Hwaseong Indian restaurant with no-gamey lamb curry: Jogee Restaurant

I was looking for something to eat in Namyang-eup, and that day I wanted something a bit different from the usual Korean food or grilled meat.

So I went to Jogee Restaurant, an Indian restaurant tucked inside Namyang Market, where a chef from India makes the curries and naan by hand. The second the food arrived, I was already surprised by the portions haha.

Since there were two of us and we wanted to try a bit of everything, we ordered tandoori chicken, two kinds of curry, naan, and rice — and ended up not being able to finish it all. I usually avoid lamb curry because of the smell that lamb can have, but I really enjoyed it this time, which made it a memorable meal in Namyang-eup.

Where is Jogee Restaurant, and where do you park? (2 hours free at Namyang Market)

Jogee Restaurant is at 2F, 79 Namyangsijang-ro, Namyang-eup, Manse-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, open daily 11:00–22:00, with last order at 21:00. It's tucked inside Namyang Market, so if it's your first visit, it's easiest to pull up a map.

I drove there, and honestly parking was my biggest worry when going to eat in Namyang Market — the alleys around the market aren't easy places to find a spot.

Luckily, dining at Jogee Restaurant gets you 2 hours of free parking at the Namyang Market public parking lot, and it wasn't far from the restaurant. That meant no circling the alleys looking for a spot — just an easy meal in and out.

What the dining room at Jogee Restaurant is like

From outside, Jogee Restaurant looked like just another ordinary alley in Namyang Market, but the vibe changed completely once we stepped inside. The interior has an exotic feel, and the chef and staff are all local to the cuisine, so it reminded me a bit of walking into a local restaurant while traveling abroad.

Jogee Restaurant is a place where an Indian chef cooks in person, serving both Indian and Nepali food. So the smell and taste were noticeably different from the Korean-style curry we usually eat. I was a little worried the spices would be overwhelming at first, but it wasn't as intense as I expected, and honestly, having a meal so different from what I usually eat was part of the fun.

What we ordered at Jogee Restaurant and what it cost

I ordered half a tandoori chicken (₩12,000), lamb curry (₩12,000), chicken tikka masala (₩11,000), garlic naan (₩3,000), and plain rice (₩2,000). Since there were two of us, I figured we could easily handle two curries, so I got a little greedy — but as the dishes started coming out one by one, I thought, 'wait, did we order too much...?' haha.

The plain rice portion in particular was huge. Given the price, I expected something like a regular bowl of rice, but it came piled high in a big bowl. Packed in that tightly, I honestly think it could've fed three people.

The garlic naan was also much more legit than I expected. It wasn't just a faint garlic aroma — you could actually see garlic studded all over the naan. Freshly made, it was chewy and nutty enough to eat on its own without dipping it in curry.

How the tandoori chicken, lamb curry and chicken tikka masala tasted

First up was the tandoori chicken. Even though we only ordered a half portion, there was a good amount, with a strong spice-coated exterior and juicy chicken inside. There was a slightly tangy, spicy kick to it too, giving it a completely different appeal from regular fried or grilled chicken.

But my surprise favorite of the day was actually the lamb curry. Honestly, I went back and forth right up until we ordered it. I'm sensitive to the particular smell lamb can have, and in the past I've barely been able to eat a few bites of strong-smelling lamb dishes. So I worried I might not even want to touch the lamb curry, but once I actually tried it, I barely noticed the smell I'd been dreading. The lamb was tender, not tough at all, and the curry itself was creamy and rich — it suited my taste the best out of everything we ordered that day.

Tearing off a piece of garlic naan and dipping it deep into the lamb curry was genuinely delicious.

The chicken tikka masala was a bit spicier than the lamb curry. I'm not great with spicy food, but it wasn't intense enough to make my mouth burn, so I could eat it without much worry. The chicken was juicy, and the spiciness cutting through the rich curry made it fun to alternate between this and the lamb curry.

Taking bites of the tandoori chicken in between meant every dish tasted different, so ordering a variety was definitely worth it. But the portions were so generous that we couldn't finish it all haha. If we go back as a pair, I think we'd start with just the curries and naan and add more if we're still hungry, instead of being this ambitious from the start.

Who should eat at Jogee Restaurant in Hwaseong?

If you're looking for something different from your usual meal in Namyang-eup, I'd recommend Jogee Restaurant. It's especially worth a visit if you love Indian food or want to properly try curry, tandoori chicken, and naan made by a local chef.

If you've hesitated over lamb curry because of the smell like I have, it might be worth giving this one a try. The lamb curry I had barely had any gamey smell, and it ended up being the most memorable dish of the day. Above all — don't judge the portion size by the price...haha.

If you're going as a pair like we did, I'd recommend starting with curry, naan, and a side instead of ordering everything at once, then adding more if you're still hungry. You also get 2 hours of free parking at the Namyang Market public lot, which makes driving there easy. If you're craving something different from your usual spot in Namyang Market or want to dig into Indian food, Jogee Restaurant is worth remembering.