Gwanghwamun Korean restaurant with a 1pm lunch wait: Modam Dining

I stepped a little off the flashy heart of Gwanghwamun into the quieter Deoksugung D Palace building. This is my flavor-packed review of Modam Dining Gwanghwamun, a Korean restaurant that reinterprets the neatness of Korean food with a luxurious modern sensibility — sweet, salty, and 꼬솝다 (nutty beyond nutty) thanks to the chewy, sweet-salty abalone and shrimp jang paired with savory butter rice. Let's start!

A Gwanghwamun hanjeongsik meeting spot review — from the mood to the taste at Modam Dining (dates, sangyeonrye meetings)

Still a wait at 1pm: where Modam Dining Gwanghwamun is, and where to park

Modam Dining Gwanghwamun uses the parking lot on basement level 3 of the Deoksugung D Palace building, with 2 hours free if you dine there — very convenient if you're driving. We deliberately went at 1pm to avoid the Gwanghwamun office workers' lunch rush, but were surprised to find plenty of customers still waiting to be seated even past peak time.

Watching the high proportion of older guests looking for neat food, a refined Gwanghwamun hanjeongsik (Korean set course) spread, and reasonable prices, I thought — yep, we came to the right place!

• Address: 10 Saemunan-ro 2-gil, B1 D Palace, B102/B103, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• 549m (10-min walk) from Gwanghwamun Station Exit 6
• Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00
• Break time: 15:00–17:00
• Last order: 20:10
• Parking: available (2 hours free at the D Palace building's basement 3 lot with a meal)

A gallery-like dining hall, plus private rooms for family meetings

Stepping inside Modam Dining, you're hit with a strongly modern yet Korean mood. The interior is so sleek and Korean-inspired it feels like walking into a calm gallery — warm wood tones matched with beige and cream give it a comfortable yet neat feel, and the low lighting keeps things composed.

Tables are spaced well apart, and tall sofa-back partitions mean you can chat comfortably without visual noise even in an open layout. (There are separate private rooms too — book one for Gwanghwamun gatherings or sangyeonrye meetings!)

The curved drapes hanging from the ceiling finish off the luxurious atmosphere — a nice extra touch. Rather than direct lighting, soft indirect lighting gave a visual sense of stability and traditional beauty.

Weekday lunch Modam-sang at 19,900 won, and why we ordered the abalone shrimp jang for two

At Modam Dining, weekday lunch set menus come at a much more reasonable price than dinner. In particular, the Modam-sang set, only orderable at weekday lunch, is ₩19,900, and I saw a lot of nearby tables ordering it. Beef bulgogi hot pot, beef tripe hot pot, and bori-gulbi (dried yellow corvina) set were also popular.

I came specifically craving abalone shrimp jang, so we ordered it for two.

• Abalone shrimp jang and butter rice: ₩38,000 (lunch)
• ₩40,000 (dinner)

First course: mung bean porridge and yuzu-dressed salad to wake up the palate

As appetizers, a yuzu dressing salad, pine nut sauce mustard vegetable salad, mul-kimchi (water kimchi) and the seasonal mung bean porridge came out — and I really appreciated the thoughtful touch of separate chopsticks for each dish, so you could serve yourself hygienically. The warm, soft mung bean porridge soothed the stomach, while the sweet and tangy yuzu dressing salad woke up my mouth with its crisp, fresh vegetables.

The clean, clearly fermented baek-kimchi (white kimchi) was refreshing without being too sweet — I thought it would suit older guests perfectly. The mustard vegetable salad with broccoli, cucumber, lotus root and other fresh vegetables tossed in pine nut sauce was really nutty and delicious.

Second course: crisp, chewy shiitake fritters and perilla oil noodles

Next came salmon sashimi, shiitake mushroom fritters, and perilla oil noodles topped with dried baby shrimp. The fresh salmon sashimi melted smoothly in my mouth.

The shiitake fritters had a thin, crispy batter hiding the mushroom's sweet, chewy texture inside, coated in a rich, sweet glaze that balanced everything out beautifully. This was especially delicious — I was almost sad each person only got one.

The perilla oil noodles, topped with nutty dried baby shrimp, were mild rather than intense and yet so savory that my chopsticks kept going back for more. The nutty, gentle aroma of perilla oil filled the whole table.

The main: springy abalone and shrimp jang over nutty Isigny butter rice

Modam Dining's signature main, the abalone shrimp jang, is neatly plated per person, served alongside beef radish soup packed with beef and the basic side dishes. Visually, it was stunning — abalone, soy-marinated shrimp, sliced boiled meat, soft-boiled egg, silver ear mushroom, garlic scapes, and tiger prawn all abundantly mixed in a soy-based sauce, looking absolutely delicious.

You mix Isigny butter into the rice first, then cut the abalone jang and tiger prawn jang into bite-sized pieces with scissors and mix it all together.

The soy-jang seasoning wasn't salty but deeply sweet and umami-rich, pairing wonderfully with the rice. The abalone and shrimp were big and plump, filling the mouth with a chewy texture with every bite. In particular, I could taste every different texture on one plate — the soft soft-boiled egg, the chewy-yet-bouncy shrimp, the crunchy garlic scapes, the crisp silver ear mushroom.

My friend used tongs and scissors to trim the tiger prawn jang for us without getting our hands dirty, so we could enjoy it comfortably. When the creamy nuttiness of butter melted into the warm rice combined with the salty umami of the abalone shrimp jang, a flavor explosion wrapped around my whole mouth. Is this what they call 단짠꼬 (sweet-salty-nutty)? Haha! Sweet, salty, and 꼬솝다 (nutty beyond nutty) — a much more luxurious shrimp abalone jang was complete.

The beef radish soup that came alongside also had a deep, richly brewed meat broth flavor that elevated the whole meal even further.

Verdict: polished Gwanghwamun Korean food that wins over adults and kids alike

Modam Dining Gwanghwamun overall reinterprets traditional Korean food with a sophisticated, modern sensibility, offering a variety of menus and flavors that would satisfy everyone from adults to children. Thanks to the private, neat atmosphere, I understood why it's so often mentioned as a recommended Gwanghwamun hanjeongsik meeting spot.

Consider it for your next Gwanghwamun gathering, family meal, sangyeonrye meeting, or work dinner! You'll have a delicious meal and a refined, elegant time.