Seocho dim sum restaurant with partitioned hall seats: Maeranbang

My friend and I had a dinner get-together at Gyodae Station after a long while. Gyodae is full of office workers so there are plenty of good restaurants, but it's actually hard to find one quiet enough for a proper chat. Since this was a reunion, I wanted somewhere with good food where we could also talk comfortably, and that's how I ended up at Maeranbang Gyodae Branch. It's a Chinese restaurant known for dim sum and course meals, and a popular spot for gatherings and company dinners too, so I went in with high expectations.

Where Maeranbang Gyodae Branch is, and where to park

Maeranbang Gyodae Branch is a 2-minute walk from Exit 14 of Gyodae Station. It's on B1 at 24 Seochodae-ro 50-gil, and the entrance has this exotic, stylish look. It wasn't hard to find at all.

• 📍B1, 24 Seochodae-ro 50-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea (2-minute walk from Gyodae Station Exit 14)
• 🕑Daily 11:00–21:50 / break time 15:00–17:00
• 🚘Paid parking available in the building. ₩3,000 for the first period, with additional charges after. Parking space is limited, so public transit is recommended.

Maeranbang menu: Dinner Course C at 35,000 won per person

🥟Maeranbang's à la carte dishes are great, but it's especially known for offering Chinese course meals at fairly reasonable prices.

The Gyodae branch also seemed full of guests there for family gatherings, company dinners, and business meals. Lunch has Course A and Course B, while dinner has Course C, D, and E. We ordered Dinner Course C (₩35,000 per person).

Considering how much dining out costs these days, this felt like a pretty solid lineup for a course in the 30,000-won range.

Why the hall seats at Maeranbang feel private

🍜Maeranbang is known for having lots of private rooms, but we were seated in the hall this time. Honestly, I first thought, 'Won't the hall be a bit noisy?' But once we sat down, my whole impression changed. Instead of a typical open table layout, the seats were divided by tall seatbacks and half-circle partitions, so the next table over didn't bother us at all.

As you can see in the photos, the sofa seating was also cushy enough to sit in comfortably for a long time, and the gap between tables was generous enough that it never felt cramped. It made for a really good meal to sit and chat with a friend. Of course, there are plenty of rooms too, so if you need a private space for a company dinner or family gathering, booking a room is a good call — but if you're a group of 2–4 like us, the hall seats alone should be plenty satisfying.

What comes with Course C, from crab meat soup to matcha pudding

🍽️Even though it was evening, it was over 30 degrees — a truly hot day — so we started with a cold beer. Tsingtao is the classic pairing for Chinese food, of course! Maeranbang Gyodae Branch has Tsingtao draft.

This is where Course C began. The plump crab soup that came first was warm and comforting, and it had more crab meat than expected, so it was a satisfying start.

Next came the dim sum sampler of three. The xiaolongbao (soup dumpling) was rich with broth, the shrimp har gow (shrimp dumpling) had a great bite from the plump shrimp, and the chive dumpling had a subtle chive aroma — each of the three had its own distinct charm.

Next up was the old-style sweet and sour pork, crispy in that classic old-school way, just like its name suggests. The sauce wasn't too sweet or overpowering, so the crispy texture of the meat really came through, and it was easy to eat without feeling heavy.

Personally, the standout dish of the night for me was the spicy chili shrimp. The shrimp were large, and the crispy fried shrimp paired well with a sweet, slightly spicy chili sauce — it really carried its weight as the main dish.

For the final main dish, we each got to choose — I went with the hand-pulled potato jajangmyeon (black bean noodles), and my friend chose the spicy samseon jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup).

And the course wrapped up with matcha pudding for dessert — plus, there's currently a Naver receipt review event running, and if you participate you can also get a mango sorbet. It made for a really refreshing finish.

I thought a course meal might be small, but by the time we finished the main dish we were quite full — we walked away really satisfied.

Is Maeranbang a good quiet Chinese dinner near Gyodae Station?

💚Visiting this time, I understood why Maeranbang Gyodae Branch is so often recommended as a gathering spot. ✔️ Here's what made me happy with it:

• A solid course meal for around ₩30,000
• A lineup that flows from dim sum all the way to a full meal
• Plenty of rooms, great for gatherings or company dinners
• Even the hall seats feel private thanks to the partitions
• Comfortable seating that's easy to sit in for a long chat

It was a satisfying evening — good food with a friend I hadn't seen in a while, and conversation that made the time fly by. If you're planning a company dinner, family gathering, date, or get-together with friends near Gyodae Station, I'd recommend giving Maeranbang Gyodae Branch a try!