Hwaseong restaurant lunch with truffle gnocchi: Dongtan 2 Mok-dong

We visited Dongtan 2 Mok-dong Public Parking Lot, a restaurant in the migrant housing district of Mok-dong in Dongtan 2 New Town. I’d heard for ages that the interior was fancy and the food was good, so the neighborhood moms and I kept saying, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go—and finally made it there. I’d usually hesitated a tiny bit about visiting with the kids because it seemed a little intimidating, but it was actually comfortable, and just as I’d heard, the pizza, gnocchi, and coffee were all delicious. Here’s my review of having the lunch set at Dongtan 2 Mok-dong Public Parking Lot.

Dongtan 2 Mok-dong Public Parking Lot: location and parking

As you pass the Mok-dong shops, the Dongtan 2 Mok-dong Public Parking Lot building really catches your eye.

Dongtan 2 Mok-dong Public Parking Lot has its first dedicated parking lot right in front of the restaurant. There is also a second dedicated lot a two-minute walk away (Mok-dong 460-4). Because this is a migrant housing district, alley parking is possible too, and there are two Mok-dong public parking lots nearby, so parking should be fairly easy!

An interior made for dates and proposals

Even the entrance atmosphere at Dongtan 2 Mok-dong Public Parking Lot was lovely 🤗 It was my first visit, so I walked in excited—and sure enough, the interior was stylish too.

There is a water-feature floor installation, so a staff member tells you to watch your step. Since Dongtan 2 Mok-dong Public Parking Lot also sells a range of alcohol, I think you really would need to watch your step if you came for a dinner gathering and drank a lot, haha. The friend I visited with said we should come back one evening with a bigger group, so I guess we’ll need to be careful that day.

This is the mood by the window. The black and beige felt calm but stylish.

Everywhere I looked was neat and atmospheric, so I could see why it is popular as a date spot.

Premium lounge and party rooms

One reason Dongtan 2 Mok-dong Public Parking Lot is popular for proposals and private dates is its premium lounge. I heard it is also popular for children’s birthday parties, so we asked a staff member and got to have a look around.

I only found out recently that this kind of place existed here—if word gets out too much, could it become hard to book?

The second-floor space was booked for a proposal, so we could not look inside, but even from the atmosphere alone, it felt like somewhere young people would love.

It is made up of private spaces, so it is said to be popular for dates for two! Dongtan moms, take note. The party-room space can also be rented for birthday parties with family or children’s friends. Most people only think of kids’ cafés, but Dongtan 2 Mok-dong Public Parking Lot has a multi-room with a karaoke machine and ball pit!

Dongtan 2 Mok-dong Public Parking Lot menu and lunch set

Dongtan 2 Mok-dong Public Parking Lot has also added a Western-style meal menu for ₩12,800, though it is limited to 20 orders, making a more budget-friendly meal possible. It would be nice to order when visiting for lunch with a child.

You can check the menu on a tablet. The lunch set is great value!

• Lunch set ₩56,000: daily salad + pizza + pasta + 2 drinks
• Dinner Set A ₩114,000: Korean beef sirloin steak + pasta + 2 drinks
• Dinner Set B ₩99,000: salad + pasta + Duroc pork collar + 2 drinks
• Pizza set ₩47,000 → ₩37,000: pizza + 2 draft beers
• Ordered: Cheongyang bulgogi pizza, porcini cream gnocchi, iced Americano, Stella draft beer / ₩66,000

Gnocchi and Cheongyang bulgogi pizza in the lunch set

After the basic table setting, omija (five-flavor berry) pre-meal tea came out, followed right away by the daily salad. The salad was clean and fresh without being drenched in dressing! I especially loved the little yellow fruit I was trying for the first time, so I even looked it up separately. (It was a goldenberry.)

There are many good gnocchi places in my neighborhood, and Dongtan 2 Mok-dong Public Parking Lot was one of them too. Just as the explanation when it arrived said, the truffle aroma was rich, and the freshly baked house-made gnocchi was unbelievably chewy! There was plenty of sauce too—enough to dip the gnocchi generously and still have some left.

The Cheongyang bulgogi pizza was a choice we praised each other for making. The bulgogi had a nice bite, and chewing the Cheongyang chili peppers along with it added a sharp kick, so it never felt greasy. Even the crust was delicious, and we kept chatting about whether it was wood-fired pizza and whether there might be an oven in the kitchen. (It is spicy for children.)

There is a good amount of pizza, so if you add a side dish, even three people who do not eat much could probably have a meal??? While we were enjoying the pizza and gnocchi at Dongtan 2 Mok-dong Public Parking Lot, I was dying to have draft beer!! Haha. (I was very jealous of my companion.) It is close to home, so next time I think I should walk there and try the different draft beers too.

Dongtan 2 Mok-dong Public Parking Lot has been open for quite a while—why did I only visit now~ It seems there used to be a brunch menu, but it appears to have disappeared when the menu was renewed. It was a lovely restaurant to visit with friends or a partner, and also with family for a special occasion.