Seoul Indian restaurant early lunch with no wait: Namaste Dongmyo

I've been really into malangi (a squishy toy) lately haha. That day I went to Dongmyo's toy alley to browse them, and since I was already out, I felt like eating something I don't usually have. While looking around for what to eat, Indian food caught my eye, so I headed to Namaste Dongmyo Branch :)

Where is Namaste Dongmyo Branch? One minute from Dongmyo Station Exit 5

Namaste Dongmyo Branch is just a 1-minute walk from Exit 5 of Dongmyo Station, so it was easy to head over for a meal after browsing the toy alley.

Looking up at the building, the big Namaste restaurant sign was easy to spot, so it wasn't hard to find. The restaurant is on the 2nd floor!

📌 Namaste Dongmyo Branch basic info / 📍 18 Jibong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 2nd floor / ⏰ Daily 11:00 – 22:00, last order 1 hour before closing

Walking up the stairs, the Namaste logo comes into view. The vibe was different from the restaurants I usually go to, so it caught my eye even before stepping inside :)

The look and feel inside Namaste Dongmyo Branch

Inside, the interior was full of Indian vibes right away. Even the wall decorations and color scheme were clearly different from the places I usually go to!

We were seated at a table further inside. Since we arrived a bit before the lunch rush, we sat down right away without any wait.

I also got to see the Blue Ribbon mark displayed in the restaurant myself. I took a photo of it too haha.

Some of you may have found this place searching for Dongmyo Blue Ribbon restaurants, and seeing the mark in person raised my expectations for the food even more! It ended up being a place that stuck with us since we enjoyed the meal so much that day :)

What comes in the 50,000 won couple set

This was only my second time eating Indian food, so a lot of the menu names still felt unfamiliar haha. The menu had quite a variety of curries, so instead of picking dishes separately, we decided to try a bit of everything. What we ordered was:

• 🍽️ Couple set ₩50,000
• Samosa 2pcs
• Chicken tikka 4pcs
• Shrimp chili
• Chicken makhani
• Vegetable curry
• Plain rice
• Garlic naan
• Choice of drink

For the drink, we could choose between tea, lassi, or yogurt, and we went with lassi! Since we wanted to try a bit of everything rather than commit to just one dish, this set worked really well for us.

Dish after dish until the table was full

The dishes kept coming out until the table filled up in no time haha. Two kinds of curry, naan and rice, samosa, chicken tikka, and shrimp chili — there were more varieties than I expected.

Honestly, when I first saw the ₩50,000 price for the couple set on the menu, I hesitated a bit haha.

But once the full spread was actually laid out, it was clearly a set where two people could sample a wide variety of dishes! Let's go through them one by one :)

The samosas: big enough to share

The first thing we tried was the samosa. It was fairly big, so we split one each.

The first bite had a curry-like flavor, but the spices weren't overwhelming, so it was easy for us to eat. Since this was our first time trying it, we were curious what it would taste like, and it made a good starter for the couple set :)

Chicken tikka with a smoky char

And the chicken tikka we both really enjoyed! You could definitely taste the smoky char, and to me it felt close to barbecue, which made it easy to eat comfortably.

It was different from the saucy dishes like the curries, so as we went back and forth between the various dishes, this was one we kept reaching for. Chicken tikka really suited both our tastes haha.

Shrimp chili: a familiar flavor that worked

The shrimp chili was similar to the chili shrimp I've had before. Not everything felt unfamiliar just because it's Indian food.

For us, this was a dish that felt relatively familiar to eat :)

Chicken makhani vs vegetable curry: how do they differ?

If you found Namaste while searching for curry near Dongmyo Station, you're probably most curious about the curry flavors. First, the chicken makhani had a creamy touch that made it lean toward the mild and smooth side overall.

The vegetable curry, on the other hand, I assumed would be light and plain just from the name.

But when we actually tried it, the flavor was much richer than expected, and we both went 'oh?' haha. The two curries felt different enough that it was better to alternate between them rather than stick to just one.

If you're searching for curry at a Dongmyo restaurant and want to try a variety, this kind of set with two curries side by side is worth keeping in mind :)

Garlic naan and plain rice with the curries

Since there was curry, we tried the garlic naan too. Scooping curry onto the naan was great, and since plain rice also came with the set,

the combo with rice was also not to be skipped haha. I tried both naan and rice, and honestly, I preferred the rice haha.

A spoonful of rice with each bite of curry suited my taste better :)

Choosing lassi as the set drink

We chose lassi for our drink. To me it tasted like a light yogurt, but it wasn't too plain either — it had a subtle richness that went well alongside the meal. Since it's not a drink I usually have, it was fun to experience it while eating Indian food :)

We also nibbled on the pickle that came alongside the meal!

How busy does Namaste Dongmyo Branch get at lunchtime?

🐾 Yoonnyang's tip — We visited a bit before the lunch rush, so we got seated right away without waiting! But by the time we finished eating and were leaving, people had come in and the seats were almost all filled. This was just how it was on the day I visited, but if you're planning to visit during lunch hour, keep in mind that seats were nearly full by the time we left :)

Verdict after eating at Namaste Dongmyo Branch

I originally went out to Dongmyo to browse malangi toys, but ended up craving Indian food, which I don't usually eat, so we went in on a whim. Honestly, when I first saw the ₩50,000 couple set on the menu, I hesitated a bit haha. But once the full spread was laid out, there were more varieties than expected and the portions were generous too. Even between the two of us, we got pretty full and ended up leaving a bit of food behind. I hesitated at first, but after finishing the meal, I felt like this composition and portion size was good for two people to sample a variety of dishes haha.

The one we both enjoyed most was the smoky chicken tikka! I also liked pairing curry with plain rice :) After seeing the Blue Ribbon mark in person and trying a variety of dishes, this is a place worth considering if you're looking for Blue Ribbon restaurants in Dongmyo. A day when I went out to see malangi toys and ended up unexpectedly full haha.

If you're looking for curry at a Dongmyo restaurant or curry near Dongmyo Station, or if you feel like something a little different after browsing Dongmyo's toy alley, give Namaste Dongmyo Branch a try too :)