Mangwon (망원) is an adjacent neighborhood to Hapjeong (합정) and Hongdae (홍대). The neighborhood consisted mostly of residential area until fancy restaurants and coffee shops started moving in a couple of years ago. Continuous rise of rent in Hongdae led to a gradual, yet significant movement in nearby neighborhoods including Mangwon. Mangwon has become the new fad, attracting many visitors who are now tired of all the noise and crowdedness in places like Hongdae. In this article, I would like to introduce three great restaurants in Mangwon with different themes; American, Italian and Indonesian.
- Seoul Meatball (서울미트볼)
As you can see from the name, Seoul Meatball serves various dishes with meatballs at reasonable prices. Food from Seoul Meatball are not fancy, but feels like something your granny would cook for you when you visit her. That’s how meatballs are supposed to be right?
Its signature dish, Seoul meatball (8,000 Won), serves meatballs and rice with its special sauce. There’s another meatball and rice that comes with gravy, which I guess is more familiar version for myHUBS readers, but I would recommend Seoul Meatball. Even as a huge gravy lover, I say Seoul meatball is much better here than gravy meatball.
Seoul Meatball also offers different kinds of pasta(tomato, cream, oil) and my recommendation is anchovy pasta with meatballs. For 2 persons, one meatball and one pasta would be enough(and maybe draft beer too!)
Address: 56, World Cup-ro 14-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea 04003 (서울특별시 마포구 월드컵로14길 56)
Open from 12:00 to 9:30 everyday
- Bali in Mangwon (발리인망원)
Bali in Mangwon offers ‘surfer made Balinese food&drink.’ I have no idea why it’s ‘surfer made,’ but it does feel different from other restaurants as if it’s more real. I also have no clue the food here feels more local, but it sure serves great food! If you’re a fan of Nasi Goreng, fried rice from Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, make sure you visit this place.
What’s great about Bali in Mangwon is the cool interior design that really makes you feel like you’re at some beachside restaurant in Bali. Its great playlist adds cool, breezy vibes too. A huge plus for those who go on a date.
I’ve tried Mie Goreng (fried noodles) and Padang Ayam green curry (green chicken curry) when I visited and they were really good. The food here have strong and distinct taste, and I think it’s just the way Southeast Asian food has to be; spicy and sour. You can also try Teh Bottle, a popular Indonesian drink that comes in 4 different flavors(all tropical). It goes well with the food here.
Address: 67, Mapo-daero, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea (서울 마포구 포은로 67)
Open from 12:00 to 22:00, Monday to Saturday (Break time from 15:00 to 17:00)
- Il lento (일렌토)
Il lento is a really small Italian bistro run by an owner chef. Since the owner chef handles everything by himself, you have to be a bit patient when you dine here. However, think of it as a more enjoyable way of eating! Just like its motto, you don’t often get a chance to ‘enjoy slowly’ in a city like Seoul.
Carbonara in Korea are usually cooked with cream. In Il lento, you can try real Italian carbonara that doesn’t come with cream! All their dishes go really well with wine(they serve house wine too), so make sure to order it with your food!
Address: 52-1, Poeun-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea (서울특별시 마포구 포은로 52-1)
Open from 11:30 to 10:00, Tuesday to Sunday
Article by Jieun from Korea, a Senior in Business Administration
myHUBS 
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