Korean restaurant by the Seoul City Wall in Seongbuk: Seochon Nugak

The weather was so nice.

I took a leisurely walk after a while along the Seoul City Wall trail in Seongbuk-dong, starting from Hansung University Station. With a cool breeze blowing in, it felt like I was properly enjoying autumn.

After the walk, it was time to actually eat!

Craving something hearty but easy on the stomach, I headed to Seochon Nugak, a popular restaurant in Seongbuk-dong.

I do Pilates twice a week, and this is somewhere I sometimes go with my workout friends afterward.

The moment I stepped inside, the folding doors were wide open, letting the cool autumn breeze flow in pleasantly. Between the green potted plants and the warm interior, just sitting there felt relaxing.

A luxury you usually can't get at a regular rice bowl restaurant!

We ordered chamsongi mushroom rice and Jeju tot bap. The neatly set table had side dishes worth reaching for one by one, and we thoroughly enjoyed the sea-scented tot (seaweed fusiforme) and the fragrant chamsongi mushrooms. Maybe because we'd just walked the fortress wall, but it tasted even better!

A comfortable stomach and a full belly — a lunch that suited the end of a walk perfectly. 😊

Where Seochon Nugak is and when it opens

Seochon Nugak, a popular spot in Seongbuk-dong, has colorful potted plants neatly lined up from the entrance, giving off a modest, homey feel.

• 📍 88 Hyehwa-ro, 1st floor, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• 🚇 About 862m from Exit 5 of Hansung University Station (village bus available)
• ⏰ Daily 11:00–15:00, last order 14:00
• 🚗 No dedicated parking lot on site
• 🅿️ Nearby Lotus Garden parking available
• 📌 Reservations available, group-friendly, takeout available

Inside Seochon Nugak: a dining room full of potted plants

Sunlight pours in through a big window, and the plants scattered around make the space feel bright and lush — like stepping into a small flower shop. The tables are spaced generously too, so it never feels cramped.

The interior blends white tones with wood tables for a clean, comfortable atmosphere. It's cozy overall, a good place to eat slowly.

Seochon Nugak menu and prices

The set-meal rice bowls range widely: the spring-only eosuri wild greens rice for ₩13,000, beef brisket minari bowl, tteokgalbi rice, pork belly bowl, chamsongi mushroom rice, and cuttlefish rice all at ₩15,000, up to abalone scallop Jeju tot bap at ₩17,000. Hot pots include white pollock roe hot pot at ₩14,000 and Korean pork rib kimchi stew at ₩15,000, and there are also good single dishes to add on, like pollock hoe-muchim, beef yukjeon (pan-fried beef), and shiitake mushroom shrimp kkangjeong (crispy candied shrimp).

What we ordered at Seochon Nugak

• Chamsongi mushroom rice with octopus and shrimp — 15
• Jeju tot bap with abalone and scallop — 17
• Sokcho pollock hoe-muchim — 9
• Cola — 2

Two mains plus the pollock hoe-muchim, and the table quickly filled up.

Above all, the colors of the food were so pretty I lost count of how many photos I took before eating. Haha.

The side dishes that came with it were clean and tidy too. Lotus root, broccoli, mung bean sprouts, mustard leaf kimchi and more, each neatly arranged and easy to pick at,

and with seaweed soup on top, the whole meal felt pretty solid — and at a very fair price.

Jeju tot bap with abalone and scallop, 17,000 won

The Jeju tot bap with abalone and scallop catches your eye right away with its chunky abalone, and the combination of scallop and tot really delivers that sea flavor.

I drizzled a bit of seasoned soy sauce and mixed it gently.

The crunchy tot, the soft scallop, the chewy abalone — each texture is different, which makes eating it more fun.

Sokcho myeongtae hoe-muchim (spicy raw pollock salad), 9,000 won

And then there was the Sokcho pollock hoe-muchim, impossible to skip!

The sweet-and-sour, spicy sauce really wakes up your appetite. The chewy texture of the pollock is great, but

eating it with the vegetables adds a nice crunch too.

A little pollock hoe-muchim spooned over plain rice — that's the finishing touch right there!

Chamsongi mushroom rice with octopus and shrimp, 15,000 won

The chamsongi mushroom rice with octopus and shrimp has plump king shrimp,

fragrant chamsongi mushrooms,

tender octopus,

and salty pollock roe among the various ingredients piled on generously. Everything looks so fresh and abundant it makes your mouth water just looking at it. 😃

Mixing all the ingredients together evenly and taking a bite, it's clean-tasting but each flavor still stands out — the umami of the seafood plus the fragrance of fresh vegetables makes for a pretty rich mouthful.

Even eating a lot, it doesn't feel heavy — it stays light. Want one more spoonful? Set aside that assumption that healthy food is bland!

A bowl that was both filling and light, one that didn't leave me feeling bloated afterward, and left me in a good mood.

A lunch that pairs well with the Seoul City Wall walk

Is Seochon Nugak worth a stop in Seongbuk-dong?