연교 (Yeonnam Dong) – Yeongyo opened in January 2018. The owners own and operate Hyang Mi, a well-known Chinese restaurant in Yeonnam Dong. The owners (father-daughter) are Koreans who originate from Taiwan. So in addition to dumplings, they also serve the classic and signature Taiwanese beef noodle soup along with other dishes.

They initially opened up this to serve only dumplings and that is why you see the sign “Yeonnam Dumplings” on the side of the restaurant but realized that the margins on selling just dumplings may not cover overhead and rent. So they decided to offer up a full-menu in addition to the dumplings. On their menu are 10 different types of dumplings.

Their XLB is good but is not the star of the show. If it is your first time there, then I would insist you order the Guo Tie (꿔티에) and Sichuan Spicy Wonton (차우셔우). There is a note at the bottom of the menu indicating that it takes 15 minutes to prepare the Guo Tie. I believe the Guo Tie are steamed first and then the bottom of the dumplings are pan fried to create that crispy crust. The final product is an amazing sensation of a crispy dumpling that oozes succulent and rich pork broth from the filling. It’s the best of both worlds. I would almost say that the Guo Tie dumpling is more delicious and satisfying than the XLB.

The Sichuan Spicy Wonton is also delicious. It has that peppercorn inducing tongue numbing spiciness. The sauce was delicious that we used the red sauce to dip the other dumplings that we had ordered (Pollock Fish Dumpling, which is also recommended).

The third dumpling that I recommend you try is the Shengjian Mantou Baozi (성젠바오). It is a bun dumpling that is pan fried at the bottom. Similar to the Guo Tie, the inside is extremely juicy with broth oozing out of the filling when bit into.

I think this place offers the best dumplings in Seoul. There are numerous varieties of dumplings to choose from.