Burger restaurant near Gongdeok with kids: three sets at Quokka Bite

There's a burger place I've noticed every time I walk the Gyeongui Line Forest Park. The name itself is cute — Quokka Bite. Even from outside, the vibe looked charming, so I kept thinking "I should go there sometime" and kept walking past. Then one day the kids suddenly started begging for burgers, so I thought, okay, let's finally go — and we made it a family outing.

Cutting to the conclusion: there was a bit of a wait, but after one bite of the burger I thought, "ah, so that's why the orders were backed up."

Where is Quokka Bite, and what are its hours?

• Location: 11 Baekbeom-ro 24-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 1st floor (between Daeheung and Gongdeok stations)
• Hours: Mon–Sat 11:00–21:00 (break time 15:00–17:00)
• Sunday: closed

The burger restaurant we passed on every walk along the Gyeongui Line Forest Park

Quokka Bite is right next to the Gyeongui Line Forest Park, so it's a great spot to stop for a meal after a walk. It's not far from either Gongdeok or Daeheung Station on foot. I actually first discovered it while walking the forest park trail myself. So if you're looking for a Gyeongui Line Forest Park restaurant or a date spot, pairing a walk with a burger stop here isn't a bad idea at all.

The store isn't very big. But maybe because it's small, the little quokka props scattered around catch your eye even more, giving the place a really charming feel. There are even tiny quokka dolls, and my kids spent a good while looking at them while we waited for our food.

There were tables outside the shop too, and I saw foreign customers sitting there eating their burgers, clearly loving every bite.

Seeing that made me even more curious. "Just how good is this, exactly?"

Burgers made by a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef

While looking around the interior, a certificate on the wall caught my eye again. "Wait, Le Cordon Bleu?" I wondered if it was the famous culinary school I knew of, and sure enough — this place is run by a chef trained at Le Cordon Bleu. With over 10 years of experience, the chef grills the patties over open flame and puts real care into the balance of bun and sauce, according to the info on display.

Come to think of it, this wasn't just a burger thrown together — there was clearly extra thought put into the bun, the patty, and the sauce combination.

The day we went happened to be a busy one with orders backed up. The owner came out first to apologize multiple times, saying we might have to wait a while. Inside, I was thinking...

...people line up outside famous restaurants for an hour and still eat there, but here we get to wait sitting down. That's nothing, haha. And when the food finally came out, the owner apologized again for the wait and even threw in a free extra — that kindness put me in an even better mood.

Three Quokka Bite burger sets for a family of four

That day we ordered three things.

• Avocado Smash Quokka Burger set
• Grilled Quokka Burger set
• Whole Shrimp Quokka Shrimp Burger set

The menu was varied enough that it's genuinely hard to decide what to get on your first visit.

Kids are always honest. "The meat's good." "The bread's good too." They were really enjoying themselves.

The Grilled Quokka Burger especially had a thick patty with the juices still locked in. But surprisingly, what I remember most is the bun. Sometimes with burgers the filling is great but the bread is dry and disappointing — here the bun was soft and nutty, and paired with the patty the balance was excellent.

I especially loved the Avocado Smash Quokka Burger. The juicy meat combined with avocado made it feel noticeably softer and fresher. "It's a burger — why does it feel so light?" And yet the meaty flavor still came through strong, so my husband and I kept trading bites back and forth.

My husband is a shrimp burger fanatic, and Quokka Bite's Whole Shrimp Quokka Shrimp Burger genuinely nailed it. The texture of the whole shrimp, the well-matched sauce, and the brioche bun combo felt very "Le Cordon Bleu," haha. After trying it myself, I understood why this shrimp burger gets talked about so much. Ordering all three and sharing as a family made it even more fun since each one tasted so different.

Was the wait at Quokka Bite worth it?

Even while we were eating, customers kept coming in. Some of them clearly knew the owner well and exchanged casual greetings — regulars, it seemed — and watching them take several burgers home to go made me think, "ah, this place has quite a few loyal neighborhood fans."

Search for lunch near Gongdeok Station and tons of restaurants pop up. But among them, Quokka Bite isn't the grab-and-go fast food kind of place — it's somewhere you enjoy a properly made handmade burger like a real dish. The cute interior made it great for going with kids, and it's also a nice stop for a Gyeongui Line Forest Park date.

Most of all, even though we waited a long time because of the backed-up orders, we weren't annoyed at all — we felt fully compensated, first by the owner's kindness and then by the taste of the burgers. The kids kept saying "the burger was so good" on the way out, and my husband and I agreed we'd each try a different menu item next time.

If you're like me and have been eyeing this place while walking the Gyeongui Line Forest Park thinking "I should really go there sometime," it's worth a visit next time you're looking for a handmade burger near Gongdeok. Our family is already planning to go back soon.