# Shrimp masala and butter naan at Mandala, a Hapjeong Indian spot - By Eunji Baek (https://superchart.com/en/@nogari-alley-supper-2/) - Written Sep 18, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Mapo, Seoul - Sponsored: This post is sponsored by the restaurant for the visit, and one naan was provided free as part of the restaurant's review event. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@nogari-alley-supper-2/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@nogari-alley-supper-2/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala/index.md) ## In short Mandala Indian Lounge is an Indian restaurant on the 3rd floor near Hapjeong Station in Mapo, Seoul, serving premium Indian dishes alongside Middle Eastern-style hookah. Two friends ordered chicken tikka masala for 13,000 won, shrimp masala for 15,000 won, plain naan for 3,000 won and a bowl of rice for 2,000 won, and received an extra butter naan through the review event. Mandala is an easy pick for comparing two curries side by side when you want a different kind of meal around Hongdae and Hapjeong. ## Good to know - **Chicken tikka masala**: 13,000 won - **Shrimp masala**: 15,000 won - **Plain naan**: 3,000 won - **Bowl of rice**: 2,000 won - **Review event**: One free naan: plain, butter or garlic - **Location**: 3rd floor, 26 Dongmak-ro 3-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul *as written by the visitor on Sep 18, 2026* I went to Mandala Indian Lounge, a well-known Indian restaurant near Hongdae. You've gotta eat Indian food once in a while, right? It'd been a while, so I was super excited. ![First photo from the visit to Mandala Indian Lounge in Hapjeong](https://img.superchart.com/images/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala-01-1rwmi-900.webp) ## Why two friends chose Indian food in Hapjeong With each friend, I usually think about what they'd like, send a list of restaurants that seem to fit, and ask where they want to go. The friend I went with today seemed to prefer healthier food over anything too intense, and that's how we landed on Mandala Indian Lounge. Knew you'd pick Indian food, hehe. Honestly, I wanted Indian food too. ![Sign describing Indian cuisine and shisha at Mandala Indian Lounge](https://img.superchart.com/images/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala-02-1kkd9-900.webp) Mandala Indian Lounge is a place where you can enjoy premium Indian cuisine alongside authentic Middle Eastern-style shisha. I was curious what shisha was, so I looked it up — turns out it's a water pipe! The vibe apparently changes completely in the evening. Now I'm curious... ![Menu page with tandoori chicken and appetizers](https://img.superchart.com/images/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala-03-1hvc0-900.webp) ## What Mandala Indian Lounge has on the menu They serve tandoori chicken, salads, and a variety of appetizers. I was curious about the samosa too — looked it up and it's like a fried Indian dumpling. The triangular shape is pretty charming. ![Main menu page listing chicken, lamb, and shrimp curries](https://img.superchart.com/images/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala-04-1p2y9-900.webp) And then the main menu!! Since we came for curry, we started agonizing over this page. Chicken makhani or chicken tikka masala... would lamb be good? Shrimp? Let's order chicken and one other thing. ![Menu page with vegetable curry and lentil/bean curry](https://img.superchart.com/images/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala-05-op3y5-900.webp) They also have vegetable curries and lentil/bean curries. So many options that we agonized for a really long time, haha. Honestly everything looked delicious... I was curious about biryani, the authentic Indian fried rice, too, but I'd already decided today was a curry day, so I passed. Then we also had to pick tandoor naan or rice, and after much deliberation... - Chicken tikka masala ₩13,000 - Shrimp masala ₩15,000 - Plain naan ₩3,000 - Steamed rice ₩2,000 This is what we landed on. ![The ordered curries, naan, and steamed rice set](https://img.superchart.com/images/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala-06-cxrqh-900.webp) ### One extra naan from the review event I was actually thinking of ordering two naans, but they said if you do a review, you get one free naan!! So I picked steamed rice for one side instead. You get to choose one naan out of plain, butter, or garlic. Definitely make sure to join this event! ![Sign explaining the free naan review event](https://img.superchart.com/images/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala-07-ik2hf-900.webp) ![Restaurant interior full of Indian atmosphere](https://img.superchart.com/images/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala-08-mcojl-900.webp) ## Inside Mandala: Indian decor and a hookah lounge The interior was full of Indian atmosphere from the moment we walked in, so it was fun just looking around! There were Indian videos playing here and there, giving us plenty to watch while we waited for the food. We were chatting away and the food came out pretty quickly. ![Wet wipes placed on the table beforehand](https://img.superchart.com/images/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala-09-18sq2-900.webp) I like eating naan with my hands, and they thoughtfully gave us wet wipes first 😉 ![Chicken tikka masala, shrimp masala, and steamed rice set on the table](https://img.superchart.com/images/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala-10-jukpu-900.webp) ## Chicken tikka masala vs shrimp masala: how they taste The chicken tikka masala, shrimp masala, and steamed rice came out first, and they looked delicious — and they were! The chicken and shrimp went really well with the curry, and eating it with rice made it satisfyingly filling. We ordered plain rice this time, but next time I might try a different rice option. ![Plain naan and butter naan cut into four pieces each](https://img.superchart.com/images/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala-11-8gme3-1200.webp) Then came the plain naan we ordered along with the butter naan from the review event. A lot of places give you the naan whole, but here they cut it into four easy-to-eat pieces, which I liked haha. Dipping it into the curry while still warm was, as expected, a great match... We alternated between the plain and butter naan. ![Dipping naan into the curry](https://img.superchart.com/images/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala-12-15qa2-900.webp) ![Shrimp masala curry packed with shrimp](https://img.superchart.com/images/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala-13-1fuyh-900.webp) I mostly ate the chicken tikka masala while my friend focused on the shrimp masala. The flavors were a bit different, but both were delicious. Personally, the chicken tikka masala suited my taste more — I basically scraped the bowl clean. And oh! The shrimp masala had a surprising amount of shrimp in it, I was shocked. I even took a video of my friend enjoying the food haha. We finished the meal happily, full and satisfied! It was also a nice place to chat comfortably with a friend over dinner. If you're looking for an Indian restaurant with a different kind of vibe near Hongdae, I'd say it's worth a visit. I recommend Mandala Indian Lounge!! ## Where it is - Mandala Indian Lounge (만다라 인도 라운지) - 26 Dongmak-ro 3-gil, 3rd floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 마포구 독막로3길 26 3층 - 37.549399, 126.9171861 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EB%A7%8C%EB%8B%A4%EB%9D%BC%20%EC%9D%B8%EB%8F%84%20%EB%9D%BC%EC%9A%B4%EC%A7%80/@37.549399,126.9171861,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@nogari-alley-supper-2/mandala-indian-lounge-hapjeong-prawn-masala/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt