Dansang Anguk Station Lunch Review: Bukchon Fusion Korean Dining

I visited Dansang near Anguk Station. I was looking for a lunch restaurant before going on a Bukchon date with my mom, and this is the place I found. I later learned that it was a filming location for a Netflix show called Jugwan Sikdang in Korean, released in February. I remembered thinking the restaurant on that show looked beautiful, and it turned out to be Dansang. That gave me a little extra confidence, so I made a reservation through Catch Table.

I ordered the simplest option, the Lunch A course. The number of dishes served was on the smaller side, but the portion felt fine for two people, the food was tasty, and I was satisfied.

The location is about a 2-minute walk from Anguk Station Exit 2. From Exit 2, go into the alley toward Layered Cafe, turn right, and the restaurant is on the left. If you start from Exit 3, walk straight, turn left almost immediately, and it is right in front of the alley where you can see Amor Napoli. Business hours were listed as 11:30 to 22:00. There is also a break time and weekend hours are different, but I did not write those details separately because most people seem to come with reservations. During my meal, a few walk-in groups came in, but they were not accepted. I recommend reserving before you visit. For parking, because the restaurant is in an alley near Anguk Station, parking is difficult. You will need to use a nearby public parking lot.

We ordered the Lunch A course and kept the basic sotbap choice. The basic option was Spanish mackerel sotbap, while the change option was octopus sotbap for +2,000 KRW. I personally like Spanish mackerel more than octopus, so the basic choice worked for me. Check the alcohol and drink options when you go; for dinner, it seemed like ordering a beverage or alcohol may be required.

It looked just like what I saw on Netflix. The hanok atmosphere, lighting, and tables all felt neat and comfortable. The bar table was wide enough that eating there was not uncomfortable at all. The tables also looked roomy enough for about four people, so if you reserve in advance, it should be comfortable. Even the spoons and chopsticks were gold-toned.

The first small bite was yellowtail ceviche. It was yellowtail sashimi with pomegranate sauce, and the flavor was sweet and tart. However, the round seeds or toppings on the yellowtail were so hard that I could not chew them. The taste was good, but the texture was a little disappointing.

The second dish was a white whelk dish. The white whelk came with a sauce made from pine nuts and tofu, and this sauce was completely my style. It was clean, nutty, and really delicious.

There were two or three large pieces of whelk inside. If I kept eating a lot of it, it might have felt rich, but because the portion was not large, it was fine.

One thing that felt a little disappointing at Dansang was the interval between dishes. The meal felt like it kept pausing. Among the dining and course-meal restaurants I have tried, this felt like one of the slowest in terms of moving from one course to the next.

The third dish was grilled black pork. It was the loin cut, and it was very tender, almost with the texture of steamed meat. The staff said to put a little of the red sauce on top while eating, and it was quite spicy. I liked it and finished mine, but my mom left some because it was too spicy for her. The lotus root chips and saesongi mushroom were also tasty.

Next came the Spanish mackerel sotbap. The mackerel was really large and thick. It was a portion for two, so we mixed it well and divided it into bowls. As a sotbap dish, it was mild and satisfying.

The side dishes that came with it also paired well with the Spanish mackerel: gamtae seaweed, garlic scapes, kimchi, and miyeok-guk. My favorite way to eat it was wrapping the rice in gamtae and then taking a bite of kimchi. The kimchi was not enough, so we asked for more, and they brought extra. It seems the side dishes may be refilled if you request them.

The final course was lemongrass sorbet. Lemon-style sorbet often appears at the end of dining courses, but among the sorbets I have tried so far, Dansang’s was my favorite. The balance of refreshing tartness and sweetness was just right, and the fine texture was exactly my style. It feels a little funny to say dessert was the best part, but the sorbet was the highlight for me, and I even took some of my mom’s. If you have lunch plans near Bukchon, Bukchon Hanok Village, Jongno, or Anguk and you enjoy eating slowly, I recommend Anguk Dansang. There is a lot to see nearby, and the area feels lively, so it could also work well for a year-end gathering.