Explore cafés, restaurants, and places through firsthand stories and photos.
Danya at Seoul Garden Hotel (서울가든호텔 단야) is a Japanese restaurant on the hotel's first basement level near Mapo Station in Seoul. I took my mom for the ₩85,000-per-person sushi omakase, a chef-selected dinner course, and especially enjoyed the lightly aged sashimi and sushi made to order. The space was small, but the staff were attentive and the courses added up to a filling meal.
Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1 (히어로보드게임카페 홍대1호점) is a board game café about a 10-minute walk from Exit 9 of Hongik University Station in Seoul. The two of us played one episode of Unlock 8, and I liked having separate sections for murder mysteries and cooperative deduction games. We used a few hints, but the theme and difficulty were enjoyable; it was busy late on Friday.
People & Peoples (피플앤피플즈) is a pub serving food in Sang-dong, Bucheon, about a seven-minute walk from Sang-dong Station. I visited with my husband for an early dinner of Ambrosia pastry pizza and golbaengi somyeon (whelk salad with thin wheat noodles). The crisp, layered crust and the varied textures of the whelks, vegetables, and shredded dried squid stood out, and the outdoor and terrace-style seating seemed suited to dinner or a gathering.
Jump (점프) is an indoor activity center at 102 Hangeulbiseok-ro in Nowon-gu, Seoul, where my boyfriend and I visited on a weekday afternoon with a three-hour Adventure pass. We tried Net Play, climbing, and laser tag, and especially enjoyed competing against each other. It was more tiring than expected, and there was construction noise and some facilities were not yet operating during our visit.
Samhyeongje Gimbap’s Sangam branch (삼형제김밥 상암점) specializes in yubu gimbap (seaweed rice rolls with fried tofu) on basement level 1 of Nurikkum Square in Mapo-gu, Seoul. I took three varieties to Nanjicheon Park for a picnic and enjoyed the savory, sweet tofu and generously packed fillings. There is a small seating area outside the shop, but it felt better suited to takeout, and the spicy fish cake roll was hotter than I expected.
I visited Vivienne Hair, Changwon Sangnam branch (비비엔느헤어 창원상남점), a hair salon in Sangnam-dong, Changwon, for all-over ash brown color to cover grown-out grays and even out faded color. After a consultation, we chose a light shade that left my roots looking tidy, and I remember the treatment taking less than two hours. I was happy with the result, but the small basement parking lot was full, so I used an outside lot.
Jitheunsan (짙은산) is a café in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul, with separate areas for laptop work or reading and conversation. I visited with my mom and ordered fig cream cheese terrine cake and grapefruit lemon ade. I liked the calm space with window seats and a large table, and the dense, smooth terrine with pieces of fig.
