Red wine pairing pork omakase dinner near Magok Station: Don Tamguso

What kind of restaurant is Don Tamguso, the pork omakase near Magok Station?

Don Tamguso is a pork omakase restaurant near Magok Station's Science Park. It's recommended in Magok for special-occasion dining, and it's also known as a great-value omakase spot in the area. Pork omakase — how curious does that sound! The price is reasonable too, so it's perfect for a day when you want to eat something really good. Here's my dinner review of Don Tamguso!

• 📍 11 Magokjungang 6-ro, 128ho, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• 🚗 Parking available (2 hours)
• ⏰ Weekday lunch 11:30, 13:00 (60-minute course)
• ⏰ Weekday dinner 17:30, 18:00, 18:30, 19:00, 19:30 (100-minute meal)
• ⏰ Weekends & holidays 15:00, 17:00, 19:00
• ✅ Corkage available (paid)

Don Tamguso is located near Magok Station's Science Park, right next to Magok Manseon Hof! True to its reputation as a gourmet omakase spot, there are all sorts of dishes hanging on display haha. My friend Neoguri once came here for a lunch work dinner and said she was moved by the cold jeyuk (seasoned pork), so I was really looking forward to this dinner too!

Bar counter or private room: which seats does Don Tamguso have?

Since Don Tamguso is a pork omakase, there's a bar table, and there's also a room inside with table seating! The vibe is clean and modern. The kitchen was super tidy and organized.

There's a room seat, and further inside there's plenty of table seating too!! It's an omakase restaurant that's easy to visit with a group.

Wine by the glass and corkage prices at Don Tamguso

At the front of Don Tamguso there was a whole lineup of alcohol — lots of whiskey and wine too. Highballs, beer, and even a chef-recommended wine pairing! I was so excited that they do wine pairings too.

Corkage is also available here! Don Tamguso's corkage price is ₩20,000 per bottle for under 25% ABV, and ₩40,000 per bottle for 25% and over! Good drinks with the chef's omakase dishes — sounds like it's going to be a really happy time!

Here's the Don Tamguso dinner course menu.

What comes in the 58,000-won weekday dinner course, in order

What we ordered today — weekday dinner course, ₩58,000 per person

The table was set so neatly, and since it's a pork omakase, there's even a knife. Let's go through the review in course order.

1. Soup — chestnut, button mushroom, fresh cream

The chef explained each dish kindly as it came out! The moment I tried the soup — wow, delicious! The soft, savory flavor was so good. I think they said they ground and strained bacon into it too — anyway, that rich, smooth taste was really lovely.

The walnuts in it were so good too. With the chestnuts, it's a dish that really feels like autumn.

2. Salad — dried persimmon, orange, apple, basil, prosciutto

The basil foam was so surprising. A surprising and delicious gourmet experience!

Dried persimmon, apple, pear, prosciutto and more — scooping it all up in one spoonful with the basil foam was so delicious!

3. Lasagna — shiitake, white ragu, mozzarella, smoky sauce

The lasagna was genuinely delicious too. Can shiitake mushroom really taste this good? The combination of sauce, ragu and shiitake was great.

This white ragu was really delicious, and

paired with the chewy shiitake!! Every course that came out made me go 'wow' hahaha.

Main 1 — shio koji tenderloin, button mushroom, sun-dried tomato

The highlight of Don Tamguso!!! Grilled pork tenderloin!!! The doneness was amazing. The truffle aroma was the finishing touch.

The meat and the truffle scent were so good. The moment I took a bite, I immediately ordered red wine haha.

How can tenderloin be cooked like this. Truly tender, and the flavor was insane!~~ The pairing with the red wine was great too! It was a glass of wine, but the aroma and taste were wonderful. They mentioned the chef also works as a sommelier, and of course it showed!!! It matched so well and was so delicious.

Main 2 — pork belly, minari, Sichuan pepper, cumin, fennel

This dish was also really unique and delicious. They explained it as a Korean dish with a Mexican feel.

Tasting it, there really was a Mexican flavor to it! But then the minari (water dropwort) salad is so Korean? This combination is amazing! This main paired great with the red wine too.

Ordering both select dishes at Don Tamguso: risotto and burger for two

Select 1 Risotto — Wando abalone, barley, samchae herb, grana padano

There were two of us, so we ordered one of each select menu item. Don Tamguso is a meat omakase, but why is the risotto so good too? The moment I tasted it — wow, delicious! Hahaha. The savory abalone and that fried samchae herb were the real kicker. Apparently samchae is a leek root!! So interesting!! Its mild, slightly sharp taste went really well with the abalone risotto.

The abalone was chewy and delicious, and being a barley risotto, the texture was great too!! This kind of fun mix of varied ingredients is exactly the charm of eating an omakase tasting course!

Select 2 Burger — jambon, arugula, fennel

Don Tamguso's signature burger!!! Grilled jambon and carrot rapée with arugula! They said they even make the jambon in-house. True to the name Don Tamguso ('pork research lab'), this place really is exploring everything about meat — a genuine pork omakase restaurant haha!

The chef told us it's meant to feel like a brunch burger, and honestly — please sell this as brunch, I'd buy it all the time! Hahaha. It had a healthy, light, refreshing taste that I loved so much!

Panna cotta dessert, and is Don Tamguso worth it for a Magok date?

Dessert was panna cotta with blueberry compote. They said even the dessert is made in-house, one item at a time! I've had house-made panna cotta at other restaurants too, but Don Tamguso's panna cotta is even better hahaha.

They said the blueberry compote is also made in-house, and it was just the right level of refreshing sweetness! Such a delicious and happy time! Every single dish was such high quality, and it's only ₩58,000 — no wonder it's a long-running, famous Magok omakase restaurant!!

I heard the owner is the same as Gamameshiya Ullim, and I'm so glad they have a spot in Magok too! When you want to eat something delicious in Magok for an anniversary or a date!! When you want to treat yourself!! This place is really great. That was my delicious review of Don Tamguso omakase!