Jongno restaurant for shabu meat and dumpling hot pot: Jongga Mandu

The weather has gotten a little chilly lately, so off I go to Jongno 3-ga for a nice, warming dumpling hot pot—go go go!

📎Jongga Mandu Mon–Sat 11:00–21:30 / Sun 11:00–16:00 (B.T. 15:30–17:00)

Jongga Mandu, close to Jongno 3-ga Station

Jongno is one of my favorite neighborhoods, so I’ve been back and forth here countless times—but there was a dumpling place tucked away in here all along...! It’s super close to Jongno 3-ga Station, so it’s easy to find!

Half-and-half hot pot: what’s included and the price

Jongga Mandu’s menu. They also have kongguksu (noodles in soy milk broth), but the hot pot looked so good that I went for the half-and-half hot pot with two broths. You can add extras too, and later I regretted not adding more noodles...🥲

The hot pot arrives with several kinds of mushrooms, bok choy, bean sprouts, and even thinly sliced shabu meat!! (I wasn’t expecting much from the meat, but it was sooo good.) The generously filled-looking dumplings come as four meat dumplings plus four kimchi dumplings.

The side dishes are pickled radish and geotjeori (fresh kimchi). No matter how good the main dish is, bad kimchi is a deal-breaker, right? But the geotjeori passed with flying colors—I kept getting refills because it was so good hahaha. And kalguksu (knife-cut noodle) extras are included, so ₩28,000 is enough to leave you properly full.

Handmade dumplings and a roomy interior

You can even watch them making the dumplings by hand like this! They’ve handmade more than two million dumplings, choosing the ingredients and folding every one themselves, so it somehow feels even more reassuring—and tastier. I spotted this while reading Naver reviews: apparently it ranked No. 1 for dumpling hot pot restaurants in Seoul. Delicious-place status confirmed...

I came at a quiet time, so the interior was nice and spacious. There are even bigger tables further inside, so this would be perfect for work dinners for people working around Jongno, right?! / I just noticed that groups can book through Naver. (Reservations are available for 6 to 20 people.)

Add the dumplings and let the split broth boil

Once the broth starts boiling, add the dumplings. Four on each side to keep things fair hahaha. (And then I mostly ate the kimchi ones because I’m Team Kimchi.)

A quick photo with the ingredients while it boils. (It kind of feels like eating hot pot because of the two broths.)

Once it was bubbling away, I tossed in all the remaining ingredients. Honestly, it doesn’t need to boil for long, so you can eat pretty quickly—but I was sooo hungry I wanted it ready even faster 😇 Hurry up and boil~!

A spicy broth even spice-wimps can enjoy

I love kimchi dumplings, so I tried one first, and wow—the filling was so generous and tastyㅠㅠㅠㅠ The wrapper was thin too, so there wasn’t that floury taste, which I loved even more. Oh, and because it was called a spicy broth, I worried it might be too fiery, but it wasn’t nose-running spicy. It had that delicious level of heat even spice-wimps can enjoy, so I recommend getting both broths. If you’re having it anyway, isn’t it better to enjoy more variety with the half-and-half option? They were both so good that choosing just one was impossible, honestly...

Eat the shabu meat as soon as it cooks

That meat I mentioned earlier... Since this is a dumpling place, I really wasn’t expecting much from it, but what was that? It was chewy and delicious enough that I wanted to order extra. The owner said it gets tough and loses its flavor if it cooks too long, so dip it in briefly and eat it as soon as it looks cooked!

I’m famously a pickled-radish killer, but the geotjeori kimchi here was the real deal, so I think I refilled it about four times. hahahahahahahahahahaha

Finish with kalguksu noodles in the mild broth

After eating everything, it was time for the final kalguksu noodles. I wondered which side to add them to, then decided on the mild broth! You know how the broth is especially good at this point, right? I kept scooping it up with my spoon.... hehe. Anyway, I regretted not ordering extra kalguksu too 😇

On the way out, I saw this dumpling keychain. I’ve seen loads of keychains, but this was my first dumpling one—so cute!

If you’re looking for a great restaurant around Jongno 3-ga, head to Jongga Mandu. You can enjoy shabu-shabu, dumplings, and kalguksu all in one go! Do check the break time before you visit.