro Station, so it is wonderfully easy to reach by public transit. It is also just a quick walk from Euljiro 3-ga and Myeongdong stations, making it really easy to plan into a date itinerary~

• Address — 31 Toegye-ro 27-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea (서울 중구 퇴계로27길 31 1층 1호)
• Hours — Daily 11:00–21:30
• Break time — 15:00–16:00
• Last order — 20:45
• Amenities — Groups welcome, takeout, pets allowed, separate restrooms
• Parking — Paid parking available in front of the restaurant

A Taiwan-trip-like atmosphere and seating

The exotic sign on the exterior caught my eye right away, and once inside, I immediately understood why descriptions of the restaurant say it feels even more Taiwanese than Taiwan. The casual, trendy interior was so lovely.

The color combination made it feel as though we had traveled to Taiwan, and it went beautifully with the darker evening mood, so it was really nice for a date too, haha.

There were four-person tables, two-person tables, and bar-style seats like this.

There are instructions on the best way to enjoy the baos, rice bowls, and beef noodle soup, so it would be good to keep them in mind~~

Ordering the Signature Set for Two

The menu centers on rice bowls, baos, and noodle dishes, with set menus that let you try several popular items at a good value. They also have distinctive drinks such as kaoliang liquor.

We ordered the Signature Set for Two so we could try a variety of dishes. The set for two was ₩46,000.

The food came out incredibly quickly, and receiving Taiwanese dishes so different from what we usually eat felt a little unusual and fresh, haha.

Beef noodle soup with a rich, meaty aroma

First, I tried the beef noodle soup. It came with noodles in what looked like an intense broth, topped with thick slices of beef and scallions, haha.

This thick beef seemed to be beef shank. It had been simmered so thoroughly that it tore apart easily with just a slight lift, and that tender texture was so appealing.

Perhaps because they use so much beef, the broth has something in common with galbitang (Korean beef short-rib soup) and meat noodle soup, but it is far richer and fills your mouth with a deep beefy aroma~ I also loved the subtly exotic flavor that the spices seemed to add.

The noodles were springy and chewy, and every bite with the broth spreading through my mouth was truly satisfying~

Eating it with the noodles and beef together gave such a wonderful combination of textures, haha.

Dongpo pork rice bowl mixed with its toppings

Next, I tried another signature dish, the dongpo pork rice bowl~

Following the instructions, I did not mix the whole bowl. Instead, I mixed only the toppings well, placed them over the rice, and took a bite, hahaha.

There were so many different toppings. At the first bite, the flavor of the dongpo pork spread through my mouth; the finely shredded pork was wonderfully tender. There was something like pickled mustard greens too, which added freshness and savoriness. Pickled cabbage added crunch and a clean finish, so this was a dongpo pork rice bowl where you could taste so many different flavors in one mouthful!

The especially delicious classic bao

And...! This bao was a completely new food for me, but it was so appealing. Dreamy said everything was delicious, but that this bao was especially tasty! We tried the classic bao, with meat and assorted toppings tucked into its white bun.

The meat inside was pork. All the meat was so tender, and the gentle spice flavor and savoriness that spread through my mouth were incredibly appealing, haha.

I cut it into easy-to-eat pieces. It had a similar feel to the dongpo pork rice bowl, but the bao had a larger proportion of meat, which made its rich, savory flavor so good. The little bites of scallion in between were especially charming too~ It paired so well with the bun that I wanted to come back next time to try the other baos, haha.

Bao Seoul Chungmuro is a wonderful Chungmuro restaurant where you can enjoy delicious Taiwanese food in a special atmosphere. If you are looking for food with a different kind of charm, I would recommend it without hesitation, haha. The atmosphere was so nice, the Taiwanese food was impressively high quality, and I really recommend it for a date too~