Jongno Korean restaurant with a child-friendly abalone tteokgalbi course

Whenever we head out with our child on the weekend, I always wonder where we can have a comfortable, delicious meal together. I find myself looking for somewhere with food that is not too strongly seasoned, that a child will enjoy, and with a clean atmosphere and kind service.

This weekend, we were out around Gwanghwamun and visited Modam Dining Gwanghwamun, which is known for its neatly presented Korean food. Let me start the story of our satisfying meal there with our child.

Modam Dining Gwanghwamun location and parking

Modam Dining Gwanghwamun is located in B102 and B103 on B1 of Deoksugung D-Palace, 10 Saemunan-ro 2-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul. If you take the subway, it is about a 3-minute walk from Exit 6 of Gwanghwamun Station, so it was easy to visit on foot too.

If you are bringing a car, do check the parking information. You receive 2 hours of free parking when you park on B3 of the Deoksugung D-Palace building. That said, this building tends to have busy parking even normally.

When we visited on the weekend, B3 was full too. If it is full, you can use the underground parking at the nearby Concordian Building. We parked at Concordian Building as well and received the 2-hour parking support.

There is one thing to check here. They say parking support is not available at the Concordian Building parking lot before 6 PM on weekdays. If you are visiting during a weekday afternoon or using the parking lot, I recommend confirming this in advance.

A warm wood-toned space and private rooms

The warm, tidy wood-toned interior that greeted us when we entered immediately made me feel at ease. The calm, upscale atmosphere made it feel as though we were being treated from the moment we stepped inside.

Along with the regular dining hall, there were several independent rooms in different sizes. The rooms were cozy with soft lighting, making them nice for chatting comfortably together.

With private spaces available, it looked great for family gatherings or bringing parents, and it would also be a suitably formal venue for nearby office workers’ company dinners or a meeting between families before a wedding.

For reference, room use is limited to 1 hour 30 minutes. I think it is best to enjoy your meal with that in mind.

Ordering the abalone tteokgalbi set meal for two

Modam Dining offers Korean set-meal courses with a variety of components. Because dishes arrived one after another in a polished course format, every menu item felt like a treat.

What we ordered

🍽️ Abalone tteokgalbi set meal for 2

This time, we ordered two portions of the abalone tteokgalbi set meal at ₩40,000 per person. It is available all day on weekday evenings, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.

What really moved me after ordering was the consideration for children. Since we visited with our child, the staff thoughtfully prepared pretty child-sized tableware without us even asking.

They also kindly brought soft porridge our child could eat, along with a child’s meal. As a parent raising a child, one thoughtful service like this really touches your heart, doesn’t it?

How the abalone tteokgalbi set-meal course tasted

The abalone tteokgalbi set meal was served course by course, with carefully prepared dishes arriving in turn. It was fun tasting each dish one at a time.

Seasonal porridge and Cheongyang water kimchi

The soft, warm seasonal porridge that opened the meal gently settled the stomach. The Cheongyang water kimchi, served alongside it, was lightly spicy and refreshing, clearing the palate nicely between bites.

Seasonal salad with yuja dressing and mustard greens with pine-nut sauce

The salad’s bright yuja fragrance filled the mouth and whetted the appetite, while the mustard greens with pine-nut sauce had a nutty yet pleasantly sharp appeal that beautifully expressed the elegance of Korean cuisine.

Seasonal raw fish and pickled-vegetable ceviche

This ceviche combined fresh seasonal raw fish with pickled vegetables and a special sauce. The springy texture of the fish and the savory depth of the pickles came together wonderfully—it was a real specialty.

Modam gangjeong and perilla-oil capellini

The Modam gangjeong had a crisp exterior and a generous filling of tender shiitake mushrooms, giving it a lovely nutty flavor.

The capellini dish, fragrant with nutty perilla oil, was clean and mild, with an appealing simplicity that lingered on the palate.

Main: abalone tteokgalbi

Then the main dish, abalone tteokgalbi, arrived. Thick, golden-browned tteokgalbi (Korean grilled minced-meat patties) came with plump abalone. The tteokgalbi was sweet and juicy, and our child enjoyed it too. The abalone was tender with a pleasant chew, and it paired beautifully with the tteokgalbi.

Black-rice rice, beef radish soup, and four side dishes

Along with the main came black-rice rice, hot soup, and four neatly arranged side dishes. Even when I was full, I simply could not put down my spoon.

Dessert

We finished the satisfying course with dessert, refreshing our palates after the meal. Nothing was overly salted or strongly seasoned, and the natural flavors of the ingredients came through beautifully. It was a substantial course that won over not only adult palates but children’s too.

Korean food near Gwanghwamun that was great with a child

If you are looking for somewhere comfortable to eat with a child near Gwanghwamun, I would recommend Modam Dining Gwanghwamun.

The neat, delicious food was a given, and the kind service that considered our child made the entire meal feel warm too.

As long as you check in advance that parking may be busy and that private rooms have a 1 hour 30 minute limit, it would be an excellent choice for a family meal or gathering on a special day.

From the food and atmosphere to a meal for children, it was kid-friendly all around. I think our family will be back soon, this time with our parents.