City Hall kalguksu date spot with a burnt beam upstairs: Tanbaek

Where is Tanbaek and what kind of place is it?

Tanbaek is a Hanwoo (Korean beef) kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) restaurant at 37 Jeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul. Walk about 500m along the Deoksugung stone wall path from City Hall Station Exit 12 and you'll find it across from Jeongdong Church. It was featured in episode 353 of Amazing Saturday, and it opened on Liberation Day, August 15, 2024, on the beautiful Jeongdong-gil.

A date course with your partner: tender warm pork and spicy yukgaejang kalguksu in the quiet scenery of Jeongdong-gil! A perfect Jeongdong-gil restaurant that treats both eyes and mouth.

The date I had at Tanbaek, a restaurant I stumbled on while happily strolling along the Deoksugung stone wall path, was an absolute success.

As I walked along enjoying the stretch of tall street trees, an elegant wooden signboard appeared right in front of me: Tanbaek!!!

The first floor of Tanbaek is an open kitchen and bar counter, and it was so packed there wasn't a single empty seat, so I figured we'd come to a proper City Hall Station restaurant.

Tanbaek's second-floor interior: a burnt beam and ceramics

The second floor of Tanbaek is a tranquil space where a fire-scorched wooden beam meets old ceramic pieces. Shown upstairs, we found a charm quite different from the first floor, full of the atmosphere of our ancestors.

Look up and you can see the blackened, fire-scorched wooden beam. The traces of a fire discovered during the space's design were kept as they are, and that inspired the name Tanbaek. Tanbaek (坦白) means "to speak plainly, hiding nothing," and it reflects the sincerity of serving honest food made with good ingredients.

A cute bird figure sitting demurely on the beam, a line from a poem by Baek Seok, and old-fashioned ceramic pieces softly decorating one wall all add depth to the space.

Through the wide-open windows you can take in the autumn scenery of Jeongdong-gil at a glance, which makes it a perfect, atmospheric spot near Deoksugung.

Tanbaek menu and prices

Tanbaek's menu is divided into meals like kalguksu, sets and hotpot that suit two people, and traditional liquor. A menu sits at every table, packed with dishes made with real care.

• Meals: gom kalguksu topped with Hanwoo shank and brisket ₩14,000, yukgaejang kalguksu ₩15,000, summer-only kong bibim kalguksu (soybean noodles) ₩16,000, chewy onjeyuk ₩19,000, stuffed-full kimchi dumplings ₩5,000, and more
• Sets and hotpot: modeum hansang, filling for two, ₩52,000; jeyuk modeum ₩22,000; dinner-only Hanwoo suyuk jeongol ₩49,000
• Traditional liquor: Naru raw makgeolli by the glass for ₩2,500, a clean, lightly sweet pour that's easy for lunch, plus cheongju (refined rice wine) and takju (cloudy rice wine) from "Ilyeop Pyeonju," a premium traditional liquor from Nongam Jongtaek in Andong, said to be handmade in small batches over 100 days

The drinks to go with the food are excellent too, so Tanbaek is a great place for a little mealtime drink.

Tanbaek onjeyuk: chamnamul and pork jowl suyuk

Tanbaek's onjeyuk (₩19,000) puts diced boiled pork jowl (suyuk) on one plate with a yuja-sauce chamnamul (pimpinella) salad, salted herring roe and fresh wasabi. This onjeyuk was the first dish we ordered.

The diced pork jowl suyuk comes neatly plated with the yuja-sauce chamnamul salad, herring roe and fresh wasabi. The fragrant chamnamul hits your nose first, then you put a little salty herring roe and sharp wasabi on the tender, soft suyuk and eat it with a perilla leaf, and the harmony is just incredible. It melted in my mouth. Wonderful.

Tanbaek kimchi dumplings: spicy, crunchy Seoul-style mandu

Tanbaek's kimchi dumplings (₩5,000) are big, plump Seoul-style kimchi mandu that fill the whole plate. We got them as a side.

Split the glossy, chewy wrapper in half and the spicy, crunchy kimchi filling is packed in with no gaps. It's great to chew, and it cuts right through the richness of the meat. You can tell at once why people line up for this Jeongdong-gil restaurant.

Tanbaek yukgaejang kalguksu: how spicy is the broth?

Tanbaek's yukgaejang kalguksu (₩15,000) is a rich, spicy noodle soup made with clear Hanwoo broth, plenty of blanched bracken and scallions. We finished with this spicy yukgaejang kalguksu for a hearty close.

The broth is outrageously rich and spicy. Grab a big bite of chewy kalguksu noodles with the neatly arranged Hanwoo topping from the red broth and slurp them down, and your whole body feels like it's melting warm. Carrying on the original form of kalguksu, once the finest dish of its day, it serves a premium noodle dish on par with pyeongyang naengmyeon. A true City Hall Station restaurant.

Is Tanbaek a good date restaurant on the Deoksugung stone wall path?

Tanbaek was a Korean restaurant on Jeongdong-gil that's great for an atmospheric meal after a walk along the Deoksugung stone wall path. Jeongdong-gil was the site of a royal villa in the Joseon era and a center of modern culture, and eating at Tanbaek, which carries that historic fragrance, was a perfect time that delighted both eyes and mouth.

Just like the restaurant's name, "speaking plainly, hiding nothing," I could taste honest, deep flavors simmered from good ingredients. If you're looking for a Deoksugung restaurant for an atmospheric meal after the stone wall walk, or a City Hall Station restaurant with refined, elegant kalguksu and dishes, I'd recommend Tanbaek without hesitation. It'll make a date course on Jeongdong-gil that couldn't be better with your partner! Rawr~~~ 🐾