Firsthand stories from Korea, in ten languages

Discover local places and Korean products through reviews from people who’ve actually been there and tried them.

Restaurants, cafés and salons across Korea — every story by a blogger who actually went, linked to Google Maps.

Pohang mulhoe restaurant with somyeon noodles: Yeonggwang Hoe Daegae

Yeonggwang Hoe Daegae Center is a 50-year-old sashimi and crab restaurant in the middle of the crab and sashimi alley at Jukdo Market in Pohang. The Bakdal Special came as a full course: about 20 seafood side dishes, an assorted sashimi platter, Pohang-style mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) served over somyeon noodles, bakdal snow crab, crab roe fried rice, crab ramyeon and a spicy stew. The stew, deep with radish and perilla leaf, was good enough to want a portion to take home.

Written Aug 12, 2026Sponsored

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Bupyeong, IncheonThings to do

Oil change and hand car wash at Ujoo Motors, a Bupyeong auto shop

Ujoo Motors (우주모터스) is an auto repair shop in Sipjeong-dong, Bupyeong-gu, Incheon that also runs its own hand car wash. After a dashboard warning light came on, the writer called the day before to book a time, then had the engine oil changed and the tire pressure checked. For neighborhood drivers who want servicing and a wash done in one stop, Ujoo Motors does the job.

Written Aug 12, 2026Sponsored
Yeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Galbi with rib jeotgal at Choryang Saenggalbi, a Yeongdeungpo BBQ

Choryang Saenggalbi is a Korean BBQ restaurant specializing in fresh and marinated pork ribs, a short walk from Exit 4 of Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station in Seoul. The cast-iron plate is greased with a fatty trimming before the fresh galbi, 180g for 18,000 won, goes on and is eaten with galbi jeotgal (salted seafood dip), alongside pork jowl, a thick imperial cut, kimchi jjigae and cheesy steamed egg. Every cut at Choryang Saenggalbi tastes different, so the smart move is ordering several in small portions.

Written Aug 12, 2026Sponsored
Gapyeong, GyeonggiCafés

Dog chair and Mickey water bowl at Cafe Imchori, a Gapyeong café

Cafe Imchori is a dog-friendly dessert café on Cheonggun-ro in Sangmyeon, Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province. On a three-day trip to Gapyeong with her dog Gureum, the writer ordered the signature coffee, an iced americano, melon fresh milk cake and a vanilla canelé, and found a chair just for dogs and a water bowl printed with Mickey waiting at the table. Because Cafe Imchori makes its desserts in house, the cake was the best she had eaten in a long time.

Written Aug 12, 2026Sponsored
Buk-gu, BusanHair & beauty salons

Water drop lifting facial for seasonal dryness in Hwamyeong-dong

Bemontes Esthetic is a skin care studio on the 6th floor of a building in Hwamyeong Sindosi, Buk-gu, Busan. Visiting with dry, flaky skin at the change of seasons, the course ran 70 to 80 minutes and covered scalp massage, deep cleansing, vitamin C and E care, décolleté massage, water drop lifting and a finishing modeling pack. Skin felt soft and looked clearer afterwards, and the whole session was as relaxing as it was effective.

Written Aug 12, 2026Sponsored
Gangnam, SeoulCafés

Strawberry latte at a quiet Cheongdam coffee shop in Seoul: Butter &

Butter & Shelter Cheongdam is a dessert café and coffee shop in an apartment-complex shopping row near Exit 11 of Cheongdam Station in Gangnam, Seoul. The writer ordered a strawberry latte and a cold brew americano with the 2,900 won Dubai chewy cookie, slicing it open with a mini cleaver to find the kadayif shreds and pistachio filling still intact under the chocolate coating. With no queue and a calm room, Butter & Shelter Cheongdam works best as a neighborhood spot for a long, quiet chat.

