Hapjeong Indian restaurant for a first curry outing with a kid

From my old school to Hapjeong, hunting for a meal that isn't the same old thing

After a rare visit to my old university with my daughter, we headed over to Hapjeong. Honestly, from Hongdae where I went to school, Hapjeong isn't even that far to walk. But these days kids are soft and had zero interest in walking, haha. It was a hot day too, so we hopped on the subway, got off at Hapjeong Station, wandered around the hot spots for a bit, and then went to solve our hunger problem at Mandala, a curry specialist in Hapjeong.

My neighborhood is kind of on the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do, so, haha, the food options are pretty limited. When we order delivery or eat out around the apartment complex, it's always the same old lineup for kids — pizza, fried chicken, jajangmyeon (black bean noodles), pork cutlet, jokbal (braised pig's feet), and so on. So whenever we get an outing to Seoul, I feel like we HAVE to eat something we can only get here!!

We make curry pretty often at home for a quick meal, but that's Korean-style curry through and through — my daughter had never actually had Indian-style curry, so I took her to try something new. It was such a relief and a happy moment that she loved it too.

The 3rd-floor vibe and our window seat

You climb up to the 3rd floor of the building to find Mandala, decorated in a cute, pretty style. Leave a receipt review and you get a free naan — personally, I think Indian curry tastes even better dipped with naan than mixed into rice, so I'd recommend ordering one and getting the free one too, haha. Sitting at the window seat with a view outside made the meal feel open and refreshing.

What we ordered

They have set menus and an Indian yogurt drink called lassi too. But since it was my eldest's first time trying Indian food, we kept it simple with a cola, and since she doesn't eat much, we got just one chicken makhani curry with naan and rice, plus fries as a backup in case she didn't take to the curry.

The interior had a modern feel overall, but with a few Indian-style decor pieces scattered around, which made it look really clean and pretty. The staff seemed to be from India, and I was surprised all over again at how well they spoke Korean, haha.

Honestly, it had been a long time since I'd had Indian curry at Mandala in Hapjeong myself. I think the last time was back when my husband and I were dating — almost 10 years ago now, haha.

Korean curry vs. Indian curry

Our curry back home has a stronger pepper and turmeric kind of taste, while Indian curry is creamier with its own distinct flavor. It's slightly sweet and really delicious, and my daughter loved it too. She wasn't really into mixing it with rice though, so she dipped it up with naan instead, haha.

Garlic naan

Koreans just love garlic, haha. We ordered garlic naan, and it was so chewy and crispy it would've been delicious even without dipping it in the curry.

Fries as the kid-friendly backup

The fries came in two styles, thick-cut and thin-cut, and my daughter said the thin ones were crispier and wiped them all out, haha. Oh, and dipping the fries in the curry is delicious too!!! Haha.

The side dish they brought out was slightly spicy and really tasty — I thought it was carrot, but looking at the photo it's actually onion?! Haha, maybe it was the color that fooled me... I guess I really do just eat without noticing what I'm eating sometimes, haha. Since it was chicken makhani curry, there was a ton of chicken in it too, and the meat was tender and not chewy at all, which made it even more delicious.

Good for kids, good for date night

Mandala is a great spot for a date over Hapjeong curry. Sure enough, there were plenty of couples and female customers around. We had ordered small but still had leftovers, so we asked for a to-go box, and the staff handled it kindly, which I really appreciated!! My daughter is grown enough now to come along and visit my old school with me for a little date, haha. I hope our second one grows up fast enough soon so the three of us girls can come out on dates together. After this meal we also went to an LP bar~~ Mandala, the delicious Hapjeong curry spot, was right at the center of our fun Seoul outing :)