Jongno Indian-Nepalese restaurant with chunky vegetable curry: Namaste

An Indian-Nepalese restaurant in front of Dongmyo Station Exit 5

Changsin-dong in Dongdaemun has many Indian-Nepalese restaurants. Among them, Namaste Restaurant right in front of Exit 5 of Dongmyo Station has a notably more upscale interior than other Nepalese and Indian restaurants. The food is adjusted for Korean tastes, with spices not too strong and the flavors toned down enough that Korean diners can enjoy it without hesitation. Prices are almost no different from those at other Nepalese and Indian restaurants in Dongdaemun.

When I entered Namaste Restaurant right outside Dongmyo Station Exit 5, I saw lots of Blue Ribbon Survey stickers. It has been listed in the Blue Ribbon Survey continuously since 2019.

The interior was spacious, with plenty of room between tables, so it felt comfortable rather than cramped.

Decorated with Indian- and Nepalese-style ornaments and paintings, the atmosphere felt completely exotic. There is also group seating at the far end of the dining room.

In particular, the wall inside the group seating area had a very luxurious feel.

Among the ingredients used at Namaste Restaurant by Dongmyo Station, the lamb and whole chicken are halal-certified.

Namaste Dongmyo Branch signature dishes and prices

• Nepalese thali: chicken ₩14,000, lamb ₩16,000, vegetable ₩12,000 — rice, dal, curry, sabji (vegetables), achar (pickles), salad, saag, chutney, and papad
• Indian thali ₩15,000 — samosa, salad, curry, naan or rice, and lemon tea
• Couple Set ₩50,000 — 2 samosas, 4 chicken tikka pieces, chili shrimp, chicken makhani, vegetable curry, plain rice, garlic naan, and a choice of 1 tea, lassi, or yogurt

• Curry ₩11,000–₩14,000, naan ₩2,500–₩7,000, fried rice ₩11,000
• Biryani ₩13,000–₩14,000, rice ₩1,500–₩5,000
• Tandoori chicken half ₩10,000, chicken tikka ₩13,000, chicken malai tikka ₩14,000
• Momo ₩10,000–₩12,000, samosa ₩5,000, aloo dum ₩9,000, thukpa ₩10,000, chow mein ₩10,000
• Lassi ₩3,500–₩5,000, chai ₩4,000

The Couple Set we had for two

We wanted to try several dishes, and since there were two of us, we ordered the set with a good variety of items. One plain lassi arrived, then the food started coming out one after another.

Once the garlic naan, two curries, rice, samosas, chicken tikka, chili shrimp, and the basic sides of pickles and spicy dressed onions were all laid out, the table was full.

If you go with two or more people, ordering a set like this is much better value than ordering each item separately, haha.

Samosas and chicken tikka

The onions dressed in spicy seasoning hit you with both the seasoning's heat and the onion's sharpness when eaten alone, but with a samosa or naan, they whet the appetite.

Samosas are a signature Indian-Nepalese snack. Cut one of these triangular fried pastries in half and you find it packed with curry-seasoned vegetables such as potatoes, beans, and cauliflower.

The samosas at Namaste Restaurant by Dongmyo Station had thinner pastry than those at other Indian-Nepalese restaurants. I recently went only to Nepal, not India, and samosas are becoming harder to find at Nepalese street stalls. At Indian-Nepalese restaurants around Dongdaemun Station in Seoul, though, they are easy to get.

Chicken tikka tastes the same as tandoori chicken, but it is boneless chicken threaded onto skewers and cooked in a tandoor oven. You could say the difference from tandoori chicken, which cooks a whole chicken by smoking it, is simply the ingredient. The boneless chicken tikka was easier to eat.

Chili shrimp mild enough even for someone weak with spice

Chili shrimp is fried shrimp stir-fried in chili sauce with vegetables such as onion and bell pepper. Since it came in chili sauce, I worried about the heat because I am weak with spicy food, but it was mild enough for me and I enjoyed the shrimp.

Vegetable mix curry packed with ingredients

The set came with garlic naan. Naan is the perfect partner for curry. Chapati made with whole wheat is common in India and Nepal, but whole wheat is not easy to get in Korea and is expensive, so Indian-Nepalese restaurants in Korea offer naan made with white flour.

The vegetable mix curry at Namaste Restaurant by Dongmyo Station was quite unusual. Most curries I had seen until then were thick liquids with just a few chunks, but this vegetable mix curry had an enormous amount of ingredients.

The vegetable curry, with tofu, beans, and all kinds of vegetables, was very delicious and unlike any curry I had seen at other Indian-Nepalese restaurants. A curry I was very satisfied with.

Smooth chicken makhani and Indian long-grain rice

Chicken makhani curry. It is a curry made with chicken tikka, and its flavor is milder than chicken tikka masala.

Chicken makhani curry with chunks of chicken. I expected the rice to be Korean rice, but contrary to expectations, it was made with Indian long-grain rice. It was cooked in a pressure cooker, so it was not as dry and non-sticky as rice in India and Nepal; the pressure cooker gave it some stickiness.

The rice was absolutely delicious with curry, too.

I have had chicken tikka masala and chicken butter curry many times, but this was my first vegetable mix curry and I was very pleased with it. You cannot leave naan out when having Indian-Nepalese curry. The garlic naan had bits of garlic throughout and a little oil.

The set included two curries, so after finishing one rice and naan, we still had curry left and ordered an extra plain naan.

Namaste Restaurant by Dongmyo Station: delicious vegetable curry and Indian-Nepalese curry in an upscale interior.

Namaste Dongmyo Branch visitor information

Namaste Dongmyo Branch is open daily from 11:00 to 22:00, year-round without a break time. It is on the second floor of the building directly in front of Exit 5 of Dongmyo Station on Lines 1 and 6.