Parents' night out pork course dinner in Magok, Seoul: Don Tamguso

I'm Darimom, a mom who records our little neighborhood favorites while raising a kid.

For my birthday week I went with my husband, just the two of us, to the dinner course at Don Tamguso in Magok. It had been a while since we'd had a date without our kid.

I'd recommend this place to any couple who wants to talk and enjoy a slow course together. There's 2-hour parking, you get the chef's explanation as each dish comes out, and if you go as two you can split menu items and taste more.

Why we chose Don Tamguso in Magok for a night without the kids

Menu and prices at Don Tamguso

• Lunch ₩26,000 per person
• Dinner ₩58,000 per person
• Highball ₩10,000
• 2 glasses of red wine ₩19,000
• Heineken ₩8,000
• Corkage under 25% ₩20,000 per bottle
• Corkage 25% and over ₩40,000 per bottle

This place is known as a popular date spot in Magok, and I'd heard it was good for a course-dinner date, so I booked ahead. When you're raising a kid, meals tend to get eaten fast no matter what.

This time, what I looked forward to most was a dinner where we'd savor each plate slowly.

Don Tamguso in Magok: reservations, corkage and parking

Don Tamguso's address is 11 Magokjungang 6-ro, 128ho, Gangseo-gu, Seoul.

Opening hours and seating times

• Lunch 1st seating 11:30–12:30
• Lunch 2nd seating 13:00–14:00
• Dinner 1st seating 17:30–19:10
• Dinner 2nd seating 18:00–19:40
• Dinner 3rd seating 18:30–20:10
• Dinner 4th seating 19:00–20:40
• Dinner 5th seating 19:30–21:10
• Weekend 1st seating 15:00
• Weekend 2nd seating 17:00
• Weekend 3rd seating 19:00

There's a spacious building parking lot, and we got 2 hours of parking at the time of our visit. We took the car and there was plenty of space so we parked without any trouble. We could enjoy the course without worrying about time.

What is Don Tamguso like inside?

Don Tamguso in Magok has bar-style seating, so you eat with a direct view right into the kitchen.

Once you sit down, you can watch the chef cooking and plating every dish right in front of you.

At our reserved seat there was a card with my name on it. Inside, the dinner course menu was listed in order, so it was fun to check what was coming next while we ate.

The chef kept things lively and led us through the whole meal, so even though it was our first visit, it never felt awkward.

I could see why this place is called a Magok date spot.

How does the dinner course at Don Tamguso unfold?

The day we went, it came out in eight stages total, and one of those stages was a choice between two menu items.

• 1. Chestnut mushroom soup
• 2. Foam-topped salad
• 3. Shiitake mushroom lasagna
• 4. Pork tenderloin, grilled
• 5. Pork belly with minari (water dropwort)
• 6. Signature house-made jambon burger
• 7. Nacho pasta or abalone risotto
• 8. Blueberry dessert

The Don Tamguso dinner course, plate by plate

The first dish was chestnut mushroom soup.

The warm soup opened the course gently.

Second was a salad with a foam dressing on top.

It looked totally different from a typical salad. The chewy dried persimmon paired with apple gave it a refreshing bite.

Third was a lasagna made from shiitake mushrooms.

It was a surprise that lasagna could be made from mushrooms.

Fourth was the grilled pork tenderloin.

The moment I bit in, the juices burst out.

Eating it together with the well-grilled tomato and mushroom made it perfect.

Fifth was a dish of cooked pork belly paired with minari. But it tasted like Mexican food somehow — I was amazed pork could taste like this.

Sixth was a refreshing signature burger with house-made jambon.

Jambon grilled in Isigny butter, topped with tangy carrot slaw — it made me so happy.

After eating this far, the two of us paused to catch our breath. Taking a beat mid-course made the next dish that much more anticipated.

Nacho pasta or abalone risotto? For two, order one of each

Next you have to choose between pasta or risotto. If you go as two, order one of each and share.

My husband picked the pasta topped with nachos.

Eating rigatoni with nachos was a new flavor experience.

I had the abalone risotto topped with fried samchae herb.

After tasting each other's, my husband voted for the pasta, and I voted for the risotto.

Even though our tastes differed, it was actually nice that we both got to try both.

Last was the blueberry dessert.

Mixing it gently and taking a bite gave a sweet finish right to the very end.

Partway through, we ordered a highball and enjoyed it alongside the food. It was a dinner where we felt properly treated, start to finish, as a real course.

Who Don Tamguso suits best

I'd recommend it to any couple who wants a quiet, conversation-filled meal on an anniversary. It also suits anyone who wants to enjoy pork in an unusual way, beyond the usual Korean BBQ joint. What I liked most was getting to enjoy a fine-dining-style course at a reasonable price.

Frequently asked questions about Don Tamguso

Q. Is parking available at Don Tamguso in Magok? A. Yes, at the time of our visit we got 2 hours of parking in the building's lot.

Q. Do I need a reservation? A. Yes, we booked through Naver Reservation before going. Each seat had the reserving guest's name set out.

Q. How much is the dinner course? A. It's ₩58,000 per person.

Q. Can groups go too? A. Besides the bar, there are also table seats inside, so it can accommodate up to around 15 people.

Final verdict on Don Tamguso in Magok

Visiting Don Tamguso in Magok during my birthday week gave us a dinner where we could focus purely on talking to each other.

If you want a day to enjoy a slow course and make an anniversary memory, I'd fully recommend it.