Gangnam Station dim sum restaurant: eggplant rice bowl, Namsogwan

Today I heard there's a great dim sum and beef noodle spot in Gangnam, so I came to check it out haha. I've always liked dim sum, and I got curious when I heard there's a place in Gangnam that really does it right.

On top of that, it's near Gangnam Station so it's easy to get to, and I'd heard the food is good, so I went to see for myself. Today I'm introducing Namsogwan U Yuk Dosakmyeon! It seemed like a solid pick for anyone in Gangnam wanting dim sum and noodles together, so I'm bringing it to you.

Namsogwan U Yuk Dosakmyeon hours and parking near Gangnam Station

• ⏰ Hours: Daily 11:00–22:20 (last order 22:00)
• 🚗 Parking: Use nearby public or private parking lots
• 📍 Location: 19 Teheran-ro 1-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 1st & 2nd floors

Watching the dim sum being folded by hand from outside

I checked out the exterior first, and it had an overall clean look. But there was one thing that caught my eye before going in — you could actually see dim sum being made by hand outside! Watching each piece being prepared like that gave me extra confidence in the food haha.

These days a lot of places keep the kitchen hidden, so being able to watch the process happen outside naturally raised my expectations for the food. If you're searching for Gangnam Station dim sum and end up here, I think this part will be fun to see too.

Inside Namsogwan: tables for two downstairs, group seating upstairs

The interior had two floors total. The 1st floor had tables suited for 2 to 3 people, which worked well since we visited as a pair.

Going up to the 2nd floor, there was seating well suited to families or group visitors. It's a good structure whether you're coming solo, on a date, or as a small group, but also great for larger parties. Around Gangnam Station, a lot of places get crowded and seating gets tight, but having a 2nd floor here meant we could eat comfortably with more room.

We took a 2-person table that day.

What's on the menu, from beef knife-cut noodles to dim sum and rice bowls

Ordering was easy through the table order tablet. Looking at the menu, there were way more options than I expected.

There were various fried rice dishes, rice bowl meals like yuxiang eggplant rice bowl, and of course the signature dishes — beef knife-cut noodles (dosakmyeon) and oil-drenched noodles among various beef noodle varieties.

And of course, dim sum came in plenty of varieties too. You could come just for dim sum, or pair one main dish with dim sum on the side. After some deliberation, we ordered yuxiang eggplant rice bowl + xiaolongbao + shaomai!

Yuxiang eggplant rice bowl: crisp eggplant in a spicy-sour sauce

The first dish to arrive was the yuxiang eggplant rice bowl. It looked really appetizing from the start — eggplant tossed in a spicy-tangy sauce sitting on top of rice, looking perfect to eat together with the rice.

It also came with an egg drop soup on the side, which was nice.

Trying the eggplant first, the outside was crispy while the inside was cooked soft and moist. Add in the spicy-tangy yuxiang sauce and it paired really well with the rice.

What I especially liked was that it wasn't heavy at all, unlike I expected. Usually with meat rice bowls, they taste good but can feel a bit slow to digest and heavy afterward — but maybe because it's eggplant, it kept feeling light and smooth to keep eating with the rice. The sauce soaked into the rice so well that between one piece of eggplant and one spoonful of rice, my hand kept reaching back for more haha.

How to eat the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) at Namsogwan

Next up was the xiaolongbao. It looked packed full of filling even just visually, which raised my expectations. This dish isn't meant to be eaten in one bite like a regular dumpling — there's a specific way to eat it.

You're supposed to tear the skin slightly first to taste the broth inside, then eat the whole dumpling afterward. So we followed the instructions and tore it open a bit, and it was packed with broth inside. It was so full that if you're not careful, the broth spills out. After tasting the broth first and then eating the wrapper and filling together, the soft meat and chewy wrapper blended really well. With all that broth, it had an overall rich, satisfying taste. Even one dumpling filled your mouth completely, so if you love dim sum, this would be pretty satisfying.

Shrimp shaomai, the best dish of the meal

And finally, the last dish was the shrimp dim sum, shaomai. Personally, out of everything we had that day, this was my favorite!

Taking a bite, the outer wrapper had a chewy texture while the shrimp inside kept its texture intact. The salty flying fish roe on top especially paired really well with the shrimp. The shrimp had a nice bouncy bite, and there was some broth locked inside too, giving it a moist feel. So it wasn't just plain shrimp — the chewy wrapper, bouncy shrimp, and salty flying fish roe all came together at once, and that combination was great.

Looking inside, it was full of broth and the shrimp were big, so both the bite and the flavor were good haha.

Is Namsogwan worth it for two? Our verdict

Eating through everything, Namsogwan U Yuk Dosakmyeon may have beef knife-cut noodles as its namesake main dish, but the fact that you can also enjoy dim sum and rice bowls alongside it means there's a wide range of choices, which I liked. Watching the dim sum being hand-made outside was memorable too, and with seating split across the 1st and 2nd floors, it seemed good for anything from a small meal to a family or group gathering.

Next time I'd like to try the beef knife-cut noodles itself, which we didn't get to this time. If you're near Gangnam Station craving dim sum and Chinese-style noodles, this place seems worth a visit.

• A Gangnam Chinese restaurant near Gangnam Station where you can enjoy dim sum and various Chinese dishes
• Watching dim sum being hand-made outside added extra trust in the food
• The yuxiang eggplant rice bowl's crisp-yet-tender eggplant and spicy-tangy sauce paired well with the rice
• The xiaolongbao's broth-filled inside and chewy wrapper combo stood out
• Personally, the shaomai was the best dish, and next time I plan to try the beef knife-cut noodles since that's the specialty here