Hongdae rooftop dumpling bar with open windows and beer: MANDOO BAR

What kind of place is MANDOO BAR on Hongdae's Red Road?

MANDOO BAR is a dumpling and drinks bar on Eoulmadang-ro in Hongdae's Red Road, and this time I went for the original steamed dumplings to take out. I'm a total dumpling lover, so if I ever spot a dumpling truck, I'll run over without hesitation haha. This is a place where dumplings get a flashy makeover — you can try K-gyoza and K-dumplings like taco gyoza, ppuring gyoza, and yurinchi gyoza.

As a dumpling lover, the original dumplings passed with flying colors. Whenever I'm in Hongdae, I want to grab takeout, and next time I want to eat inside the shop too. Isn't dumplings + beer the perfect combo for autumn? 🍂🥮🍃🍂

QR ordering on the 1st floor, the dog sign on the 2nd

MANDOO BAR has a 1st and 2nd floor, and you can order via QR code from the banner on the 1st floor. I went up to the 2nd floor — if you spot a cute sign of a dog wearing a hat, that's MANDOO BAR, for sure ❤️

MANDOO BAR's open-window rooftop mood and Orion beer

Dumplings + beer is such a great combo because the 2nd floor of MANDOO BAR has that rooftop feel, and they even had Orion beer. The owner is legit too 👍👍👍 tasting my favorite beer while eating dumplings — the best.

I've been wanting this kind of open-air yajang vibe lately, and MANDOO BAR, the Hongdae dumpling spot, is perfect for it. Just looking at it makes me feel refreshed and happy.

The wide-open windows let in a breeze that felt so good 💕 Even in the short time it took to get takeout, I felt great haha. The owner was kind too — since it takes a little while for the dumplings to steam, it might be good to order ahead! I just relaxed and sipped some water while waiting haha.

Indoor tables with burners for dumpling hot pot

MANDOO BAR also has indoor tables, and burners set up for people having the hot pot.

They had a variety of drinks ready too — highballs, beer, and more. I wanted to eat in Hongdae Park, so I went with takeout!!!!!!!! Water and drinks are self-serve, so you just grab them yourself haha.

The MANDOO BAR menu, from taco gyoza to dumpling hot pot

On the menu board, I saw the same hat-wearing dog character from the sign 🐶

Besides the original steamed dumplings, they had dumpling hot pot, shrimp gyoza 🦐, ppuring gyoza, supreme seasoned gyoza, and even jeyuk (spicy pork) beyond the dumplings. Just like fried chicken comes in more than just plain and seasoned, it's fascinating how dumplings can transform like this too, right? Makes you curious, haha.

I already love dumplings, but I wanted to try the original basic version, so I went with steamed dumplings. You could choose meat dumplings, kimchi dumplings, or half-and-half — and isn't half-and-half just the truth? Haha.

Half meat, half kimchi steamed dumplings eaten in a Hongdae park

I took the half-and-half steamed dumplings from MANDOO BAR to Hongdae Park to eat. With a happy skip in my step, dumplings packed up, off to the park I went. They thoughtfully included chopsticks too, so eating dumplings in the cool breeze at the park was really nice.

They packed danmuji (pickled radish) and soy sauce too. The danmuji was the seasoned kind, which is my favorite — every little detail was on point, haha.

How did the meat and kimchi dumplings taste?

Oh, the visuals were so satisfying too!!!!! Dumplings are really best half-and-half, right, haha. The kimchi dumplings kept the kimchi's texture without being greasy, so alternating one meat dumpling and one kimchi dumpling was the best combo 💕 A savory flavor washed over me and I felt like a total dumpling fiend, hehehe.

The meat dumplings were soft yet clean-tasting, moist enough to win me over — a real, original dumpling that made me nod along. MANDOO BAR is truly a legit Hongdae dumpling spot.