Burger place at Gangnam Station, still tasty hours later: Downtowner

The area around Gangnam Station is always lively and packed with people, and it overflows with great food. There are so many restaurants that picking one can actually be the hard part. So I want to introduce a handmade burger brand that's easy to drop into for a light, quick meal, and whose flavor is already so reliable that it never lets you down.

It's very close to Gangnam Station, so it's easy to reach, and the clean interior makes it a great place to eat alone without feeling self-conscious. I'm talking about Downtowner (다운타우너), and this is my story of visiting its Gangnam branch. That day I'd had a huge lunch with a friend and my stomach was totally stuffed, but I just couldn't walk past the Downtowner sign, so this is my honest review of a burger I took home to eat for dinner.

Where is Downtowner Gangnam?

Downtowner Gangnam is at 101 Samwon Building, 16 Teheran-ro 1-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, just a stone's throw from Exit 11 of Gangnam Station.

Is Downtowner Gangnam good for eating alone?

Downtowner Gangnam has plenty of tables and a bar table by the window for solo diners, so it's an easy place to go on your own. The interior is clean and comfortable, and solo eaters are very welcome.

Step inside Downtowner Gangnam and you'll notice a stylish interior that's tidy and uncluttered. For the size of the shop, there are quite a lot of tables, so even at peak time you don't need to worry much about finding a seat.

What I especially liked was the clever bar table for customers who come alone. Around Gangnam Station there are lots of students and office workers on their own, so plenty of people must be looking for a place to eat solo. On top of the large regular tables, Downtowner Gangnam makes good use of the window with a bar table, so you can enjoy a quiet meal by yourself without worrying about the people around you. When I visited, quite a few people had come alone for a light burger meal.

Delivery riders were coming and going nonstop, as much as the diners eating in, so delivery customers seem to be huge too. Takeout customers like me, ordering to bring food home or to the office, kept streaming in as well. It's a properly proven Gangnam Station favorite.

How do you order at Downtowner Gangnam?

At Downtowner Gangnam you order at the kiosk by the entrance, and the kitchen starts grilling the patty the moment the order comes in. Fresh cooking begins at the same time as your kiosk order.

In-store orders go through the handy kiosk at the entrance, contactless, intuitive and quick. The menu photos show up nicely on the screen, so even first-timers can easily mix and match Downtowner burgers and sides to their taste.

One of the biggest strengths of Downtowner Gangnam is that burgers aren't pre-made and kept in a warmer. As soon as a kiosk order comes in, the kitchen grills the patty and starts cooking. Across the open kitchen, the sizzle and smell of patties spread, and every sense was happy the whole time I waited.

Honestly, that day I'd eaten an enormous lunch with my friend and felt ready to burst. There was no way I could eat a burger right there. But I've loved Downtowner's soft buns and juicy patties for a long time, and finding the shop in the middle of Gangnam Station, I felt that walking past would be rude to a bread lover like me. So with no hesitation I rationalized, "I'll just eat it for dinner!" and placed a takeout order.

How was the Downtowner takeout packaging?

Even though orders were backed up, the takeout at Downtowner Gangnam came out fast, packed firmly in a dedicated paper bag. The burger was packed neatly and snugly so it wouldn't get squashed or messy, and I was very happy with that. They'd clearly taken care so the smell wouldn't leak out too much while I carried it.

Is a Downtowner burger still good hours after takeout?

Eaten for dinner several hours after takeout, the Downtowner burger kept its shape, and even cold it tasted good with no gamey smell from the patty. This is my tasting review of a burger that stays impressive over time, a filling dinner.

After finishing my afternoon plans and getting home, I carefully opened the burger box at dinnertime, when I'd gotten a little hungry again. Even though several hours had passed, the burger's gorgeous look hadn't collapsed and it kept its pretty shape intact.

I either warmed it slightly or just took a big bite as it was, and it was so good that I couldn't help exclaiming. The biggest charm of a Downtowner burger is the pairing of the sesame bun, soft enough to melt in your mouth yet chewy, with the beef patty, whose deep grilled flavor and savory juices burst out with every bite. The fresh tomato, crisp lettuce and the special sauce anchoring the flavor all stuck together perfectly instead of sliding around, and I hated to see it shrinking with each bite.

Even eaten cold after takeout, the patty had no gamey smell at all and the sauce didn't soak the bun too much, so I could enjoy it clean and mild to the end. I quickly forgot how full I'd been at lunch and, in the blink of an eye, devoured it down to the last bite.

Is Downtowner near Gangnam Station worth going back to?

Downtowner Gangnam is a stone's throw from Exit 11 of Gangnam Station, so public transport access is excellent, and it's a well-made burger shop in every way: a pleasant, tidy interior whenever you visit and a comfortable table setup that looks after solo diners.

If you want a taste of a high-quality handmade burger cooked fresh to order, or a filling takeout meal you can grab quickly near Gangnam Station, I strongly recommend heading to Downtowner without a second thought. It's a life-changing burger that stays delicious even when you eat it later, and I have a happy certainty that every time I'm out around Gangnam Station, I'll end up taking one home, like a sparrow that can't pass a rice mill!