Mangwon fine dining solo at the bar, 89,000-won course: Noju

Eating Noju's 89,000-won course alone at the bar

Noju is a fine dining restaurant near Mangwon Station on the 2nd floor at 56 Donggyo-ro 9-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul. There are two course options, 55,000 won and 89,000 won, and I sat alone at the bar and had the 89,000-won course.

Today I'm bringing you a review of Noju, an affordable fine dining spot in Mangwon that's great for group dinners. I'd just changed jobs and was stressed out about all sorts of things, so I figured I should at least eat something delicious — that's how I found Noju and went straight there. Even though I went solo, it was surprisingly comfortable. I'll get into why it felt so good for group dinners even though I was eating alone, below, haha.

How to get to Noju near Mangwon Station, and the room itself

This affordable fine dining spot in Mangwon is on the 2nd floor, and the sign is so small that it's actually quicker to just look for the Mangwondong Makguksu (buckwheat noodle) shop nearby.

If you look to the left of the building, you'll see Noju's sign and stairs leading up. Just head up that way.

The moment you walk in, you get that cozy feeling unique to good fine dining places. It's not loud, and the calm atmosphere was really nice.

There are 2-person tables perfect for a date, as well as group tables, so it seemed great for a work dinner too. Honestly, having a work dinner in a place like this means people don't end up drinking as much, which I personally like.

Good food with just the right amount of drinking — haha. Actually, when I visited, there was a group having a work dinner and it looked really nice!!

Since I was eating solo, I sat at the bar-style table.

Noju course prices: 55,000 won or 89,000 won?

Noju Courses

Noju's courses come in two options — 55,000 won and 89,000 won — such reasonable prices, right? In the afternoon only the 89,000-won course is available, but if you sit at the bar you can also order the 55,000-won course. Since I'd already decided to treat myself, I went with the 89,000-won course!!

There are pretty wine bottles displayed everywhere and a wide selection of wines, so you can pair your food with whatever wine you like and really enjoy it, haha.

What comes out in Noju's 89,000-won course

The first dish is focaccia with house-made fig butter spread on it, and this is genuinely delicious. My personal favorite pick..! I wanted to buy this separately just to eat on its own. A taste that makes you excited for what's coming next, haha.

Second came a beet tart, a one-bite wrap topped with caviar, and a croquette.

They told me the tart should be eaten in one bite, so I did — and wow... it's really delicious. Who knew beets could taste this good... All three were unique but really tasty. This is exactly why everyone loves fine dining, mmhmm.

Third was tuna topped with apple sorbet, and the refreshing sorbet with the clean, savory flavor of the tuna was insane. This is the kind of dish you're supposed to eat slowly, but it was so good I just devoured it without thinking.

The black tiger shrimp was also really tender and juicy. The shrimp head had this rich, luscious 'guts' inside — I wanted to pick it up with my hands and go at it properly, but I kept my manners in check.

Steamed mackerel! Honestly I'm not a big fan of cooked mackerel so I usually pass, but even so it was moist and tender enough that I ate it without any issue.

This!!!!!!!! Is genuinely so good!!!! Lobster in a thick, creamy sauce with insane richness — you basically have to scrape up every last bit of the sauce with a spoon.

It was so soft and tasty I wanted more, but the portion was a bit small, which was a shame... lol (I'm the type who prefers to just pile my plate high).

Ragu pasta and truffle gnocchi at Noju

Ragu pasta! It comes topped with burrata cheese — they said you can mix it in or just dip the pasta into it.

The pasta noodles were thick, which made for an interesting texture, and the ragu sauce was so good I ate it slowly, savoring every bite.

The truffle gnocchi was also genuinely delicious. Thick, chewy gnocchi loaded with insanely rich truffle flavor. I scraped up every bit of the sauce on this one too.

The steak main and tiramisu dessert

The final main dish! Steak!! You can tell just from the photo how good this looks. It comes with grilled zucchini in a cauliflower sauce, plus a jalapeño sauce on the side — that one can be spicy, so you should eat it in small, controlled amounts.

Of course, I handle spicy food just fine, so I scraped this one clean too. Hehe.

The tiramisu served for dessert! This also seemed to be house-made.

The bottom layer was soaked through with coffee and the cream was soft — a perfect way to end the meal.

Why Noju works for group dinners but not for solo diners

So why is it great for group dinners? Because the dishes come out slowly and individually — perfect for me since I hate having to share plates with coworkers. If you eat too fast, you end up needing a second and third round afterward, but since the food comes out slowly here, you'll probably max out at a second round. And honestly, you'll already be too full to want more to drink anyway, lol.

Anyway, I had a really satisfying solo meal at Noju, this affordable fine dining spot in Mangwon — very pleased! Though when eating alone, it would've been nice if the dishes came out a bit faster... I wanted to finish up quickly and head home. Hehe.

Noju address, hours and details

• Address: 56 Donggyo-ro 9-gil, 2nd floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Sun 11:30–23:00
• Courses: ₩55,000 / ₩89,000 (only the 89-course available in the afternoon; 55-course available at bar seats)