First Chopstick · 12 stories

Before the Food Arrives

I write about meals and visits to restaurants in Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Bars

PlaceDongjak, SeoulRestaurants

Udon restaurant at Isu Station: after-work ebiten bukkake set, Kosi

Kosi Isu Branch (코시 이수점) is an udon and tonkatsu restaurant with house-made noodles, right outside Exit 9 of Isu Station in Dongjak, Seoul. After work, arriving in time for last order, the writer had tonkatsu (pork cutlet), cheese katsu and the ebiten bukkake set (cold udon topped with shrimp tempura), and both the chewy, springy cold noodles and the crisp katsu were satisfying. For good-value Japanese udon and tonkatsu near Isu Station, Kosi Isu Branch is well worth a visit.

Written Nov 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Kebab shop in Sangam, Seoul: rice-packed lamb burrito at Zilhal Bros

Zilhal Bros Sangam is a New York-style halal kebab, rice bowl and burrito shop serving chicken and lamb, in the Savoy City building near the new MBC building in Sangam-dong, Mapo, Seoul. On a weekend visit, a large chicken over rice, a lamb kebab burrito, onion rings and a Coke Zero came to ₩34,700; the big lamb burrito, packed with long-grain rice, was very filling, and the lamb had no gamey taste. For fans of kebabs, burritos and halal food, Zilhal Bros Sangam, with its clean shop and free parking, is worth a visit.

Written Oct 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Seogyo-dong Korean BBQ dinner for two under ₩50,000: Mapo Gui Madang

Mapo Gui Madang Seogyo Direct Branch is a budget Korean BBQ restaurant in Seogyo-dong, Mapo, Seoul, near Hongik Univ. Station, where a 200g serving of flash-frozen pork belly costs ₩9,900. On the last evening of the Chuseok holiday, the writer and her partner ate 3 servings of frozen pork belly, jjagyechi (instant black-bean noodles topped with a boiled egg), 2 bottles of soju and rice for under ₩50,000, and were especially impressed by the scallion kimchi, napa cabbage kimchi and white kimchi the owner makes in-house with Korean-grown ingredients. Mapo Gui Madang is a strong pick for anyone in Hongdae who wants good-value pork belly and great kimchi.

Written Sep 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceDongjak, SeoulRestaurants

Noryangjin ramen shop: mazesoba with a kombu vinegar twist at Chome

Chome is a Japanese ramen restaurant tucked into an alley off Noryangjin's Cup Bap Street (cup rice street) in Dongjak, Seoul. Two diners ordered karai ramen, mazesoba, a half roll of futomaki, karaage, gyoza and ramune soda, then poured kombu vinegar over the ramen about halfway through to change the flavor. Chome's set menus cost about the same as, or less than, single dishes at other shops, making Chome a satisfying, good-value Japanese ramen spot in Noryangjin.

Written Sep 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Mapo Station gyukatsu on a brass brazier with butter egg rice: Gyudo

Premium Gyukatsu Gyudo Mapo Gongdeok Main Branch is a wood-smoked gyukatsu restaurant on basement level 1 of the Obelisk apartment shopping arcade at Mapo Station in Mapo, Seoul. The writer ordered the smoked gyukatsu set and the smoked yakiniku set (22,000 won each), grilled the beef on individual bangjja brassware braziers, and used the butter received for writing a review half on the meat and half stirred into soft-boiled egg rice. The writer rated Gyudo Mapo Gongdeok Main Branch's gyukatsu as even better than the gyukatsu they had eaten in Osaka.

Written Sep 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulBars

Chungmuro bar in Seoul for dark lager and sour IPA: Boah Boah

Boah Boah is a craft beer bar in the alley between exits 7 and 8 of Chungmuro Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. After a first round in Euljiro 3-ga, a short walk led to a second round at Boah Boah with the Noon and Dark dark lager (8,500 won), the Piña Colada sour hazy IPA (10,000 won) and a plate of fried corn. The dark lager is smooth enough for anyone new to dark beer and the IPA drinks like a fruity cocktail, making Boah Boah an easy place for one more quiet drink.

Written Sep 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulBars

Glenfiddich 15 at a Jongno whiskey bar for a late date: Gak Seoul

Gak Seoul is a basement cocktail and whiskey bar in Jongno, Seoul, right beside Cheonggyecheon stream near Jonggak Station exit 4. After wine and drinks outdoors earlier in the evening, the writer came here for a second round and ordered the signature cocktail Tomato of That Time (22,000 won) and a Glenfiddich 15 Year (23,000 won). With its quiet mood and comfortable seats, Gak Seoul works just as well for ending a date as for drinking alone.

Written Sep 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulBars

Bar near Mangwon Station for beef tartare and raw shrimp: Baennori

Baennori (뱃놀이) is a Korean bar in Mangwon-dong, Seoul, set in a semi-basement three minutes on foot from Mangwon Station Exit 2. This visit's order was the yukhoe (beef tartare) and raw shrimp basket for 33,000 won, made with seolgitsal beef and shrimp landed that day, plus a cold octopus pasta served over thin somyeon noodles, with tofu as the complimentary starter and green grapes to finish. At Baennori, ordering at least one yukhoe dish is the rule.

Written Sep 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Jongno sushi restaurant with beef tartare and brisket: Choe Uyeong

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch is a value-for-money sushi restaurant on the basement floor of a building right outside Jonggak Station Exit 1 in Jongno, Seoul. The meal was a 17-piece premium sushi set for 33,000 won and a special kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) for 19,000 won, with single pieces of beef brisket and beef tartare sushi, scallop tempura and sweet rice mochi tempura added on. With fatty tuna belly at 3,000 won and egg sushi around 1,000 won, Choe Uyeong Sushiya is at its best when you top the order up piece by piece.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Gongdeok cold noodle restaurant, 10,000-won naengmyeon: Horangi Gotgan

Horangi Gotgan Gongdeok Branch is a budget-friendly Korean restaurant a three-minute walk from Gongdeok Station in Mapo, Seoul, in the alley next to Gongdeok Elementary School. The writer visited with a friend who lives in Gongdeok and ordered hongdukkae mul-naengmyeon (cold noodle soup) and hongdukkae bibim-naengmyeon (spicy mixed cold noodles) at 10,000 won each, plus a side of nurungji tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork with crispy scorched rice) for 10,000 won; the noodles were chewy, the broth savory and the pork sauce thick and full-flavored. At 10,000 to 12,000 won a dish, Horangi Gotgan Gongdeok Branch is an easy, wallet-friendly meal near Gongdeok Station.

Written Sep 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulBars

Cheap Mangwon bar in Seoul: ₩4,000 draft beer and nachos, Macho Nacho

Macho Nacho is a small nacho-and-beer bar on Huiujeong-ro in Mapo, Seoul, on the way to the Mangwon retention pond and the Han River park entrance. On this visit the most basic Macho Nacho plate cost ₩8,900 and a draft beer ₩4,000 each, so two people spent under ₩20,000, and the nachos tasted best once fully crushed with a spoon into the sauces. With only two 4-person tables and one 2-person table, Macho Nacho is worth booking ahead for groups of three or more.

Written Sep 6, 2026Sponsored
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