Seocho Chinese restaurant for group dining: Maeranbang

This time, I had a meal with a group, so I visited Maeranbang Gyodae Branch, a popular Chinese restaurant near Gyodae Station. When you are looking for a gathering spot around Gyodae Station, the food matters, of course, but so does whether there is a space where everyone can chat comfortably. In that sense, Maeranbang had so many private rooms and such a spacious dining area that I thought it would be great for a gathering or company dinner.

📍 Maeranbang Gyodae Branch B1, Cheonghwa Building, 24 Seocho-daero 50-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea ⏰ 11:00–21:50 (last order 20:20) ❗️Break time 15:00–17:00 It is fairly close to Gyodae Station, so it was easy to get to.

Private rooms that made group conversations easy

The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the sheer number of private rooms. We used a room that fit six people, and it was just right for eating and talking together.

When you are at a gathering, nearby tables can sometimes be too close or the room can be noisy, making conversation uncomfortable. Having a private room definitely made things more comfortable. So if you are looking for somewhere around Gyodae Station for a company dinner, a get-together with friends, or a family meal, I thought this would be a good option.

The main dining hall was impressive too. High, partition-like dividers separated the tables, so you could not really see the people at other tables while seated. They were not fully private rooms, but the partial visual separation made the space feel much cozier than I expected! I really liked that part. Even though the restaurant was spacious, the tables did not feel overly exposed, so I could eat comfortably.

A varied menu made for sharing with a group

The menu was very varied too. There were staple meals such as jajangmyeon (black bean noodles) and jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), as well as dishes such as tangsuyuk (sweet-and-sour fried pork), yusanseul (stir-fried seafood and vegetables), yangjangpi (mustard-seasoned mixed seafood and vegetables), and chili shrimp, so it was great for ordering several things to share. We ordered a variety of dishes too. The basic side dishes came out like this.

The texture of the hand-pulled potato jajangmyeon

My favorite dish was the hand-pulled potato jajangmyeon. As the name suggests, it uses hand-pulled noodles, and unlike typical smooth noodles, they had the uneven, irregular texture distinctive to hand-pulled noodles. It also felt as if the sauce clung to the noodles well, and I especially enjoyed these noodles.

We also tried the spicy samseon jjamppong, made with seafood, but its noodles were not hand-pulled—they were the smooth, round noodles we usually picture. It tasted fine, but personally, I still preferred the hand-pulled noodles. Maybe it was the texture, but the hand-pulled potato jajangmyeon stayed with me more.

Spicy white jjamppong rice at no extra charge

Since I prefer rice to noodles, I changed my spicy white jjamppong to jjamppong rice. The nice thing was that you can make the switch at no extra charge! As its name suggests, the spicy white jjamppong has a warming kick, although the broth itself was white. It included spicy peppers, though, so it was more fiery and sharp than I expected. When you switch to jjamppong rice, it also comes with a little dangmyeon (Korean sweet potato starch noodles). I could have both rice and dangmyeon, so I actually preferred it as jjamppong rice.

Tangsuyuk and chili shrimp too

For shared dishes, we also ordered tangsuyuk and chili shrimp. The tangsuyuk was simply easy to enjoy, without being especially divisive, and the chili shrimp was delicious too, with the familiar combination of sweetness and chili sauce. Since we visited as a group, it was nice to order and share a range of dishes, from jajangmyeon and jjamppong to jjamppong rice and shared plates. Here is the full menu.

There are various course meals as well.

Why it worked well as a Gyodae Station gathering spot

Overall, what I liked most about Maeranbang was its space for gatherings. It is close to Gyodae Station, and once inside, there are far more private rooms than I expected, making it easy to choose one that suits your group size. The main dining hall also felt cozy because the high partitions separated the tables nicely. The food menu was varied too, so everyone in a group could choose what they wanted and share. If you are looking for a Chinese restaurant around Gyodae Station for a company dinner or get-together, Maeranbang might be worth a visit :)