Written Aug 12, 2026Sponsored
Bucheon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Sapporo-style lamb BBQ near Bucheon City Hall Station: Ichiryu

Ichiryu Bucheon Hyundai Branch is a Sapporo-style charcoal-grilled lamb restaurant near Bucheon City Hall Station and Bucheon Hyundai Department Store in Gyeonggi. A serving of premium raw lamb ribs costs 34,000 won and a serving of premium French rack costs 37,000 won, and the owner grills each cut tableside at the pace diners eat, with refills of bean sprouts, onion and other vegetables. Between the polished room and the attentive grilling service, Ichiryu Bucheon Hyundai Branch is an easy recommendation for a date or anniversary dinner.

Written Aug 12, 2026Sponsored
Seongnam, GyeonggiBars

Pangyo Station bar for seafood jjim with kalguksu noodles: Bacha

Bacha Pangyo Branch is a dining bar in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, a short walk from Pangyo Station Exit 1 in the back alley across from Avenue France. The meal was Bacha Seafood Jjim M (37,000 won) with an added portion of kalguksu noodles, Rochi Shrimp (25,000 won), Terra beer and Chamisul soju (5,500 won each). For a hearty seafood spread to share over drinks near Pangyo Station, Bacha Pangyo Branch is a solid pick.

Written Aug 12, 2026Sponsored
Seongdong, SeoulCafés

Seongsu coffee shop for a summer cold brew and iced americano: T

T Coffee is a quiet specialty coffee shop on basement level 1 of Achasan-ro, between Seongsu Station and Konkuk University Station in Seoul. Besides the stairway entrance there is a wheelchair elevator, so getting in is easy, and the iced americano and cold brew were both brought to the table — the americano nutty and bright with no burnt edge, the cold brew deep and concentrated. T Coffee is a good place to escape the summer heat with a cold coffee on a date in Seongsu.

Written Aug 12, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulBars

25,000-won lunch set at Bada Yakbang, a Yeonnam-dong Korean gastropub

Bada Yakbang Yeonnam is a Korean gastropub in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul, serving Korean-style aged sashimi alongside hansik (Korean home-style) dishes. On a weekday lunch visit for two, the table shared the lunch-special premium assorted aged sashimi set at 25,000 won (swapping in gamtae seaweed for 2,500 won more), plus abalone innard cream pasta, gosari yukjeon (bracken and beef pancake) and an extra order of salt gimbap (seaweed rice roll). Wrapping the aged sashimi in that salt gimbap is what makes Bada Yakbang worth the trip.

Written Aug 12, 2026Sponsored
Gangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Gangnam Station restaurant, mix-your-own rose pasta: Eulji Darak

Eulji Darak Gangnam Station is a Western restaurant on the second floor of a building five minutes on foot from Exit 11 of Gangnam Station in Seoul, with a white-toned dining hall built around a chandelier in the middle. Over Darak omelet rice, Darak rose pasta, the signature pork neck steak and a zero-sugar cola, the cream arrives separately so you stir the rose sauce together yourself, and the mashed potato comes out thick and rich. Eulji Darak Gangnam Station suits a blind date or a wedding-invitation get-together, so book a table before you go.

Written Aug 12, 2026Sponsored
Nam-gu, UlsanRestaurants

Ulsan meat restaurant with yukhoe and doenjang stew: Biniljip Suam

Biniljip Suam Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant with an open-air tent feel near Suam Market in Suam-dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan. The meal was the Biniljip hanpan platter with yukhoe (raw beef tartare) added and the doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) included in the set to finish, and that deep, nutty stew was the most memorable part of the night. Ramyeon and two kinds of jeon come with unlimited refills, so even a full stomach ends up cooking one more pot of ramyeon.

Written Aug 12, 2026Sponsored
Namdong, IncheonRestaurants

Guwol-dong jjukkumi restaurant with free iced plum tea: Boksakkot

Boksakkot Pineun Jip Incheon Branch is a two-story grilled jjukkumi (spicy baby octopus) and hot pot restaurant on Hogupo-ro in Namdong-gu, Incheon. On a weekend family visit made by reservation, the grilled jjukkumi stir-fry costs 16,900 won for two and the mushroom bulgogi hot pot 18,900 won for two, and the hot pot broth was far more impressive than the jjukkumi. With free drinks and iced plum tea and coffee to take on the way out, Boksakkot Pineun Jip works well for a family meal or a group gathering.

Written Aug 12, 2026Sponsored

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