Mangwon Japanese restaurant open all day: icy cold soba at Padong

Today I'm introducing Padong (파동), a Japanese restaurant near Mangwon Market that I genuinely want to visit again! (◜𖥦◝) They have all kinds of Japanese dishes on the menu, and the flavors were the kind anyone could enjoy!

Where is Padong, and what are its hours? (no break time)

Padong is located at 47 World Cup-ro 17-gil, basement level 1, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It's open Tuesday to Sunday 11:30–21:00, closed Mondays, with no break time. No parking available.

Padong's menu and prices

Here's Padong's main menu.

• Futomaki ₩16,000
• Mazesoba ₩12,000
• Basil soba ₩13,000
• Kimchi cheese nabe ₩15,000
• Steak rice bowl ₩13,000
• Tuna rice bowl ₩15,000
• Salmon rice bowl ₩15,000
• Cold soba (seasonal) ₩13,000
• Fried shrimp udon (seasonal) ₩12,000

Check the menu board for the rest! There are so many Japanese dishes to choose from, it was genuinely fun deciding.

◽️What we ordered — Mazesoba ₩12,000 / Salmon rice bowl ₩15,000 / Cold soba (seasonal) ₩13,000

Here are the basic side dishes and the warm broth! Warm up your stomach with the broth before eating~

Cold soba (seasonal), ₩13,000 — icy broth with fried shrimp

The cold soba (냉모밀, chilled buckwheat noodles) arrived! I've never seen cold soba plated this beautifully before haha. It was properly covered in ice shavings, topped with fried shrimp, chopped green onion, radish, tomato, lemon, seaweed, and wasabi.

Mix it all up well haha. See, I don't actually like cold soba much?? But Padong's cold soba was exactly to my taste — not too sweet, not too sour, just clean and light. It was so hot outside, but eating this cooled me down right away.

Mazesoba, ₩12,000 — vinegar sauce and a rice add-on

The mazesoba (마제소바, brothless ramen) came out too!! About halfway through, they told us to add that vinegar sauce and mix it in. They said they'd give us a bowl of rice too if we needed it.

They mixed it after popping the egg yolk~~ I once had mazesoba at a really famous place, maybe in Seongsu, and was so disappointed that I barely order mazesoba anymore ㅡㅡ but I tried it again after a while, and ah, Padong is genuinely delicious..

I'm not saying this because it's sponsored — it's genuinely delicious

The seasoning wasn't overpowering and coated the ground meat nicely, and only the ingredients mazesoba really needs were in there, so mixing it all together was such a great combination. Ah, I want to eat it again already, I'm seriously going back soon. Legendary spot.

Salmon rice bowl, ₩15,000 — wasabi served on the side

The salmon rice bowl looked great too… A nice touch was that they served the wasabi separately on something like a perilla leaf! Some places just dump the wasabi right on the salmon and rice, and since I don't eat much wasabi, picking it off is such a hassle.

The salmon was so fresh, plump and chewy >< 🧡 You know how with rice bowls like this you have to pace yourself calculating the toppings against the rice amount haha. Padong gave just the right amount of rice, not too much or too little, so I finished the last bite happily.

Right as we were finishing up, we asked for the extra rice to mix into the mazesoba too! They gave it to us in a cute little bowl, a bit more than half a serving. They even topped it with two garlic flakes.. so thoughtful.

We mixed it all up like this and finished full and happy.. all three dishes were seriously delicious. I want to try other things next time.. I'm definitely going back to pay with my own money..

What Padong's basement dining room feels like

Padong's interior is also really pretty in wood tones! The tableware is neatly arranged at every table and everything looks clean. The owner and staff were also so kind, so we had a really pleasant meal.

Also, the owner seems to really love characters haha. There was even a Chainsaw Man figure at the counter. The place is just so cute and charming ㅠㅠㅠ

After the meal: Gomango in front of Mangwon Market

Since Padong is near Mangwon Market, we also grabbed Gomango right outside as an after-meal treat haha. You should try Gomango for dessert right in front after eating at Padong too!!

This has been one of the most satisfying meals I've had in a while. I'm going back soon to demolish another mazesoba. Since there's no break time, it's really convenient to visit whenever suits you. If you're looking for a Japanese restaurant in Mangwon, I highly recommend Padong!!