Before you go, buy or book in Korea
Restaurants, cafés and salons across Korea — every story by a blogger who actually went, linked to Google Maps.
Hurato Sikdang Euljiro is a basement gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) restaurant near Euljiro 3-ga Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. The writer ordered 2 servings of gyukatsu by QR code at the table, seared each piece only lightly on the outside, and after trying several sauces settled on wasabi and salt. For anyone who wants tender beef cooked exactly to their liking, Hurato Sikdang's gyukatsu makes a satisfying meal.
Sunji Café (순지카페) is a large two-floor bakery café in Habuk-myeon, Yangsan, Gyeongnam, near Tongdosa Temple. On a spontaneous solo outing one fine autumn weekday, the writer ordered a salted gelato latte, a garlic baguette and a chocolate conch bread, and loved the sweet-and-salty latte and the garlic-butter-soaked baguette most. After many visits, Sunji Café is still a satisfying large café near Tongdosa.
Donbyeorak Kimchi Samgyeopsal Jangandong Main Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant near Jangan-dong intersection in Dongdaemun, Seoul, where aged kimchi and Korean-raised Handon pork belly are grilled together. On a weekday evening, a couple ordered 3 servings of kimchi pork belly with doenjang sul-bap (rice simmered in soybean paste stew), then added 1 more serving, and the home-brewed barley tea, golden grilled rice cakes and kimchi pork belly topped with raw garlic stood out. For anyone who loves grilled kimchi and thick-cut pork belly, Donbyeorak is worth seeking out in Jangan-dong.
Café The Corner is a neighborhood café on a corner of the Dodam-dong food street in Sejong, reportedly named to the Blue Ribbon guide every year from 2015 to 2026, 12 years in a row. The writer and his wife went to Café The Corner for the injeolmi bingsu (shaved milk ice with roasted soybean powder) and enjoyed the crunchy nut topping and generous red bean, but the coffee aroma stayed with them longer than the bingsu. Café The Corner is a place you visit for bingsu and return to order the coffee first.
Hannam Multeo is a Korean-style gastropub on the basement floor of 65 Daesagwan-ro in Hannam-dong, Yongsan, Seoul, with a large fish tank in the middle of the room. On a dinner date, the writer ordered seasonal yellowtail sashimi, Daejeon-style clam soup and Asahi draft beer. The yellowtail was thick and chewy with no fishy taste, and the generous clam soup had a spicy, refreshing broth. For a Hannam-dong date-night bar serving both sashimi and soup, Hannam Multeo is a satisfying choice.
Eonyang Dak Kalguksu Songcheon-dong Eco City Branch is a chicken kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) restaurant in Songcheon-dong, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju. The family ordered a chicken kalguksu + 4 dumplings set and a chicken gomtang (chicken soup with rice) + 4 dumplings set; chicken kalguksu is 11,000 won, and the nutty, mild perilla broth, big chunks of chicken and spicy silbi kimchi went down well, even with their two-year-old daughter. With plenty of parking and high chairs, Eonyang Dak Kalguksu is an easy pick for a family meal out with kids.
Jeju Dogeuril Incheon Songdo is a Jeju black pork Korean BBQ restaurant in the Art Foret shopping complex. The restaurant is right outside Exit 2 of Senteureolpakeu Station in Songdo, Yeonsu, Incheon, and staff grill all the meat from start to finish. A pregnant blogger went there on a weekend date and ordered the French rack set for two. The set came with 640g of pork tomahawk, pork belly and kkodeulsal (a chewy pork cut), plus a complimentary beef brisket doenjang stew. The blogger picked kkodeulsal as the best cut. Jeju Dogeuril suits couples and family groups who want to try several cuts without doing the grilling themselves.
Hubaldae Dongdaegu Station Branch is a pork belly and pork neck BBQ restaurant in Dong-gu, Daegu, near Dongdaegu Station and the Daegu Shinsegae department store. On a visit with a child, staff grilled the thick cuts from start to finish, and the meat was eaten following the three wrap combinations on the table's "Enjoy Hubaldae Properly" sign, including the signature honey potato wrap, with non-alcoholic Terra beer. Caring service that looked after the child too, plus unusual wrap combinations, made Hubaldae a meal where the meat never got boring.
Salad Ring, Chungju Terminal Branch is a poke and salad shop on Bonggye 1-gil in Chungju, Chungbuk. After a weekend morning at the gym, the blogger took away a steak poke and a tofu poke with soy sauce as a diet-friendly lunch, and found the steak tender with no gamey smell and the vegetables fresh. For anyone in Chungju who wants a diet that still tastes good, takeout poke from Salad Ring, Chungju Terminal Branch is a filling choice.
Pizza E Michida Konkuk University Branch is a pizza and pasta pub in Gwangjin, Seoul, a 4-minute walk from Exit 1 of Konkuk Univ. Station, with a spacious outdoor terrace at the back of the shop. At Pizza E Michida the blogger shared a half-and-half pizza (cream mushroom bacon and classic combination) and a spicy tomato pasta stew loaded with seafood, plus a separate order of garlic bread. For outdoor pizza and beer near Konkuk Univ., Pizza E Michida is a good fit.
The European Gwanggyo is a wood-fired pizza and pasta restaurant on Gwanggyo Café Street in Suwon, Gyeonggi. For lunch the writer had The European's truffle funghi pizza, topped with a poached egg, and a hot americano. The dough was chewy and fluffy with a good mushroom and truffle aroma, and the pizza comes as 4 big slices, so two people should order at least two dishes. The European Gwanggyo is close to Café Street Public Parking Lot 2 and offers baby chairs, a group room and Catch Table reservations, making it a good pick for anything from a solo lunch to a company dinner.
Gimssi Chicken Amsa Market Branch is a takeout chicken and dakgangjeong (sweet, crunchy glazed fried chicken) shop inside Amsa Market in Gangdong, Seoul. After waiting about 15 minutes, the writer took home 6 drumsticks and medium-spicy dakgangjeong to share with family: the medium-spicy dakgangjeong wasn't spicy at all and was less sweet, so it never got cloying, and the drumsticks were big and tender. Gimssi Chicken is a good place to pick up cheap chimaek (chicken and beer) food while grocery shopping at Amsa Market.
Haetan Seolleung Branch (해탄 선릉점) is a squid and pork Korean restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building near Seolleung Station in Gangnam, Seoul. On a chilly evening the writer ordered the Haetan set and ate boiled flower pork belly, fried squid and stone-plate stir-fried squid in that order, with rice tea and cold bean sprout soup from the self-bar and coffee and ice cream on the way out. Haetan Seolleung Branch suits a team dinner or a night out with friends near Seolleung Station when everyone wants both squid and meat.
