Firsthand stories from Korea, in ten languages
Restaurants, cafés and salons across Korea — every story by a blogger who actually went, linked to Google Maps.
Upper and Under Sinnonhyeon is a large dessert café near Sinnonhyeon Station in Gangnam, Seoul, spread over three floors. A quick after-meal coffee stop turned into three desserts — fig cake, salted choco financier and canelé — with an iced einspänner and an iced americano. Even in crowded Sinnonhyeon, Upper and Under lets you walk up to whichever floor is quiet and settle in.
Simkung Piercing Jamsil is a piercing shop inside Jamsil Underground Shopping Center in Songpa, Seoul, carrying 14k gold, silver 92.5, surgical steel, and titanium. Earlobe piercing costs 3,000 won, and when I went in for surgical steel earrings because my ears keep getting irritated, the owner held pieces up to my ear to suggest ones that matched my taste, then swapped the piercing post for an earring post and disinfected it. Simkung Piercing Jamsil is an easy recommendation if you are looking for somewhere in Jamsil to get your ears pierced.
Hi Gelato is a handmade gelato café on Toseong-ro near Gangneung Central Market in Gangwon, where an owner who completed a gelato master course in Italy makes small batches by hand every day. Cups cost 5,000 won for a small (1–2 flavors) and 6,500 won for a large (2–3 flavors), and the soft tofu gelato, Achacha Matcha Cha, Mango and Strawberry in Love, mugwort rice cake, and Corn Supernova all tasted like their ingredients with no artificial sweetness. Pair one nutty flavor with one bright fruit flavor at Hi Gelato and you can't go wrong.
Beauty Haze is a lash perm and extension salon in Dongnae-gu, Busan, at 175 Myeongnyun-ro, Daewol Officetel Room 503. For sparse lashes that drooped downward, Beauty Haze did perm-point extensions — a lash perm and extensions in the same session — and the lashes curled up from the root and looked noticeably fuller. The waiting area has tea, snacks, award trophies and a before-and-after board, which made a first visit easy.
Working Holiday Minrak is an ocean-view brunch café at 29 Minrak Subyeon-ro in Suyeong-gu, Busan, looking straight out over Gwangalli Beach. On a return visit one weekend afternoon, the writer ordered shrimp oil pasta, jambon pizza and a cola, and found the imported-furniture interior, the unusually wide spacing between tables and the open sea view just as impressive as before. For view, interior and food in one stop on Gwangalli, Working Holiday Minrak is the pick.
One Play Jamsil Branch is a board game and manga café on the 2nd and 3rd floors at 20 Baekjegobun-ro 7-gil in Songpa, Seoul. The Sonagi plan for two cost 21,800 won, and the visit covered board games on the 2nd floor plus cheese fries and white supreme seasoned chicken. With a large board game library and private seating, One Play Jamsil Branch works well for an indoor date or a friends' meetup in Jamsil.
Kkai 9 is a Thai restaurant on the second floor of an alley off Chungmuro 5-gil, near Euljiro 3-ga Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. Over a dinner date, a married couple ordered the signature leng saep (spicy-sour pork spine soup), pad kra pao moo sap, Chang beer and zero-sugar Pepsi Lime, and cleared the whole mountain of bones. For spicy-sour leng saep in a Thai night-market setting, Kkai 9 is a good pick.
Gyeongseong Sanghoe is a basement izakaya on Bangbaecheon-ro near Sadang Station in Seocho, Seoul. Over soju with friends, the order was truffle hanwoo yukhoe (raw beef, 28,000 won) and chicken karaage (18,000 won), and alternating the cold beef with the hot fried chicken kept the table interesting all night. Gyeongseong Sanghoe is an easy pick when you want one cold dish and one warm dish to drink over.
Joseonmakhae is a makhoe (roughly sliced raw fish) bar on the B1 floor of a building on Yongridan-gil, near Samgakji Station in Yongsan, Seoul. A party of four was seated in the compact space beside the entrance and ordered Joseon makhoe at 23,900 won, special seafood mala xiang guo at 26,000 won, giant spicy squid stir-fry at 32,900 won, seasoned cockles with butter rice at 16,900 won and smashed cucumber at 5,000 won. Joseonmakhae is an easy choice when one group is split between raw fish and spicy stir-fried food.
Long Time No See Yadang Branch is a self-tap pizza pub right in front of Exit 2 of Yadang Station in Paju, Gyeonggi. The pizza-highball couple set brings a herb garlic potato pizza with a Suntory highball and a Peach Tree highball, and honey butter fries and self-tap beer priced by the ml round out the table. With the popcorn machine also self-serve, Long Time No See Yadang Branch is a 100% would-return spot.
Le Garden Bleu is a Western restaurant on the 1st floor of KT&G Sejong Tower A in Eojin-dong, Sejong. An evening visit booked in advance brought classic pomodoro pasta, the signature salmon steak garden and an aloe berry ade, with the fountain out front seen through floor-to-ceiling windows and generous space between tables. With basement parking in the same building, Le Garden Bleu is an easy date-night choice in Eojin-dong.
Namsogwan U Yuk Dosakmyeon is a hand-shaved noodle (dosakmyeon) and handmade dim sum Chinese restaurant in the alley right after Exit 11 of Gangnam Station, Seoul. Over a Saturday lunch after an escape room, the group ordered yubal hand-shaved noodles at 11,000 won and beef hand-shaved noodles at 11,000 won, and found the noodles thick with only a light spice aroma, so nothing divisive. Seats were still open at 11:30, but by noon the line at Namsogwan ran up the stairs to the second floor, so arrive before 12.
Gogit-ri 88beonji Changwon Sangnam Branch is a pre-seared pork BBQ restaurant on Madimi-ro in Seongsan-gu, Changwon. The order was the Assorted A platter (galbisal, pork neck, pork belly) with doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), brought out already seared and finished on the tabletop grill, in a wide room with a large TV, a pet-friendly seating area and two private rooms. Gogit-ri 88beonji is a roomy, clean pick for family meals, friend meetups and group dinners alike.
