Tuna rice bowl and kimchi cheese nabe at Padong, a Mangwon Market

But this is my space, so no lies here. You know that feeling when the restaurant you planned to go to is closed and you can't eat what you wanted? T_T That's how I ended up at Padong, a Japanese restaurant in Mangwon, totally by accident. I rushed in barely glancing at what they served, and oh my god, it was so freaking good my mood completely flipped and my energy shot up. This is my Padong review — the place that turned despair into happiness near Mangwon Station ~

Padong's hours and days off

• 🕖 Closed every Monday
• 🕠 Tue–Sun / 11:30–21:00
• ❗️No break time

How to find Padong from Mangwon Station

If you follow Mangwon Market from Mangwon Station, there's a big, always-crowded fruit stand inside the market — Padong is right in the alley next to it. Being a semi-basement shop, it could easily be missed, but they've decorated the storefront so nicely that won't happen ^_^

How does the waitlist work?

The place is pretty small, so waiting is a must during peak hours ~ ! Padong's waiting system is the most analog(?) method there is — write your name and party size on paper ~ Fine these days, but probably rough when it's freezing or boiling out.

On the way in I saw a sign saying futomaki is available for takeout — 'by popular request'?? Once I saw that, there was no way I wasn't ordering futomaki T_T

Good for solo diners and groups alike

With just 7 tables for two, this cozy spot is unconditionally great for anyone looking for a solo-dining restaurant in Mangwon ~ That day someone was there alone enjoying futomaki. And here's a twist: even groups get seated, either by pushing tables together if there's room, or splitting up if there isn't?! I know this because five people came in that day — first they were split up, then once one group left, the staff pushed the tables together for them! I assumed a small place like this would only take small groups, but not at all.

What we ordered and how much it cost

True to being a Japanese restaurant near Mangwon Station, the menu is mainly rice bowls, soba, udon, and nabe! Before I even got to eat, there was one more moment of despair — the steak rice bowl and salmon rice bowl were both sold out T_T Those two plus futomaki were exactly what I'd planned to order, so I nearly cried. For about two seconds I thought about just leaving, but I didn't want to keep wandering around, so I ordered my mental second choices instead T_T

• 📌 Futomaki - ₩16,000
• 📌 Tuna rice bowl - ₩15,000
• 📌 Kimchi cheese nabe - ₩15,000

I hadn't even considered the kimchi cheese nabe because it sounded like such a wild combo (sorry — actually not sorry, respect my taste), but wouldn't you know it, my mom ordered it, so I kept quiet. And the tuna rice bowl was my backup for the sold-out salmon rice bowl.

The basic setup is pickled radish, pickled peppers, and one broth per person ~ That broth is a familiar flavor but genuinely delicious, so I refilled it once! And since the restaurant was quite cool inside, the warm broth felt even better.

Padong, a favorite between Hapjeong and Mangwon, is run solo by the owner cooking everything, and their hands are lightning fast! Everything we ordered came out together, and we didn't wait long at all.

The futomaki has a crazy combination of ingredients

Isn't the futomaki's look just insane.

No exaggeration, it came out thigh-sized — like actress-pretty-noona-thigh sized (anyone pretty is 'noona' to me T_T) — ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. With futomaki, size matters, but the combination of ingredients inside is ultimately what makes it good, and this one was insane. One bite, three chews, and a shiver ran through me T_T

With gimbap (seaweed rice roll), the end pieces are always the best, but with futomaki, honestly every bite is great T_T Tuna, fried shrimp, rolled egg, cucumber — the combination and seasoning of everything inside was so good my eyes rolled back, genuinely. That solo diner I mentioned earlier ordered just futomaki instead of a rice bowl, and I thought, huh, that's a bold and unusual pick — but after eating it myself, I totally got why. It's the kind of flavor that makes you happy the instant you taste it.

Kimchi cheese nabe, with a tangy kimchi broth as the highlight

The moment the kimchi cheese nabe arrived, I passed it straight to my mom ~ ^^ The torched, thickly melted cheese on top looked amazing though.

Rice comes with the nabe, and they told us it's refillable if you run out.

I hadn't read the menu description closely, so I didn't realize it wasn't tonkatsu but instead three handmade fried shrimp. Each piece was so huge that just three of them filled the whole bowl T_T

I usually don't like fried food sitting in liquid, so I stayed cautious and just fished out the cheese — but it wasn't fake cheese, it was genuinely good quality cheese, so full of flavor and melted right in my mouth T_T

So then I tried the kimchi and broth, and honestly it was just rice-thief material... actually, 'delicious soup' fits better than 'rice thief.' It's a clear kimchi broth with the tangy sourness of well-fermented kimchi coming through strong, and it was completely my taste. If you don't like sour kimchi broth, this menu isn't for you!!!! It's not spicy at all, but that tangy kimchi flavor I love makes it refreshing and clean, and it's basically instant hangover relief.

Feeling braver, I also tried the fried shrimp, and being handmade really shows — so good T_T The shrimp were plump on another level. Though I did think it might be even better if they weren't sitting in liquid ~ They also sell fried shrimp as a side, two pieces for ₩4,000 — definitely order it.

• 1. If the ones sitting in liquid taste this good, imagine how good they'd be otherwise,
• 2. The price is really reasonable for the quality of the fried shrimp!!!!

The best dish at Padong was the tuna rice bowl

I was also worried the tuna rice bowl might taste fishy, but it's insane. As much as I loved the futomaki, if you ask me what was the best thing at Padong near Mangwon Station, I'd say the tuna rice bowl T_T T_T T_T T_T

I mixed it all together minus the seaweed, wasabi, and tamagoyaki (rolled omelette), and the amount of tuna was really generous, which I loved,

⭐⭐️️Genuinely so so so so so so so so good⭐️⭐️

I try not to overuse certain words because it gets annoying, but I honestly don't think any other word conveys it. I'd worried about the tuna tasting fishy after ordering, but I swear, it wasn't fishy at all! The combination of super fresh tuna, flying fish roe, pickled radish, and everything else was, if anything, stronger than the futomaki.

Why I'd recommend the tuna rice bowl over the salmon rice bowl

Of course, even I would normally pick salmon over tuna T_T But while everyone recommends the salmon rice bowl at Padong, I'll be shouting for the tuna rice bowl. It was good enough that I really want people to consider tuna before defaulting to salmon... Swapping salmon in for tuna doesn't just give you the salmon rice bowl — it's a completely different dish, which is exactly why I recommend trying the tuna version. It's a fantastic flavor, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

When a meal is this good, you walk out already thinking about who to bring next time, and that's exactly how I felt about Padong near Mangwon Station!!!!!!!! I went in with zero expectations and no info, which might explain some of the extra excitement, but honestly, even if I'd memorized the menu beforehand, I think I would have enjoyed it just as much, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. It's a small, cozy spot perfect for solo dining in Mangwon, but the flavors packed a serious punch — that's my Padong review, done.