Before you go, buy or book in Korea

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.

Dongtan Station pho bar, Hanoi beer & hoisin-cilantro mix: Mibundang

Mibundang Dongtan Station Branch is a pho restaurant on the first floor of the Dongtan Station Richian Arcade in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi. On another of several repeat visits, the pho-loving writer ordered Mibundang's signature brisket, flank and tendon pho and the assorted fried platter, and drank a Hanoi beer with the fried bites. Thanks to the clean, savory broth and generous meat, the writer strongly recommends Mibundang Dongtan Station Branch as a place worth returning to.

Written Oct 29, 2026Sponsored

Recently published

All places
Bucheon, GyeonggiHair & beauty salons

Bucheon lash perm shop for a pre-wedding lift or C curl: Vivesco

Vivesco (비베스코) is a lash perm beauty shop on the 6th floor of the Mugwang Office Building, near Exit 3 of Sinjungdong Station in Bucheon. The writer looked into lash perms before her wedding ceremony and chose Vivesco because clients can pick either a lifting curl raised sharply from the root or a C curl rolled up in a round curve, add an optional lash serum, and enjoy a spacious shop with parking. For a wedding ceremony, Vivesco's natural rounded C curl is well worth considering.

Written Oct 29, 2026Sponsored
Nowon, SeoulRestaurants

Jokbal restaurant on Nowon Culture Street: non-greasy bossam, Gwihan

Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch is a jokbal (braised pigs' trotters) and bossam (boiled pork wraps) restaurant on Nowon Culture Street, right in front of Nowon Station Exit 1 in Seoul, where Korean trotters are said to be boiled fresh each day. Two women ordered the small bojok set (half jokbal, half bossam) plus fish roe rice balls, and with fresh fruit makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles) included as standard, it was plenty of food. The writer, a jokbal loyalist who rarely eats pork fat, was swayed by Gwihan Jokbal's non-greasy bossam.

Written Oct 29, 2026Sponsored
Jeju, JejuCafés

Tiramisu café in Ido 2-dong, Jeju with soft, flowing cream: After

After is a café on Yeonsin-ro in Ido 2-dong, Jeju City, that roasts its own coffee beans and makes its tiramisu in-house. The writer ordered an iced Americano made with a non-acidic bean, a classic tiramisu and a matcha tiramisu, and After's tiramisu stood out for its moist, supple cream that flows like condensed milk. After is worth a stop for anyone who wants proper coffee and dessert in one place.

Written Oct 29, 2026Sponsored
Goyang, GyeonggiRestaurants

Baekseok Station pork BBQ after a hospital visit: Dokbul Janggun

Dokbul Janggun Ilsan Baekseok Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant near Exit 6 of Baekseok Station in Goyang, Gyeonggi, specializing in special Jeju pork cuts such as kkodeul-sal and nakyeop-sal. After an appointment at a nearby hospital, the writer and her husband grilled kkodeul-sal and nakyeop-sal for dinner at Dokbul Janggun, adding cheese steamed egg and mul bibim naengmyeon (cold noodles in broth). Verdict: the chewy pork and side dishes like water kimchi and cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) made Dokbul Janggun a satisfying dinner on a tiring evening.

Written Oct 29, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hongdae Korean restaurant: extra-spicy squid stir-fry, Bap Jangin

Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch (밥장인 홍대점) is a home-style Korean restaurant using domestic pork, about a 3-minute walk from Exit 8 of Hongik Univ. Station in Mapo, Seoul. At Bap Jangin we ordered the extra-spicy squid stir-fry (₩18,000), spicy soft tofu potato stew (₩12,000) and steamed egg (₩3,000), along with bean sprouts from the self-serve bar and a bibimbap (mixed rice) made with sesame oil and seaweed flakes. Verdict: Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch is a Korean restaurant in Hongdae with fiery squid stir-fry, a clean-tasting potato stew and friendly staff.

Written Oct 29, 2026Sponsored
Suwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

First fine dining in Haenggung-dong, Suwon: ₩5,000 caviar tart at Hado

Hado is a Western course restaurant on Hyanggyo-ro in Haenggung-dong, Suwon, serving starters, pasta, chicken breast sous vide steak and Earl Grey ice cream in sequence. At Hado, the blogger added caviar to the sweet shrimp apple tart for ₩5,000 and swapped the pasta for pomodoro and vongole, and found the open kitchen, dark black-and-gray interior and delicate plating impressive. Hado is not flashy high-end fine dining, but it is an easygoing Haenggung-dong date restaurant for anyone trying fine dining for the first time.

