Balsan Station Korean restaurant: Chilseok birthday with Mom, Mikodam

A Chilseok birthday with Mom at Mikodam near Balsan Station

July 7 is Chilseok, the day the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd meet, and it's Lucky Seven ✨ It's also the day I was born, so my birthday always feels a little extra special. Happy birthday to me~~ 🎵 They say seaweed soup on your birthday tastes best when someone else makes it, right??

Mom served me first because I was the birthday person,, but when I think about it, that was the day Mom went through the most, so I should have served her first,, I regret it 😭 Mom, thank you for going through so much to give birth to me!!!!!

Oh right! Let me introduce a seaweed soup place haha. If you're looking near Balsan Station for a restaurant with private rooms for family gatherings, company dinners or even a small first-birthday party, I think Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch (미꼬담 마곡발산점) is a good pick, so I'm recommending it! Parking is easy, the portions are generous, there are rooms, and the service was great too.

Parking and directions to Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch

Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch has 3 hours of free parking and a 4-level parking lot that connects directly to the building. Just go in through the entrance that's obviously the Mikodam parking lot~!!

Because the parking lot connects straight to the building, you can get inside without an umbrella even on rainy days. In monsoon season, that turns out to be a surprisingly big plus.

🚗 I personally care a lot about parking, and with 3 hours free and a 4-level lot, Mikodam should be stress-free. It also seems fine if a family arrives in several cars.

• 3 hours of free parking
• 4-level parking lot

Once you're inside the building, you'll see a galbi (grilled ribs) restaurant first! Follow the green banner in front of it back outside, and there's the Mikodam sign and the entrance banner!!!

Mikodam's interior and tablet ordering

The moment you walk into Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch, it feels like an upscale hanjeongsik (Korean set-course) restaurant!! It's newly opened, so it's very clean 👍

Sit wherever you like; the table setting paper lists the main ingredients and explains the set menus,

and you order easily by tablet!! There are set menus for 2, 3 and 4 people, and you can also order à la carte.

What side dishes does Mikodam serve, and are refills free?

Mikodam's side dishes are incredibly varied, from stir-fried spicy pork to japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), and you can keep getting refills 😮 So it's great for a hearty meal!!

• Stir-fried spicy pork
• Japchae (glass noodle stir-fry)

(I'd ordered delivery spicy pork the day before, but even my picky mom said the pork here is better)

We ordered the set for 2, and once the dishes started coming out one after another, the table filled up in no time😳

How many people fit in Mikodam's private rooms?

Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch has two 12-person rooms and one 8-person room. Besides family gatherings, it looked suitable for company dinners, parents' birthdays, small first-birthday parties and even sanggyeollye (the formal meeting of two families before a wedding).

Looking around Mikodam, I thought, 'This place must get a lot of group gatherings.'

• Two 12-person rooms
• One 8-person room

Free birthday beef jeon and the review gyeran-mari offer

When I visited, Mikodam was running a free large beef jeon (pan-fried beef slices) for birthday guests and a free gyeran-mari (rolled omelet) for writing a review. Visit within a week before or after your birthday and you get the large beef jeon free!

• Free large beef jeon for birthday guests
• Free gyeran-mari for writing a review

The day I visited was my actual birthday.🎂 We could have gotten it, but we'd already chosen beef jeon as the side in our set, and Mom and I don't eat that much, so we didn't ask for extra. Once all the food came out, I was glad we hadn't. The set alone filled us up😂

I got the gyeran-mari through the review event, but I was too full to finish it!!

Self-serve dessert bar and baby chairs

Mikodam's self-serve bar has puffed corn, maesil (plum drink), sikhye (sweet rice drink) and coffee, so dessert is covered in one go. It was more complete than I expected 👍

• Puffed corn (kept in a rice cooker, so you can eat it warm)
• Maesil (plum drink)
• Sikhye (sweet rice drink)
• Coffee

The counter has a toothpick dispenser, and there are plenty of baby chairs, so visiting with a child should be no trouble.

What I liked about Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch

• Easy to reach, as a Balsan Station restaurant should be
• 3 hours of free parking
• Spacious parking lot
• Full set of private rooms
• Recommended for family gatherings, company dinners and first-birthday parties
• Truly generous portions
• Varied, refillable side dishes
• Birthday service
• Review event
• Convenient with kids
• Dessert covered by the self-serve bar

Overall verdict

Maybe it's more memorable because it was my birthday, but overall I was very satisfied with Mikodam near Balsan Station: the food, service, parking and size of the place. Since the rooms are so well equipped, I think it's worth a visit if you're planning a family gathering, a parents' birthday, a company dinner or a small first-birthday party. Next time I'd like to come back with the whole family.😊

Mikodam near Balsan Station was a recommended Korean restaurant for family gatherings and company dinners, with roomy private rooms, convenient parking and a generous spread.

Who Mikodam is best for

• Anyone looking for a family-gathering restaurant near Magok's Balsan Station
• Anyone looking for a restaurant with private rooms near Balsan Station
• Anyone choosing a venue for a company dinner
• Anyone looking for a restaurant for a parents' birthday
• Anyone looking for a venue for a small first-birthday party
• Anyone who wants a Balsan Station restaurant with easy parking