Gap Hour Sipper · 34 stories

A Cafe Between Plans

I write about visits to cafes in Gangwon and the impressions they leave. · Writes about: Cafés · Restaurants · Bars · Shopping

PlaceDanyang, ChungbukRestaurants

Danyang ssambap restaurant, 1/3-sauced pork and makgeolli: Heukmaneul

Danyang Heukmaneul Ssambap (단양흑마늘쌈밥) is a black garlic ssambap (rice with leafy wraps) restaurant right in front of Gugyeong Market in Danyang, Chungbuk. On a weekday off, the writer took a day trip from Seoul with their parents and ordered 3 servings of black garlic boiled pork ssambap (₩19,000 each) with makgeolli. The meal came as a hearty, hanjeongsik-style spread with 7 kinds of wrap greens, 7 side dishes, black garlic rice and crab doenjang stew. Verdict: Danyang Heukmaneul Ssambap is a good stop with older parents, paired with a stroll around Gugyeong Market.

Written Oct 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

Korean pub near Gyodae Station after Friday overtime: hagfish, Galgol

Galgol Yeontanjip Seocho Gyodae Branch is a briquette-grill Korean restaurant near Exit 6 of Gyodae Station in Seocho, Seoul, serving aged marinated hagfish plus drinking snacks like chicken feet and grilled shishamo. After a late Friday at work, the writer and a coworker stopped by on the spur of the moment for 3 servings of marinated hagfish, chicken feet, honeycomb pork skin and grilled shishamo with roe (9,900 won for 9 fish), paired with 1-second soju-beer, and loved the savory pre-grilled hagfish and the mild chicken feet. With its retro feel, Galgol Yeontanjip is a great hagfish spot near Gyodae Station for after-work drinks.

Written Jun 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Gangnam samgyetang dinner with a coworker after overtime: Masamgyetang

Masamgyetang Bangbaeng Sageori Branch is a samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) restaurant made with yam, located between Gangnam Station Exit 4 and Bangbaeng Sageori in Gangnam, Seoul. After working overtime, the writer and a coworker shared two servings of yam samgyetang (18,000 won each), and the mild, milky broth, tender meat and sticky rice stuffed inside made a filling dinner, with 1 hour 30 minutes of free basement parking adding to the convenience. Masamgyetang Bangbaeng Sageori Branch is a Gangnam Station samgyetang spot worth revisiting whenever energy runs low.

Written Jun 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

Gyodae Station Korean restaurant: rib lunch & gondre rice, Huiyeol

Huiyeol Seocho Gyodae Branch is a Korean barbecue restaurant with 6 private rooms, located on basement level 1 near Exits 10 and 11 of Gyodae Station in Seocho, Seoul. The writer took their parents there on a weekday and ordered 3 servings of the marinated short rib lunch set (35,000 won each). They enjoyed the tender kitchen-grilled ribs, seasonal pot rice with gondre (Korean thistle) and freshwater snails, 9 side dishes and beef porridge. Quiet and free of grill smoke, Huiyeol Seocho Gyodae Branch is a Korean restaurant near Gyodae Station worth returning to for a meal with older family members.

Written Jun 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

Yangjae Citizens' Forest noodle shop open at 9 am: makguksu, Seonbawi

Seonbawi Memil Jangteo Yangjae Branch (선바위메밀장터 양재점) is a 100% buckwheat makguksu (buckwheat noodle) restaurant near Exit 2 of Yangjaesiminuisup Station in Seocho, Seoul. After a public-holiday outing to Yangjae Citizens' Forest (Maeheon), the writer and a friend had a late lunch of dongchimi makguksu (11,000 won), perilla oil makguksu (12,000 won) and pollack hoe suyuk (23,000 won), and the noodles impressed just as much as at the original Gwacheon restaurant. Seonbawi Memil Jangteo Yangjae opens at 9 am every day and has free parking out front, making it a good pick for breakfast or lunch on a day out.

Written Jun 9, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulBars

Seorae Village bar for two: aqua pazza and squid ink calamari, Mikasa

Mikasa is a Japanese izakaya at the entrance to Seorae Village in Seocho, Seoul, open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. On a Friday night, the writer and a friend from Banpo booked bar seats for 8:30 p.m. They shared aqua pazza, ankimo ponzu (monkfish liver with ponzu), a low-temperature pork tenderloin cutlet and squid ink calamari with Ebisu draft beer. All four dishes at Mikasa were so good that the writer wants to work through the rest of the menu at this Seorae Village bar.

