Yeonnam-dong Chinese restaurant with tableside kiosks: Panda Dim Sum

Why I chose Panda Dim Sum in Yeonnam-dong

I hadn't been to Yeonnam-dong in a while 🫣 This time I wanted to try something a little different from my usual go-tos, and that's how I ended up at Panda Dim Sum.

Such a cute name, right haha. Despite the name, it's not just dim sum — they also do Peking duck, dan dan noodles, rice bowls, and all kinds of Chinese dishes! I especially loved that you can order Peking duck by the half. A whole duck is honestly a bit much price-wise for two people 😹 But here, ordering the half comes with the option to also get dim sum or noodles, so the whole setup felt worth trying.

How to walk to Panda Dim Sum from Hongik Univ. Station

Panda Dim Sum wasn't hard to find once I wandered into the Yeonnam-dong alleys. It's a great spot to stop by while walking from Hongik University Station toward Yeonnam-dong, checking out restaurants and cafés along the way.

A panda character greets you right at the entrance, and since the restaurant is literally called Panda Dim Sum, these cute little touches show up here and there haha. It's not overly done as a "character restaurant" though — it feels naturally woven into the overall space, which makes it cute in a subtle way.

You head up to the second floor via a staircase, and there's a cute little sign posted there too. The stairs are on the narrower side, so it's worth being a bit careful going up and down! A lot of the buildings in the Yeonnam-dong alleys are older, and this place keeps that structure while the interior is done up quite cleanly.

Inside the second floor: is Panda Dim Sum good for a date?

Once you step inside, it's cozier than I expected. The lighting is soft, so I feel like the atmosphere would really come alive more in the evening than during the day!

The tables are neatly arranged, and it doesn't have that chaotic feel typical of Chinese restaurants. It works fine for a family meal or dinner with friends, but personally I think it would also suit a Yeonnam-dong date or a blind date really well. When I visited, there were people on a date at the table next to me, and some who looked like they were on a blind date too 👀

It's an open kitchen, so that gave it a trustworthy feel!

Ordering at the tableside kiosk

There's a kiosk at every table, so it was nice being able to take my time browsing the menu while ordering. The more you look, the more you want to eat haha. There's a pretty wide range of dim sum too — from xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and shumai (open-topped dumplings) to yuxiangrousi-style crispy chicken, rice bowls, and noodles — so it seems like a fun place to come with a group and share a bunch of dishes.

What I ordered this time: half Peking duck for ₩39,000, truffle shumai for ₩9,000, and chicken dan dan noodles for ₩13,000 (it had been a while since I'd had Chinese food, so my carnivore instincts kicked in 🔥). Peking duck isn't something I eat often, so it was the dish I was most excited about that day. Dim sum felt like a must since this is technically a dim sum place, and the dan dan noodles... I just wanted them, honestly. The photo looked way too tempting 😏

Truffle shumai, 9,000 won: how did it taste?

The truffle shumai came out first! It's pretty gorgeous just to look at. It's a shumai with a hint of truffle on top — the first bite gives you that classic shumai flavor with the savory filling and chewy wrapper, and the truffle aroma follows subtly after. Despite the truffle, it's not overpowering or heavy at all — it just adds another layer of flavor without overshadowing the shumai itself. And the filling was pretty generous too! If you like dim sum, you'll definitely enjoy this one, and if you're a truffle fan, especially consider ordering it. The portion isn't huge, so I basically finished it in under a minute haha.

Chicken dan dan noodles, 13,000 won: rich and heavy

Next came the chicken dan dan noodles! Surprisingly, this was quite good. It had that classic dan dan noodle richness and savoriness, and chewing the chicken and noodles together gave a really nice chewy texture.

That said, dan dan noodles are inherently rich in flavor, so this is definitely not a light, mild dish. Expect it to be quite heavy, so keep that in mind if you're going for it.

Half Peking duck, 39,000 won: how to eat it and the free vegetables

And now, today's main event ~~~~~<< half Peking duck 💟 The visual alone made me fall in love. The skin was crisped up beautifully and plated prettily alongside the meat.

It comes with pancakes, vegetables, and sauce to wrap it up, and the staff explained how to eat it so it wasn't confusing at all. You place the duck meat on the pancake, add toppings like cucumber and scallion, add sauce, then roll it up and eat.

You can get more vegetables once you finish them! There's an add-on option on the menu (free). The fun of Peking duck is really the skin — the crispy skin is great eaten on its own or wrapped in the pancake too. At first I just ate the duck plain, then tried it with the sauce and vegetables, and it was fun finding the combination that suited my taste. The pancakes came in a generous amount, so wrapping everything up instead of eating the duck plain made it feel a lot less heavy. The duck has its own distinct flavor, and with the cucumber and scallion adding texture plus the sweet-salty sauce, it all came together really well.

Crispy skin + tender duck meat + pancake + vegetables + sauce — if you haven't experienced Peking duck before, I recommend trying this exact combination with the half portion at Panda Dim Sum 👍 (the road to bliss 🤓)

There are pandas hiding all over the restaurant — well, not really hiding, they're pretty in-your-face haha.

I liked this kind of vibe — not so stiff like a high-end Chinese restaurant, but also not looking cheap either.

And we cleaned our plates completely that day (an expected ending ☺️). From the Peking duck to the truffle shumai to the chicken dan dan noodles, the food overall was really, really satisfying!!!

Where to go in Yeonnam-dong after dinner

Panda Dim Sum is close to Hongdae, and after eating it's a nice spot to continue walking through the Yeonnam-dong alleys toward a café or somewhere else. We tried to head to a café nearby right after... but that was impossible, we were about to burst haha.

Panda Dim Sum has great food and a great atmosphere, so I think it suits not just meals with friends but also fits well as a spot for a Hongdae date, a Yeonnam-dong date, or a blind date. Next time I come back, I want to try some of the other dim sum I didn't get to this time. See you soon 😝