Two 1-Person A Sets and lamb curry pasta at India The Durbar Coex

I was wandering around Samsung Coex and wanted to try somewhere other than the restaurants inside the mall, so while searching for good places near Coex I came across India The Durbar.

It's an Indian restaurant near Samseong Station with all kinds of curries, naan, fried rice and more, plus set menus for good value. A local chef cooks everything, and the curry, tandoori and lassi were all perfect. Next time I'm at Coex, this is the place I'll pay for myself and go back to!

Daily 11:00-23:00 / last order 22:30

Location and parking — 9 minutes on foot from Samseong Station Exit 4

India The Durbar, a Coex-area favorite, is a 9-minute walk from Samseong Station Exit 4. Takeout and delivery are also available, and Baemin and Coupang Eats orders were coming in steadily while I was there.

For parking, you'll need to use a public parking lot near the restaurant (Yeongdong-daero 85-gil public street parking). One hour of parking is covered if you order over ₩45,000.

Interior and reservations — from 2 up to 42 people

The inside is spacious, clean and cool. Reservations can be made through Naver, for anywhere from 2 to 42 people, so it's great for family meals, friends, or group gatherings. Book through Naver and you get one free naan per table.

The menu — from solo sets to pasta

There's a 1-person set for solo diners, lunch sets, tandoori, vegetable curry, chicken curry, lamb curry, shrimp curry, rice, bread, pasta — a huge menu. Even with a 2-person set, you can add a solo order too. As always at an Indian restaurant, there are so many curries that deciding what to eat is a happy dilemma.

Taste review — two 1-Person A Sets and lamb curry pasta

Two 1-Person A Sets and a lamb curry pasta. "Great value near Coex" fits perfectly. I was shocked by how much food you get for the price. The menu listed what was included, but seeing it in person, it was seriously packed. We both eat a lot, but each having our own set plus the pasta nearly did us in.

What's in the 1-Person A Set (₩18,000)

It comes with naan, rice, lassi, 2 pieces of chicken tikka, salad, and one curry. The lassi is a yogurt drink, and it wasn't watery at all — exactly my style.

You choose the curry from palak paneer, chicken masala or chicken makhani. We picked palak paneer and chicken makhani. If you're worried Indian food might have overpowering spices, this place tones it down for Korean palates, so it's fine to try even if you're nervous.

I picked palak paneer because before coming, I saw a Naver review saying it was a must-try, so I went with the recommendation. We ate the colorful salad with its tangy dressing first, then dove straight into the curry.

Palak paneer and naan

Palak paneer, made from finely ground spinach, is bright green. Tearing off naan and scooping up a generous amount of palak paneer, I could really taste the nutty depth of the curry — creamy and smooth. By the way, the naan here is amazing. It's so soft and just a little chewy that I couldn't stop eating it.

The curry is good enough to make you polish off a whole bowl of rice, no problem. Eating it with rice was nice, but personally I liked the naan combo even more. The naan was delicious even eaten plain on its own.

There were white chunks inside that I mistook for tofu at first, but it turned out to be paneer, Indian cheese. It had a mild, crumbly, dense texture. That was the first time I learned there was a cheese called "paneer."

Two pieces of chicken tikka

Chicken — an essential part of Indian food! This set comes with 2 pieces of chicken tikka. What's the difference from tandoori chicken? Chicken tikka is boneless, cut into bite-sized pieces and grilled. No wonder it was so easy to eat without bones — that's because it's chicken tikka.

The chicken tikka had a subtle smoky char and appealing spice flavor on the outside. Bite-sized and boneless, easy to eat, with juicy, tender meat — perfect. I dipped it in the curry too and finished it off happily.

Chicken makhani — good for curry beginners

Chicken makhani is a curry based on butter and tomato. It tasted more familiar and richer than the palak paneer. If palak paneer is the healthy flavor, chicken makhani is where you get more umami depth.

The nutty richness of the butter combined with the tangy sweetness of the tomato made it not too heavy — a good pick for anyone trying Indian curry for the first time.

This is exactly the flavor that comes to mind when you think of Indian curry. It's the most widely known dish, so I doubt anyone would dislike it. Ordering two different curries and sharing them made switching back and forth fun. If you're torn over which curry to get, you won't regret either of these two.

Lamb Curry Pasta (₩15,000)

Besides the 1-person set, we also ordered the pasta. Why? Because a review said the pasta was good too — wait, pasta at an Indian restaurant? That's so unusual! So I went ahead and ordered it.

Even the pasta came in a generous portion with plenty of meat inside. Indian curry combined with pasta was oddly novel yet familiar, and I kept reaching for more. The curry sauce had soaked really well into the pasta noodles.

I also piled pasta on top of naan — made the most of every bit of naan. Anything on naan tastes good. Unlike other places that don't serve side dishes beyond the main food, India The Durbar gives you pickled radish, onion kimchi and jalapeños, perfect for cleansing the palate in between bites.

Fennel seeds after the meal

There were fennel seeds on the counter when paying. They're seeds you chew a little at a time after a meal to freshen your palate. At first there's a sweet, refreshing spread of flavor, and at the end a distinctive aroma lingers. After curry, give this Indian after-meal tradition a try too~