Dongmyo shopping-day Indian curry set for two: Namaste Dongmyo

This was the day I finally went back to browse and shop around Dongmyo after a long while. Since I was heading over anyway, I figured I should eat something good first, and while I was mulling over what, Indian curry suddenly popped into my head.

So I went looking for a good curry spot near Dongmyo and found a place that's won the Blue Ribbon nine years running since 2018, known for authentic flavors and an exotic vibe like stepping into an Indian resort. That's how I ended up visiting.

Where is Namaste Dongmyo Branch, and what are the hours?

Namaste Dongmyo Branch is on the 2nd floor of 18 Jibong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and it's open Monday through Sunday from 11:00am to 10:00pm. They take reservations, accommodate groups, offer takeout, Wi-Fi, easy payment, and parking.

The location was great — it's right in front of Dongmyo Station as soon as you exit.

At the entrance you could see a sign for the popular menu items too.

The restaurant is right on the 2nd floor, so you just head up the stairs.

What the second-floor dining room feels like

I stepped inside the 2nd-floor space at Namaste Dongmyo Branch. It genuinely had this upscale, exotic feel to it.

There were also plenty of seats, so it looked great for company dinners, group gatherings, or family meals.

I also spotted the Blue Ribbon on display.

What's on the menu at Namaste Dongmyo Branch

After we were seated and I checked the menu, I saw Nepali thali and Indian thali listed.

There was even a couple's set.

For curries, there was chicken tikka masala, chicken butter curry, chicken korma, chicken vindaloo, chicken saag, and chicken karahi. Depending on the curry, you could choose lamb, shrimp, vegetable, or paneer instead of chicken.

There was also palak paneer, dal fry, dal makhani, chana masala, aloo gobi, and even mixed vegetable curry.

On top of that, naan came in plain, garlic, butter, and cheese versions. There was also vegetable kulcha, aloo paratha, roti, mixed basmati fried rice, and lamb biryani.

Plain rice, basmati rice, and jeera rice were also on offer. And for dessert they sold gulab jamun, rasgulla, dahi, vegetable raita, and fruit raita.

For snacks, there was tandoori chicken, chicken tikka, chicken malai tikka, chicken chili, paneer chili, steamed momo, chili momo, and fried momo.

Also catching my eye were green salad, veg pakora, samosa, chana chaat, chapati, bhurma sadeko, chana chaat, chapati, bhat mas sadeko, papad, masala papad, and chicken sadeko.

There was nothing missing — bhutan kasi ko, phagra, aloo dum, sukuti, lamb bhutuwa, vegetable thukpa, even chow mein.

For drinks, they had various lassis, lemon tea, Indian-style milk tea, masala chai, cola, zero cola, cider, Red Bull, and Monster. For alcohol, they even had soju, Cass, Terra, Budweiser, Kingfisher, Khukri rum, Jack Daniel's, Johnnie Walker Red Label, and Johnnie Walker Black Label.

Torn between all of it, we ended up ordering the set for two.

What comes with the set for two

When you order the set for two at Namaste Dongmyo Branch, they first bring out pickles and onion salad as basic side dishes. And the full spread came out pretty quickly too.

I took a video so you can see the whole spread in detail — check it out for reference.

Samosa (fried pastry with spiced filling)

First up, the samosa arrived.

It's like an Indian-style dumpling — crisp on the outside and packed full inside, and it was so good.

Chicken tikka and shrimp chili

Next up were the chicken tikka and shrimp chili. The chicken was grilled, which I loved.

The shrimp chili had a spicy seasoning that was seriously delicious.

Lassi (yogurt drink)

Then the lassi came out too. It had that sweet yogurt flavor, which was perfect to sip between bites.

Chicken makhani with naan and rice

Next was the chicken makhani.

Curry has to be eaten with naan, right?

I piled the chicken makhani curry onto the naan and tried it — this was seriously good. This was really a great curry spot in Dongmyo.

And eating it with rice was truly a work of art.

Also, whenever I wanted something tangy mid-meal, topping it with pickles was exactly right.

Vegetable curry, tried for the first time

Next was the vegetable curry. Honestly this was my first time trying it, so I wondered what it would taste like, but it was really good.

I piled it onto naan too.

Eating it with rice, naan, and pickles all together, the two of us completely demolished the set-for-two menu.

Is the set for two at Namaste Dongmyo Branch worth it?

If you're looking for a good curry spot in Dongmyo or a restaurant near Dongmyo Station, I'd recommend giving this place a try.