Gangnam Chinese restaurant: spicy tiger rice bowl, Sinbok Myeongwan

＼ Gangnam Station Chinese restaurant Sinbok Myeongwan Gangnam Station lunch spot Recommended xiaolongbao dim sum ― 📍 Address 6 Teheran-ro 4-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 2-min walk from Gangnam Station ⏰ Hours Daily 11:00–22:20 🚗 Parking 1 hour free in the building's underground lot

Where Sinbok Myeongwan is near Gangnam Station, and what the seating is like

Sinbok Myeongwan (신복면관) is a Chinese restaurant a 2-minute walk from Gangnam Station, at 6 Teheran-ro 4-gil. I was trying to figure out what to eat for lunch near Gangnam Station and ended up here — it's right around the corner from the station, so the accessibility was really great.

Even the exterior gives off proper Chinese-restaurant vibes.

The indoor seating was roomier than I expected — there's seating for 4, a space for 2, and a separate table area for parties of 4 or more like this. Gangnam Station's Chinese restaurant Sinbok Myeongwan doesn't have a separate reservation system, you just walk in! And personally I really liked how clean the interior looked...!! Not like your typical Chinese restaurant at all.

I sat at a window seat for one — a pretty spacious spot with a partition, which I liked. There were 3 of these single seats.

You're given cutlery, a plate, and a cup by default, and while you're seated, roasted peanuts and jjajasai (pickled mustard greens) come out.

How to order at Sinbok Myeongwan and what dishes cost

Ordering at Sinbok Myeongwan is done via kiosk, which is great. I picked carefully while browsing the menu. Most items are priced from the ₩9,000s to the low ₩10,000s, which made it good for lunch. Dim sum items were a great ₩9,800...! There was genuinely a solid variety of dim sum, so I'll admit it took me a while to choose,,,

There's even a cute apron hanging in one corner of the restaurant. The checked pattern is adorable.

What we ordered: tiger rice bowl, xiaolongbao and shumai

What I ordered was: Tiger rice bowl Xiaolongbao dumplings Shumai dumplings

This is the taste of Hong Kong, right here...! Chinese food makes you think of spicy flavors, and the tiger rice bowl lives up to that. And you can't skip the dim sum — the handmade dim sum, made fresh in-store every day, looked so good.

Soy sauce with ginger slices for dipping the dumplings. Here's a gorgeous group shot.

How spicy is the tiger rice bowl at Sinbok Myeongwan?

Tiger rice bowl — the spiciness is the main appeal here. Egg, bell pepper, and beef stir-fried with heat, and I liked that the spiciness wasn't sweet at all. Real spicy — that's the point.

The egg was so tender too, pairing really well with the rice. There's also a standalone tiger stir-fry dish, but eating it with rice went down way too easily. It would've been perfect with a beer, but sadly I couldn't drink that day, boo hoo..

Xiaolongbao dim sum: how juicy, how thin is the wrapper?

Xiaolongbao dumplings — here they come. This dumpling releases a gush of broth, so watch your mouth's roof.

So much broth comes pouring out — these are handmade fresh in the restaurant every day. True to Hong Kong-style dim sum, the wrapper isn't thick and is soft.

Dipping it into the soy sauce like this — the meat filling was substantial too, with good chew. Even when I ate one that had cooled down a bit because I was eating other things, it had no gamey smell to my taste and was delicious.

Shumai dim sum topped with flying fish roe

Shumai dumplings — shrimp and meat fill the inside, topped with flying fish roe. The full, satisfying flavor was the appeal. And the color is so cute too.

Eating it while hot, the shrimp flavor came through even more. For someone who doesn't like thick wrappers, the dim sum at Sinbok Myeongwan was so good...!! If you ask me which was better between this and the xiaolongbao, I'd have a hard time choosing, haha, both were delicious.

Why Sinbok Myeongwan works for a Gangnam Station lunch

I've visited several Chinese restaurants near Gangnam Station, but this was my first time having dim sum there, so Sinbok Myeongwan lived up to my expectations. I especially recommend it as a Gangnam Station lunch spot because the food comes out super fast and the prices are great value — it feels like an affordable lunch price for Gangnam these days...! If you're craving dim sum near Gangnam Station and want something simple, I recommend Sinbok Myeongwan, the Chinese restaurant near Gangnam Station :)