Awning Gwangjin Dweller · 18 stories

Under the Awning

I write about restaurant meals and small stops around Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Hair & beauty salons · Food & snacks · Bars

PlaceGwangjin, SeoulRestaurants

Private-room Chinese pub at Guui Station: spicy jjajang, Hyeongjeae

Hyeongjeae Guui (형제애 구의점) is a Chinese pub near Exit 2 of Guui Station in Gwangjin, Seoul. The writer booked a private room for dinner and ate Berkshire K chili tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork, ₩25,000), stir-fried jjajang (black bean noodles) with chili peppers and a cucumber salad topped with cilantro, along with drinks. Verdict: with its red Chinese-style décor and separate private rooms, Hyeongjeae Guui is a place the writer would choose again for a wedding invitation dinner with friends.

Written Apr 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulCafés

Spring rooftop café, Konkuk Univ.: year's best mango cake, Café Ohkam

Café Ohkam (카페 오캄) is a 3-floor dessert café in an alley near Exits 2 and 3 of Konkuk Univ. Station in Gwangjin, Seoul, with the 3rd floor run as a rooftop. On a sunny spring weekend, the writer had a mango cake and an iced Americano on the Café Ohkam rooftop and ranked the mango cake their best cake of the year for its fresh mango and well-balanced cream. In mango season, Café Ohkam is a good pick for enjoying a rooftop on a nice day.

Written May 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Filling solo poke lunch at Gangnam Station: extra steak, Ola Poke

Ola Poke Gangnam is a poke and salad restaurant in the basement of the Ssangyong Platinum building near Exit 4 of Gangnam Station, Seoul. Visiting alone at an in-between lunch hour, the writer ordered the steak poke (14,500 won) with extra steak and half the oat rice, mixed it with the recommended wasabi sauce, and found the hanger steak so plentiful and tender that meat made up about half the bowl. It was the first poke in a long time that actually left the writer full, making Ola Poke Gangnam a strong pick for a high-protein, filling solo lunch near Gangnam Station.

Written May 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Weekday lunch poke at Samseong Station: extra steak & egg, Ola Poke

Ola Poke Samseong Branch is a poke salad restaurant on Yeongdong-daero 85-gil, near Exit 4 of Samseong Station in Gangnam, Seoul. The weekday lunch line at Ola Poke was long, but plenty of staff kept orders moving quickly. The meal was a Steak Poke with 100g of skirt steak, an added steak and egg, and wasabi mayo sauce, for a little under ₩20,000. With a wide choice of proteins and solo tables, Ola Poke Samseong Branch is a good salad meal for eating alone near COEX.

Written May 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGuro, SeoulRestaurants

Cold jokbal & beer in Sindorim after a Gocheok Dome game, The Jokbal

The Jokbal Sindorim Main Branch (더족발 신도림본점) is a jokbal (braised pig's trotters) and bossam (boiled pork wraps) restaurant on the ground floor of the Sindorim 3rd Prugio shopping arcade, near Exit 1 of Sindorim Station in Guro, Seoul. After a baseball game at Gocheok Dome on a hot evening, two diners shared the cold jokbal salad (naengchae jokbal, ₩47,000); the jokbal stayed moist even served cold, and the mustard sauce with jellyfish salad and vegetables tasted fresh. The Jokbal Sindorim Main Branch is a good place for cold jokbal and a beer on a hot day.

Written May 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulCafés

Seoul café near Children's Grand Park: sourdough toast, Wonz Coffee

Wonz Coffee Children's Grand Park Main Branch is a specialty café in Guui-dong, Gwangjin, Seoul, near Exit 1 of Guui Station, run by the barista who placed first in Korea's 2018 national barista team selection. The writer ordered the new sourdough toast and iced Americano set, which came with mushroom soup and whole-grain bread toast. The writer also tried the national team special Americano, served as separate espresso and water that you mix yourself. Wonz Coffee suits Children's Grand Park visitors who want a hearty brunch with an Americano refill.

Written May 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulCafés

Seongsu Greek yogurt café for beginners: 2 Beh to go, Lazy Yogurt

Lazy Yogurt Seongsu is an organic, handmade Greek yogurt shop in Building B of Seongsu Yeonbang, near Exit 3 of Seongsu Station in Seoul. The writer took two signature Beh (fruit-topped Greek yogurt) and a cold brew home for under ₩20,000. Her husband, who usually finds Greek yogurt too strong, called Lazy Yogurt's version smooth and easy to eat. Lazy Yogurt Seongsu is a healthy dessert-as-a-meal worth recommending even to Greek yogurt beginners.

Written May 31, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulBars

Quiet whisky bar in Guui, Seoul: first peat and bourbon at Geumdal

Geumdal (그믐달) is a whisky and highball bar in an alley near Exit 2 of Guui Station in Gwangjin, Seoul. At Geumdal, the writer and her husband ordered Ardbeg, Hibiki Harmony and Woodford Reserve, drinking them with the bartender's explanations and recommendations, and found that a single drop of water changes a whisky's aroma. Geumdal is a good starter bar for anyone who wants to learn about whisky in a quiet setting.

Written May 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Ttukseom Station pasta restaurant for holiday brunch: Brivite Seongsu

Brivite Seongsu is a pasta and risotto restaurant on Sangwon 6-gil, near Exit 3 of Ttukseom Station in Seongdong, Seoul. The writer and a group of friends arrived at opening time on a public holiday and shared two Greek yogurt tomato salads, a spicy jambon risotto and a spicy vongole pasta for brunch, enjoying the spicy vongole, the risotto heaped with ham and the generous portions. Brivite Seongsu is popular enough to have a wait right after opening even on holidays, so book on Catch Table before you go.

Written Jun 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulCafés

Seongsu Station café at opening: tiramisu with finger sticks at Biat

Biat Seongsu is a large second-floor café on a Bukseongsu café street alley near Exit 1 of Seongsu Station in Seoul. After a filling meal, the writer arrived right at opening and ordered an iced americano, an iced tea and tiramisu (₩8,000) served with finger sticks, then chatted with a friend in the spacious, uncrowded room. Biat Seongsu suits anyone after a light post-meal dessert or a roomy Seongsu café where a group can settle in comfortably.

Written Jun 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Gangnam Korean restaurant: spicy zucchini pork gukbap, 1992 Deopbap

1992 Deopbap & Jjageuli Gangnam Main Branch is a self-order Korean restaurant near Exit 3 of Gangnam Station in Seoul that specialises in rice bowls and jjageuli (spicy Korean stew), with every dish priced at ₩13,500. The writer ordered the loaded jjageuli and the gochujang zucchini pork gukbap (pork soup with rice), both at the spicy level. The writer was happy with portions big enough even for a man and a spread that included a fried egg, steamed egg, three side dishes and yakgwa (honey cookie). For a solo meal or a filling Korean lunch near Gangnam Station, 1992 Deopbap & Jjageuli Gangnam Main Branch is worth recommending.

Written Jun 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Eel spot in Yeoksam: special hitsumabushi with tea broth, Yangsando

Yangsando Yeoksam (양산도 역삼점) is a hitsumabushi (Japanese grilled eel rice bowl) restaurant on Nonhyeon-ro 85-gil, near Exit 3 of Yeoksam Station in Gangnam, Seoul. The writer ordered the special hitsumabushi with 1.5 eels (₩37,000) and ate it three ways: plain eel and rice, topped with scallion, nori and fresh wasabi, and with green tea broth poured over. With generous eel and fresh wasabi and green tea broth that cut the richness, Yangsando Yeoksam is worth recommending for a team lunch or a date near Yeoksam Station.

Written Jun 14, 2026Sponsored