Jongno mandu hot pot with no glass noodles: Jongga Mandu

Shabu-shabu style, with fresh meat and vegetables A mandu hot pot favorite near Jongno 3-ga Station Jongga Mandu

Ah, looking back, last week was such a dynamic, packed-full week. Mid-week I'd actually finished work sooner than expected and wanted a relaxed dinner, but plans shifted a bit, so I went looking for a nearby spot — and ended up going, after a long while, to Jongga Mandu, which I'd been missing so much.

Where is Jongga Mandu and what are its hours?

Jongga Mandu is a mandu hot pot restaurant located on the 1st floor of 88 Supyo-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul. It's open daily from 11:00 AM to 9:30 PM, with a break time from 3:30 to 5:00 PM.

• Address: 88 Supyo-ro, 1st floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00 AM – 9:30 PM
• Break time: 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
• Last order: 2:30 PM, 8:30 PM
• Getting there: Jongno 3-ga Station (Lines 1, 3, 5), Exit 15 on the Line 1 side, about a 5–10 min walk / Euljiro 3-ga Station (Lines 2, 3), Exit 2, about a 5–10 min walk
• Group seating available, takeout available, Naver reservations available
• Gender-separated restrooms, high chairs available

I was able to reserve ahead through Naver, and even though it was a bit of a late dinner, since it's such a famous dumpling specialist, I booked in advance and headed over.

Jongga Mandu signature menu and prices

Jongga Mandu's signature dishes are the half-and-half broth mandu hot pot at ₩14,000 per person and the clear or spicy hot pot at ₩13,000 per person. Hot pot orders require a minimum of two people.

• Half-and-half broth mandu hot pot (₩14,000 / person)
• Clear/spicy hot pot (₩13,000 / person)
• Bibim kalguksu ₩12,000
• Domestic soybean kalguksu ₩12,000
• Jorangi tteok-mandu soup ₩13,000
• Boiled/fried mandu/fried shrimp ₩9,000
• Hot pot dishes require orders of 2 or more

Watching the handmade mandu being folded at the entrance

Right as you open the door and step inside Jongga Mandu, you can watch a mandu craftsman shaping handmade dumplings right before your eyes.

Thankfully, thanks to the reservation, we were guided straight to an empty table in the back, and once seated, we scanned the menu right away haha. It was a day I was really craving vegetables, so the summer specialty kongguksu (cold soybean noodle soup) caught my eye too, but we ordered the hot pot.

What's on the Jongga Mandu self-serve bar?

At Jongga Mandu, drinks and alcohol are self-serve, and the basic side dishes can be grabbed yourself too. It's simple, but being able to help yourself so easily was really convenient and useful.

At the self-serve bar, you can freely grab beer and drink glasses, the incredibly tasty geotjeori (fresh cabbage kimchi) and danmuji (pickled radish), small bowls for makgeolli, wet wipes, tongs, a ladle, and scissors.

The first side dishes are set right on the table like this, and the kimchi was so good that most of the other diners were getting refills.

What comes in the clear hot pot at 13,000 won per person

Jongga Mandu's clear hot pot is ₩13,000 per person and requires an order of two or more. It comes with beef, various mushrooms, vegetables, kalguksu noodles, handmade mandu, and the secret hwangtae broth.

• Beef, shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, cheonggyeongchae, green onion, mung bean sprouts and other vegetables
• Kalguksu noodles
• Handmade mandu (4 meat, 4 kimchi)
• Light, savory secret hwangtae broth (refillable)
• Basic side dishes: danmuji, geotjeori kimchi

After ordering and waiting a bit at the table, the table was set with a gorgeously full spread — fresh shabu-style vegetables, chewy kalguksu noodles, and dumplings that looked like they'd just been freshly shaped.

The best order to eat a mandu hot pot

Once Jongga Mandu's light, clear hwangtae broth starts boiling, you just add the ingredients one by one.

If you boil the mandu too long, they tend to burst, so it's best to boil them quickly and pull them out once they're cooked through — or add them right before eating haha.

It was a day I'd been craving vegetables so much, and honestly hadn't been able to eat my fill of them since lunch, haha, so I remember loading in the vegetables and meat all at once, and as soon as everything cooked through properly, scooping it all out and eating like crazy. The vegetables were so fresh and the staff were super kind too — and since mandu usually has glass noodles in it, which is why I don't normally eat it much.

Why handmade mandu with no glass noodles tastes better

Because Jongga Mandu's dumplings don't have glass noodles in them, I remember eating them so happily, really enjoying the juices to the last bite, and finishing everything without leaving anything behind. I think I'll have to go back again whenever I get a craving for a good mandu hot pot.

A Korean restaurant favorite near Jongak and Jongno 3-ga stations Mandu hot pot specialist Jongga Mandu