Weekday 6-course lunch with mullet roe pasta in Mangwon-dong: Noju

These days even a single plate of pasta can run you 20,000-something won, right? But apparently there's a place in Mangwon-dong where you can get a 6-course meal for 38,000 won. Curious, I went for a weekday lunch — and the lineup went from focaccia to mullet roe pasta, truffle gnocchi, sulfur-fed pork, all the way to dessert! By the time the final main came out I was so full I actually left some behind. Even on a weekday lunch the seats filled up fast — here's my review of Noju, the 30,000-won-range course restaurant in Mangwon 🤍

How to book Noju and how much the deposit is

Noju takes reservations through Catch Table. Based on my recent visit, there's a 10,000-won deposit per person at booking, which gets refunded once you pay for your meal at the restaurant! If you're visiting for an anniversary, it might be worth requesting the lettering service in advance when you book.

I went for a weekday lunch, and at first I thought there'd be plenty of room, but once the meal got going the seats filled up fast. If you're going for a date or an anniversary, I'd recommend booking ahead with your preferred seat in mind.

Noju location and opening hours in Mangwon-dong

• 📍Noju (노주)
• Address: 2nd floor, 56 Donggyo-ro 9-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:30–23:00
• Lunch last order: 14:00
• Break time: 15:00–17:00
• Dinner last order: 21:30
• Closed: No fixed regular closing days
• Parking: No dedicated lot; nearby public parking recommended
• Reservations: Available via Catch Table
• Corkage: Available / ₩20,000 per bottle
• Other: Wine pairing, group bookings, anniversary lettering service, etc.

Noju is about a 3-minute walk from Mangwon Station Exit 2. It's on the 2nd floor of a building tucked into an alley, so at first I thought, wait, is there really a course restaurant here? But once you go upstairs the atmosphere completely changes.

Inside Noju: seating for solo diners and groups

The interior has low lighting and a calm mood, so it felt like a nice spot for a lunch date too. The long table doubles as group seating, and on the day I visited, a group of guests came in around 1pm — it looked like a lunch work gathering.

There are regular tables as well as bar seats facing the open kitchen, so some people were dining solo and having the course by themselves.

There were tons of wine bottles on display too, and the wine selection really is varied with pairing available, so wine lovers might want to visit in the evening.

What's in Noju's 38,000-won chef's choice lunch in September

What I had was the chef's choice lunch for 38,000 won. At the time of my visit it came out as 6 courses total.

• Focaccia & fig butter
• Beet amuse-bouche
• Mullet roe pasta
• Summer truffle potato gnocchi
• Sulfur-fed pork & grilled cabbage
• Walnut ice cream

The course lineup changes with the seasons, so just keep in mind this is the September menu from my visit!

Course 1: focaccia with fig butter

Wait, but the bread here... is genuinely so good, ugh. I was caught off guard by how good the bread was right at the start of the course, haha. The focaccia had a slightly crisp exterior and a chewy, moist inside — honestly one of the best ciabatta-style breads I've had recently, top few for sure.

My friend and I took a bite and just made eye contact. On top of that, the fig butter was also delicious. The nutty flavor of the butter combined with the sweetness of the fig, spread thick onto the warm bread — I just kept eating more of it! I was already so into it from the very first item of the course.

Course 2: beet amuse-bouche

Next came the bite-sized beet dish. Honey-glazed beets came with a salad and a bit of caviar on top. I loved how fresh and light this was. If the bread and butter were rich and sweet, the beets right after felt like they cleaned out my palate completely. Sweet-tart and light — a great way to reset, and it made me appreciate how well the course order was designed.

Course 3: mullet roe pasta

Then came the mullet roe pasta. It's a pasta where you mix mullet roe (eoran) with sea urchin (uni) as you eat, and it was delicious too. There's that distinctive salty, nutty flavor of mullet roe with a subtle hint of ocean coming through. The noodles weren't overcooked either — they still had a nice springy bite. The portion in the middle of the course wasn't too much, just the right amount to enjoy.

Course 4: summer truffle potato gnocchi (add pickles)

Next was the truffle potato gnocchi I'd been looking forward to. It's topped with Italian summer truffle, and the aroma wasn't overpowering — more on the subtle side. The gnocchi itself was really soft and the sauce was thick and rich, so good, ugh. But this is where I started to feel full, haha.

For the first bite or two I was thinking wow, this is delicious, but by the third piece the rich, heavy flavor of the gnocchi suddenly made me crave pickles so badly, haha. Turns out, looking at the menu again later, you can actually add pickles separately... If the gnocchi starts feeling a bit heavy, I'd recommend adding pickles. I'll definitely order it right away next time!

Course 5: sulfur-fed pork with grilled zucchini

Looking at the course menu beforehand, I wondered if this dish alone would fill me up... but that worry turned out to be unnecessary. By this point I was already full. The main course came with sulfur-fed pork, grilled zucchini, and jalapeño.

The pork was tasty, but I especially loved the grilled zucchini that came with it. Vegetables really do taste better when properly grilled, ugh. Pairing the nutty flavor of the pork with the grilled zucchini, plus a bit of jalapeño in between, worked really well together. That said, I was already so full by this point that I left a little behind, haha.

Course 6: walnut ice cream

Last was the walnut ice cream. Even when you're full, there's always room for dessert. It was sweet and nutty, a nice way to end the course. After the pasta, gnocchi, and pork, things felt pretty heavy, so finishing with sweet ice cream was a relief. In the end I made my way properly through all 6 courses, from the first bread to the final dessert.

Is Noju's 30,000-won-range lunch course worth it?

I was originally curious about this place just because of the price — 6 courses for 38,000 won in Mangwon-dong — but after eating there, it wasn't just decent because it's cheap. There was real enjoyment in how each dish changed one after another, and the portions were bigger than I expected.

Seeing how fast the seats filled up even on a weekday lunch made me glad I'd booked ahead, and the atmosphere was nice too, so it seems like a good fit for anyone looking for a Mangwon-dong date or anniversary lunch! As a 30,000-won-range course meal, lunch at Noju in Mangwon was quite satisfying.