Written Jun 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceChuncheon, GangwonRestaurants

Chuncheon makguksu lunch after a Gongjicheon walk: Hyeondae Memil

Hyeondae Memil (현대메밀) is a makguksu (buckwheat noodle) and buckwheat restaurant near Exit 2 of Namchuncheon Station in Chuncheon, Gangwon. On a Chuncheon day trip, after a loop around Gongjicheon Stream, two people shared soy sauce makguksu (8,600 won), mala cream buckwheat sujebi (hand-torn dough soup, 13,600 won) and truffle potato pancake (16,600 won). These fusion dishes differ from the usual spicy makguksu and pleased younger tastes without dividing opinion. Hyeondae Memil is a Namchuncheon Station lunch spot the writer would revisit on any return to Chuncheon.

Written Jun 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonRestaurants

Sokcho private-room beef lunch with parents: Seoraksan-ro Hanwoo

Seoraksan-ro Hanwoo is a hanwoo (Korean beef) restaurant on Seoraksan-ro in Sokcho, Gangwon, with sliding-door private rooms and a spacious hall. Taking a weekday off, the writer brought their parents for lunch before hiking Ulsanbawi Rock, and the three ordered the lunch special charcoal-grilled hanwoo set (19,000 won), which staff grill at the table and serve with complimentary ugeoji-tang (dried cabbage soup); the parents raved about how generous the set was. Seoraksan-ro Hanwoo is an easy, comfortable place to treat your parents to a meal before a Seoraksan hike.

Written Jun 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonRestaurants

Sokcho raw fish restaurant after a Seoraksan hike: Sinhaeburi Hoejip

Sinhaeburi Hoejip (신해불이횟집) is a live raw fish restaurant at Daepo Port in Sokcho, Gangwon. After hiking Seoraksan, the writer booked a table for 3 with their parents and ordered the medium mixed sashimi platter (120,000 won). The meal came with two rounds of side dishes, complimentary mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) and maeuntang (spicy fish stew). Thanks to high turnover, the seafood at Sinhaeburi Hoejip was fresh, and the parents were especially pleased with this Daepo Port raw fish restaurant.

Written Jun 17, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHoengseong, GangwonShopping

Hoengseong butcher shop: 1+ vs 1++ hanu prices and soup beef ramyeon

Hoengseong Hanu Jeongyukjeom (횡성한우정육점) is a county-certified butcher shop in downtown Hoengseong-eup, Gangwon, that specializes in Hoengseong hanu (Korean beef). After comparing 1++, 1+ and grade 1 prices for a BBQ at the lodging, the writer bought 1+ ribeye and chuck flap, then cooked the free soup beef into hanu ramyeon. Fixed per-100g prices by grade at Hoengseong Hanu Jeongyukjeom make the 1+ vs 1++ difference easy to understand and the choice easy to make.

Written Jun 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Seoul Korean BBQ at Yangjae Station: sow pork belly galbi, Gukgojip

Gukgojip (국고집) is a charcoal Korean BBQ restaurant near Exits 3 and 4 of Yangjae Station in Gangnam, Seoul. Three coworkers came for an after-work dinner and ordered 3 servings of boneless handmade fresh galbi (sow pork belly, 19,000 won per 200g), 2 servings of boneless marinated galbi, chewy-barley chogye mul naengmyeon (cold chicken-broth noodles) and bibim naengmyeon. The staff grilling the meat and the green onion kimchi they kept refilling stood out. With a spacious basement floor, Gukgojip is worth revisiting for team dinners of around 8.

Written Jun 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGapyeong, GyeonggiRestaurants

Gapyeong octopus grill: cheese and perilla rice balls, Paldang

Paldang Jikhwa Bul Jjukkumi (팔당직화불쭈꾸미) is a fire-grilled jjukkumi (baby octopus) restaurant near Seorak IC in Seorak-myeon, Gapyeong, Gyeonggi. On the drive home from Gapyeong, two people had the fire-grilled baby octopus and steamed egg set (15,000 won per person) for dinner, adding snowflake cheese and self-made perilla-oil rice balls; the buffet-style self-bar and the seaweed with flying fish roe combination stood out. With so much food for the price, Paldang Jikhwa Bul Jjukkumi is a Gapyeong restaurant worth stopping at again before getting on at Seorak IC.

Written Jun 20, 2026Sponsored