Sangsu Station gyoza bar with cilantro adjusted on request: MANDOO BAR

On my way to visit a friend who lives in Yeonnam-dong, I stopped by MANDOO BAR in Hongdae, a place known for its unusual dumplings, and got the Mexican taco gyoza with guacamole and the yurinki gyoza to go. Here's my review.

MANDOO BAR

Hours Tue–Sun 16:00 – 01:00 Last order 00:00 Closed every Monday Naver Reservation available

Where is MANDOO BAR? A short walk from Sangsu Station Exit 1

MANDOO BAR is on the 2nd floor of 55-2 Eoulmadang-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, just a short walk from Sangsu Station Exit 1.

The shop is on the 2nd floor. Right from the entrance you can already see mouthwatering photos of the dumpling gyoza! Order by QR code on the 1st floor and pick up right away — this Hongdae dumpling spot makes it easy.

MANDOO BAR menu: how many fusion gyoza there are

MANDOO BAR's menu is really varied! Alongside the usual meat or kimchi dumplings, they sell all kinds of fusion gyoza — Mexican taco gyoza, okonomi gyoza, ppuring gyoza, yurinki gyoza and more. So many menu items that felt a bit different from the dumplings I usually eat, so it was fun just browsing the menu :)

Flipping through a little booklet that shows the owner's love and pride for dumplings while waiting for my order to be packed!

What the inside of MANDOO BAR is like

The 2nd-floor interior was more spacious and clean than I expected. The tables have generous spacing too, so it never felt cramped — good for a relaxed meal or a drink, and it looked like a fine spot for groups as well.

There were quite a lot of seats, and it seemed like a really nice place to have mandu jeongol (dumpling hot pot) with a drink. With such a wide range of anju (drinking snacks) beyond just gyoza, I could tell it's a great place for a drink!

Overall the vibe was casual and comfortable, the kind of place that's easy to drop by with friends :)

I noticed the nice touch of keeping beer mugs in the fridge, and they also have soju — Hallasan and Ilpum Jinro — so a killer mandu jeongol with a drink sounds great too, at this Hongdae dumpling favorite MANDOO BAR.

The 22,000 won takeout set: taco gyoza and yurinki gyoza

I ordered the Mexican taco gyoza with guacamole and nacho chips, plus yurinki gyoza! Both were a bit different from dumplings I usually eat, so I was curious what they'd taste like :) They packed everything really carefully.

You can order kimchi and meat dumplings half-and-half, or pick just one flavor you like!

A hearty spread for ₩22,000. Opening the packaging, I found crisply fried gyoza alongside guacamole and nacho chips. Definitely a different setup from ordinary dumplings — the look alone was already so distinctive and appetizing :) Dipping the nacho chips that come with the Mexican taco gyoza into the guacamole was really good too.

Mexican taco gyoza with guacamole and nacho chips

I started with the Mexican taco gyoza! Taco-style toppings sat on top of crisply fried gyoza, and the look alone was clearly different from a regular dumpling.

Eating it with the guacamole and nacho chips that came alongside, the gyoza-meets-Mexican combo felt pretty unique. When regular dumplings start to feel a little repetitive, trying a fusion gyoza menu like this seems like it'd be fun :)

They ask if you want cilantro on the Mexican taco gyoza, and I asked for just a little. I'm not a cilantro fan, but with just a light sprinkle the smell wasn't too strong, and it was totally fine to eat.

Eating the gyoza together with guacamole and nacho chips felt like a taco tucked inside a dumpling wrapper — a really different taste.

The savoriness of the golden-fried gyoza, combined with the soft, mild avocado and the crunchy nacho chips, gave every bite a mix of textures that made it delicious. Personally, I liked it best piling on a generous amount of guacamole with the gyoza 👍🏻 If you're a guacamole lover, I'd recommend not holding back 😋

Yurinki gyoza (dumplings in tangy soy-scallion sauce)

The yurinki gyoza pairs crisp gyoza with a yurinki-style sauce and toppings, giving it a strong Chinese-style flavor.

They drizzle the sauce on generously, and it's delicious bite after bite. You catch bits of chili pepper here and there, the bottom stays moist while the outside stays crisp. True to yurinki sauce, it's savory and tangy, so the mandu yurinki was really tasty. It'd also make a great beer snack.

The dumplings were fried nice and crisp, and eating them with the vegetables on top paired really well with the sauce. Thanks to the sweet-and-tangy sauce, it had a much more appetizing pull than the gyoza alone, and it worked great as a drinking snack too.

Being able to enjoy the familiar yurinki flavor together with gyoza in one dish makes this a great fit for anyone looking for a different kind of dumpling menu!