Written Oct 29, 2026Sponsored
Gangneung, GangwonRestaurants

Gangneung tofu noodle restaurant: pine nut sundubu makguksu at Gossi's

Gossi's Donghae Makguksu & Sundubu Kalguksu Main Branch (고씨네동해막국수&순두부 강릉본점) is a second-generation noodle restaurant near Gangmun Beach in Gangneung, Gangwon, serving makguksu (buckwheat noodles), Chodang soft tofu (sundubu) kalguksu and buckwheat gimbap. The writer ordered five dishes to compare: pollock sikhae bibim makguksu, Chodang pine nut sundubu makguksu, perilla sundubu kalguksu, spicy sundubu kalguksu and flying fish roe buckwheat gimbap. Gossi's suits Gangneung travelers who want to mix spicy and nutty dishes and taste several at once.

Written Oct 29, 2026Sponsored
Namyangju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Byeollae sushi for one: salmon aburi and pumpkin tempura, Kamu Sushi

Kamu Sushi is a sushi restaurant tucked inside the Dowon Building in Byeollae, Namyangju. The writer ate alone at the counter and ordered the Kamu Assorted Sushi B (12 pieces, 20,000 won), which came with pumpkin and shrimp tempura and udon, plus a free shrimp sushi for joining the receipt review event. Kamu Sushi is an easy Byeollae sushi spot where one person can enjoy sushi, tempura and udon in a single meal.

Written Oct 29, 2026Sponsored
Jung-gu, SeoulBars

LP bar in Sindang for a light drinker's second round: CMS Soundbar

CMS Soundbar is an LP bar in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 2nd floor of the Sindang Jeongi Tongdak building near Exit 2 of Sindang Station. While listening to DJ-picked vinyl, the writer ordered a CMS highball (₩9,000), a Kirin Ichiban non-alcoholic Zero (₩11,000) and a pine sherbet (₩12,000), paying ₩32,000 in total. For a second round near Sindang Station with a friend who doesn't drink much, CMS Soundbar is an easy choice with a short, simple menu.

Written Oct 29, 2026Sponsored
Songpa, SeoulCafés

Jamsil cake shop: 'Will you marry me' proposal cake, Circus Rabbit

Circus Rabbit (서커스래빗) is a handmade lettering cake shop on basement level 1 of the Jangmi shopping complex in Jamsil, Songpa, Seoul. For her boyfriend's birthday, with their wedding coming up, the writer ordered a No. 1 lunchbox cake reading 'Will you marry me' as a surprise reverse proposal. The proposal flopped, but he never saw it coming and loved it. Circus Rabbit's lunchbox cake is a small, affordable way to mark a special occasion.

Written Oct 29, 2026Sponsored
Gwangsan, GwangjuRestaurants

Gwangju eel restaurant with chive-onion sauce and nurungji: Ppaksen

Ppaksen Freshwater Eel Songjeong Station Branch (빡센민물장어 송정역점) is a grilled freshwater eel restaurant near Songjeong Station in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. On a meal with their parents, the writer ordered 3 servings of premium grilled eel, added 2 servings of regular eel, and finished with nurungji (scorched rice) and doenjang sulbap (soybean paste stew with rice); the chive-onion sauce, the nurungji with dried radish, the clean dining room and the friendly staff stood out. For good-value eel and a relaxed family meal near Songjeong Station, Ppaksen Freshwater Eel Songjeong Station Branch is a choice you won't regret.

Written Oct 29, 2026Sponsored
Gwangjin, SeoulRestaurants

Konkuk Univ. rice bowls to scoop, not mix: salmon & pork jowl, Hekbap

Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch is a Japanese rice bowl restaurant on the 2nd floor on Neungdong-ro, near Konkuk Univ. Station in Seoul. The blogger ordered the salmon bowl (15,900 won) and the pork jowl bowl set (14,900 won, with udon and chicken karaage) and ate them the way Hekbap recommends: scooped, not mixed. The salmon bowl tasted clean, and the pork jowl bowl's sauce was not overpowering. With bar seating, a self-serve corner and phone stands, Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch is an easy rice bowl spot for eating alone near Konkuk Univ.

Written Oct 29, 2026Sponsored

Explore by region

Seoul 103641Gyeonggi 58778Busan 20606Incheon 11082Gangwon 10473Daegu 8865Chungnam 6841Jeju 6669Gwangju 6030Gyeongnam 5730Daejeon 5488Gyeongbuk 5156Chungbuk 4074Jeonbuk 2898Ulsan 2069Sejong 1401Jeonnam 379