Jongno 3-ga spicy pollack mandu hot pot, step by step: Jongga Mandu

I visited Jongga Mandu (종가만두), a well-known dumpling hot pot spot near Jongno 3-ga Station. As the weather started getting chilly, I kept craving a warm, hearty broth. For autumn weather, I think a bubbling hot pot with plenty of dumplings is the perfect spread.

Jongga Mandu is famous for its handmade dumplings, so I tried the spicy mandu hot pot for two and an order of fried mandu. In short: the hot pot here lets you eat everything from dumplings to meat, vegetables and noodles, and it was really filling.

Jongga Mandu opening hours and parking

Jongga Mandu is at 88 Supyo-ro, 1st floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul. It is open Monday to Saturday 11:00–21:30 (break time 15:30–17:00) and Sunday 11:00–15:30. For parking, you can use the paid Sejong Parking Lot right near the restaurant.

• 📍 Location: 88 Supyo-ro, 1st floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul
• ⏰ Hours: Mon–Sat 11:00–21:30 (break time 15:30–17:00), Sun 11:00–15:30
• 🪑 High chairs available
• 📦 Takeout available
• 🍷 Free corkage
• 🚗 Paid parking: Sejong Parking Lot

The Cheonggyecheon public parking lot is sometimes open for free depending on the time of day.

Jongga Mandu spicy mandu hot pot: price and what's in it

We ordered the spicy mandu hot pot for two (₩26,000) and fried mandu (₩9,000). A spicy mandu hot pot was exactly what I had in mind for the chilly weather.

The hot pot comes with a spicy dried pollack (hwangtae) house broth and vegetables like bean sprouts, mushrooms, bok choy and napa cabbage. Separately, you get a plate of shabu-style beef, a plate of kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) and a plate of handmade mandu. At ₩13,000 per person, the price felt reasonable.

There were plenty of vegetables, so eating the hot pot made me feel like I was eating healthy today, haha. We finished with the noodles at the end.

What order do you eat Jongga Mandu's hot pot in?

Once the broth boils, you first cook the shabu beef and fish it out to eat, then add the handmade mandu and cook them. A staff member kindly explained the order to us.

Cooking the beef in the broth added meat flavor to the spicy soup, and the broth got richer and richer.

Handmade mandu: 4 meat and 4 kimchi dumplings

Now it's the handmade mandu's turn! One plate had 4 meat mandu and 4 kimchi mandu, 8 in total.

The wrappers cooked up soft and the filling was packed in, so they were great to scoop up with the broth. Alternating between the meat and kimchi mandu was delicious.

Geotjeori (fresh kimchi) and the self-serve side dish bar

I loved eating the mandu with geotjeori (fresh, unfermented kimchi). After the spicy broth and mild mandu, a bite of geotjeori kept me coming back for more.

If you run low on side dishes, you can help yourself at the self-serve bar inside the restaurant, which was convenient.

Is Jongga Mandu's fried mandu worth ordering too?

The fried mandu (₩9,000) came with 2 kimchi mandu and 3 meat mandu, and it arrived first while we waited for the hot pot. It's really hotter than you'd expect.

If you bite in too eagerly, watch the roof of your mouth. The outside is crispy, and when you bite in, juices burst out from inside.

Rather than only the hot pot, I'd recommend ordering the fried mandu too and alternating between the crispy dumplings and the ones in broth.

Finishing the mandu hot pot with kalguksu noodles

After you've eaten a good amount of the mandu and meat, you can add the kalguksu noodles that came with the hot pot.

I was already full from the mandu, meat and vegetables, but you have to have the noodles to finish, right?

I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a warm, filling meal in Jongno.

Honest verdict on Jongga Mandu's spicy mandu hot pot

The spicy mandu hot pot I tried at Jongga Mandu was hot and zesty, and a great way to eat mandu, meat and vegetables together.

Above all, maybe because they're handmade, the mandu were packed with filling even after cooking in the hot pot, and eating them one by one was fun.

The fried mandu, with its crispy surface and hot juices, had a different appeal from the hot pot. After finishing with the noodles, I was completely stuffed.

It's worth a stop if you're craving a warm broth on a chilly autumn day or looking for mandu hot pot in Jongno 3-ga. It's also good if you're on a date around Jongno 3-ga or Ikseon-dong and want a filling meal, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a place to eat near Cheonggyecheon.