Jongno 3-ga dumpling shop: light rice cake dumpling soup, Jongga Mandu

Jongga Mandu location and opening hours in Jongno 3-ga

Jongga Mandu (종가만두) is at 88 Supyo-ro, 1st floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul. It opens at 11:00 every day, has a break from 15:30 to 17:00, and closes at 21:30, except on Sundays, when it closes at 16:00.

Why Jongga Mandu for lunch in Jongno 3-ga?

I was meeting a close younger friend in Jongno for the first time in a while, and while searching for lunch I wanted something light but filling?? Then I found a place called Jongga Mandu. It has tons of reviews, and when I actually went, it had plenty of regulars. A hidden gem in Jongno 3-ga!!

As it looks from outside, the inside of Jongga Mandu is very spacious, so even at busy lunchtime we didn't wait long and got a seat right away, you know~

How much is the rice cake dumpling soup at Jongga Mandu?

The tteok mandutguk (rice cake dumpling soup) at Jongga Mandu is ₩13,000 and comes loaded with dumplings. The signature dish is mandu jeongol (dumpling hot pot), but we weren't starving that day, so we ordered the dumpling soup, which fills you up just enough.

Seating and atmosphere at Jongga Mandu

Jongga Mandu has plenty of mostly four-person tables, so it's great for office workers grabbing lunch together, and in the evening it's absolutely the kind of place for a family meal or gathering. The staff greeted us very kindly the moment we walked in, which put me in a good mood.

Ordering at Jongga Mandu's table kiosks

Each table at Jongga Mandu has a kiosk showing menu photos, so choosing was easier. I wavered between the dumpling hot pot and the dumpling soup, then ordered two bowls of the soup, which seemed easier to eat.

Side dishes and self-serve bar at Jongga Mandu

The basic side dishes are pickled radish and richly seasoned kimchi. The kimchi was especially good and went so well with the dumpling soup that I kept picking at it and finished it fast, then helped myself to more from the self-serve bar without any guilt. Kimchi plus dumpling soup, thumbs up!

They bring out the side dishes like this at the start. And it's a very generous amount.

How does Jongga Mandu's dumpling soup taste?

The dumpling soup at Jongga Mandu was packed with everything from regular meat dumplings to kimchi dumplings. I've never seen a dumpling soup with this many dumplings. Maybe because they use dumplings made by hand in the shop, a crumbly, nutty flavor filled my mouth from the first bite.

They're healthy-feeling dumplings stuffed completely full, so I felt full before I even got to the rice. Instead of soup made with store-bought dumplings, it uses dumplings the shop makes itself, so the taste was full of care and really filling. The broth was rich yet clean too!

My friend and I had come wondering just how good the dumplings must be for Jongga Mandu to sit near the top of nearly every Jongno restaurant search. The moment we bit into a fully stuffed dumpling, we exclaimed and looked at each other. Even though we weren't very hungry, we fished out every last dumpling, they're that good. Then again, a shop that boldly calls itself Jongga Mandu (literally "head family dumplings") has to back that up, right?

A Jongno 3-ga alley restaurant worth visiting even on hot days

Even in hot weather, plenty of people come on purpose for the dumpling soup, so this really seems like a genuine favorite of this long-established alley. Having eaten it, I can see how regulars are inevitable. It's topped with lots of chopped green onion, and eating it with a bite of dumpling gives a wonderful texture. I don't usually eat kimchi dumplings, but the kimchi dumplings here were so good that I kept reaching for them~~

Is Jongga Mandu worth a return visit?

Just like the reviews I'd read beforehand said, the staff at Jongga Mandu were kind and the food was very good. There were quite a lot of jorangi tteok (small rice cakes shaped like cocoons), which I love, and above all the shop's signature dumplings were so delicious that they stay in my memory. I don't come to Jongno 3-ga often, but next time I'm nearby I'll come to Jongga Mandu on purpose. I stopped by a Jongno 3-ga favorite at lunchtime and left well fed.

Disclosure: this review was written after the restaurant provided the meal.