Salmon ceviche course at a Gwanghwamun Korean restaurant: Modam

I was in Gwanghwamun running errands with my mom and got a craving for hanjeongsik (Korean set-course meal), so we stopped by Modam Dining. The vibe is upscale and it's exactly the kind of Gwanghwamun Korean restaurant you'd want to bring your parents to — mom loved it. Easy to eat comfortably, and with a lounge area right out front, it also works well as a meeting spot.

Where is Modam Dining Gwanghwamun, and is there parking?

Modam Dining Gwanghwamun is about a 10-minute walk from Gwanghwamun Station, so it's quite accessible. I walked over, and since the Agricultural Museum is along the way, the walk wasn't boring at all.

There's a parking entrance on the left side of the building, and the parking space was generous.

• 📍 10 Saemunan-ro 2-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, B1 B102/B103, Deoksugung D Palace, South Korea
• ⏰ 11:00–22:00 (break time 15:00–17:00)

For the exact location, check Naver Map.

Modam Dining menu and prices for a Gwanghwamun group meal

• Modam sotbap set ₩19,900
• Deodeok grilled jeyuk set ₩27,000
• Jindo scallion crisp bulgogi set ₩29,000
• Bori-gulbi set ₩32,000
• Abalone tteokgalbi set ₩35,000
• Hanwoo gopchang hot pot set ₩39,000
• Hanwoo bulgogi hot pot set ₩39,000
• Abalone shrimp-jang and butter rice set ₩40,000
• Modam Sura table ₩64,000
• Modam Hana Ugu and above ₩88,000

Hall tables, private rooms and the mood inside Modam Dining

From the entrance, Modam Dining Gwanghwamun already feels upscale. The white and wood-toned interior gives it a clean look.

Even though I visited after the usual lunch hour, plenty of people were already dining. There's also a separate room space, which looked great for a Gwanghwamun matchmaking-date meal.

The table we were shown to was wide and roomy, so we could eat comfortably.

There's also seating right in the outdoor space out front, which looks good for waiting or chatting after the meal.

What comes with the 39,000-won hanwoo bulgogi hot pot set

📌 Ordered — Hanwoo bulgogi hot pot set, ₩39,000

First came the starters: seasonal porridge, cheongyang water kimchi, seasonal salad, pine-nut sauce mustard vegetables, seasonal raw fish and Modam fritters, and perilla oil capellini.

The salad with tangy yuzu sauce was a great appetite starter — the vegetables were fresh and crisp.

The nutty pine-nut sauce, almonds, and crunchy cucumber together cleaned my palate nicely.

The seasonal porridge was mung bean porridge — not sweet, nutty, and it paired well with the cheongyang water kimchi.

The thick fried shiitake mushrooms were crispy and warm — the texture of the mushroom itself was great, and it paired really well with the sauce.

The salmon ceviche was fresh and the tangy-sweet ceviche sauce was so good I scraped up every last bit. It was so tasty I ended up stealing some of my mom's too, haha.

The perilla oil capellini — thin noodles topped with seaweed flakes, ground perilla, egg garnish, perilla leaf, whole perilla seeds, and shrimp — had a nutty perilla aroma that wrapped around your mouth. The perilla scent was strong and the toppings generous, so it was really delicious.

The cheongyang water kimchi, with crunchy radish and cabbage plus the spicy kick of cheongyang chili, paired really well with the rest of the food at Modam Dining. My mom loved the cheongyang water kimchi so much she finished the broth completely.

Once the starters were done, the main course arrived. I'd debated between the hanwoo bulgogi and the gopchang hot pot, and the look of the bulgogi confirmed I'd made the right call.

The bulgogi had a great color and the meat looked high quality — I was already excited before even taking a bite.

Side dishes included stir-fried eggplant, stir-fried zucchini, bean sprouts, and kimchi — each one lightly seasoned and perfect as rice sides.

As the vegetables started cooking and the meat cooked through, I got impatient. The sweet bulgogi smell while it simmered had me drooling.

Eating the well-cooked bulgogi and vegetables with black rice made for a really satisfying meal.

Is Modam Dining right for a matchmaking lunch or a meal with parents?

For dessert, they served a cool plum tea, which wrapped things up nicely. The atmosphere was great and, more than anything, the food was delicious at this Gwanghwamun Korean restaurant. With both hall seating and private rooms available, Modam Dining looks like a solid choice if you're looking for a Gwanghwamun meeting spot or a Gwanghwamun matchmaking-date venue. It's also perfect for a meal with your parents or a date, so if you're hunting for a good Gwanghwamun restaurant, go for it.