Incheon has had a Chinatown for ages, but it was literally just hanging on by a thread. Most of the Chinese restaurants in Chinatown are new places aimed at tourists, and even the old-timers are not particularly special. I actually think the Chinese restaurants over in Sinheung-dong are better, but in any case, visiting Chinatown for the first time in ages, I was amazed at how packed it was. This neighborhood was the setting for Take Care of My Cat, a film from more than ten years ago, and I do not know if you remember it, but back then the place was completely dead. If I had to guess the reason, it is that Incheon has grown enormously over the past few years while its cultural facilities have not kept up. I mean, people even flock to the Gyeongin Canal, where there is truly nothing at all.
Street scene
I drove out that day and in the end I failed to find parking. There are just way too many people.
The place I visited that day is a mandu specialist called Wonbo.
It was famous for its xiaolongbao and wang mandu (jumbo steamed buns) long before the Chinatown street was overflowing with people. I looked up every restaurant in Chinatown worth trying, and this one seemed the best. The only problem is that they do not sell jajangmyeon, jjamppong or tangsuyuk. Because of that, while the other places were slammed on a weekend, this one was fairly quiet. I had actually planned to go to a place famous for old-style jajangmyeon, but it had been on TV and they said the wait was at least two hours, so I gave up, got the mandu here to go and ate them in the car. If only I had been able to park I could have taken my time, but no such luck, and it was a rough day all around.
The kitchen
Chinese cooks were the ones running the kitchen.
The dining room and the menu board
The prices are really quite reasonable. With prices skyrocketing the way they are these days, I cannot think of anywhere else you can eat mandu for this kind of money.
Xiaolongbao
Full of soup. To my taste they were not far behind Din Tai Fung at all. And since they cost half what Din Tai Fung charges, the satisfaction is considerable.
Fried dumplings
I ordered them because I had heard they were good, and they taste similar to Jonny Dumpling. Since they are far cheaper, the satisfaction has to be even higher. Jonny Dumpling was really cheap when it first opened too, but prices have gone up ridiculously since. This place has raised its prices a lot compared to the old days as well, but the portions are generous, so it still does not feel expensive.
Wang mandu
Packed full of filling. These are old-style mandu exactly as they used to be made. I had no idea there was a mandu specialist this good in Incheon Chinatown. If you leave the price out of it, there are plenty of places in Seoul serving mandu at a similar level, so I do not think it is worth making a special trip just for the mandu, but as a stop on a weekend sightseeing-plus-eating route it is a very good place. If I get the chance next time, I would like to come back with my friends who live in Incheon.