Afternoon Nook · 39 stories

Cafe Interlude

I write about visits to cafes in Gyeonggi and the impressions they leave. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Hair & beauty salons · Bars

PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Seongsu gyukatsu, weekend 3 p.m. booking skips the wait: Gyuen Dang

Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch is a Japanese-style gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) and omurice restaurant on the 2nd floor of the Godeat building near Seongsu Station Exit 3 in Seongdong, Seoul, where diners grill the beef themselves on a tabletop brazier. Booking ahead for 3 p.m. on a weekend got the writer into Gyuen Dang without a long wait to compare tenderloin gyukatsu with ginger sauce against striploin gyukatsu with teriyaki sauce. Gyuen Dang is an especially good Seongsu Japanese restaurant for anyone trying gyukatsu for the first time.

Written Oct 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulCafés

Green-view basement café in Seongsu: latte art cappuccino at T Coffee

T Coffee is a quiet café on basement level 1 of a building on Achasan-ro in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, near Seongsu Station Exit 2. At T Coffee the writer had a cappuccino with latte art and an iced almond latte switched to oat milk, and enjoyed the green view through the floor-to-ceiling windows and the calm atmosphere. If you want a peaceful coffee away from busy Seongsu, T Coffee is a good fit.

Written Oct 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangdong, SeoulRestaurants

Gildong Station Exit 1 hot pot: gopchang, dropwort & soju, Sinjuokmi

Sinjuokmi Gildong Direct Branch (신주옥미 길동직영점) is a Blue Ribbon sundaeguk (Korean blood sausage soup) restaurant near Exit 1 of Gildong Station in Gangdong, Seoul. The writer paired the spicy pork gopchang (intestine) hot pot at Sinjuokmi with soju and found it loaded with gopchang, mushrooms, perilla leaves, water dropwort and bracken, which made picking through the ingredients fun. Sinjuokmi Gildong Direct Branch is worth recommending for a warm hot pot and a drink near Gildong Station.

Written Oct 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongsan, SeoulBars

Hannam Station gastropub with sashimi and beef hot pot: Hannam Multeo

Hannam Multeo is a Korean seafood gastropub on basement level 1 of 65 Daesagwan-ro, a short walk from Hannam Station in Yongsan, Seoul, built around a large central fish tank where the owner scoops up fish with a net. The writer had the Seasonal Namul and Assorted Sashimi BEST, spicy beef brisket hot pot with added kalguksu noodles, and whole perilla seed and perilla oil ice cream, plus complimentary crackers with ankimo (anglerfish liver) and a bonus beef brisket stir-fry. For a seafood bar with an atmosphere that is rare in Hannam-dong, Hannam Multeo was satisfying enough to want to return.

Written Oct 17, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNowon, SeoulRestaurants

Hagye Station sushi buffet, salad-to-fondue weekday lunch at Kuu Kuu

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is a sushi buffet of over 300 pyeong on the 6th floor of the Seoul Oncheon Building in Nowon, Seoul, a 10-minute walk from Hagye Station Exit 2. Two diners went for weekday lunch and ate in courses: salad, sushi and rolls, lamb chops from the barbecue zone, hot food, then waffles, chocolate fondue and bead ice cream. Verdict: Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch serves lamb chops and bead ice cream even at weekday lunch, making it a solid pick for family meals or group gatherings in Nowon.

Written Oct 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Jamsil Korean BBQ lunch with yukhoe bibimbap: Sutbul Seonghwa

Sutbul Seonghwa (숯불성화) is a charcoal-grilled beef restaurant in an alley near Seokchon Lake in Songpa, Seoul. The writer ordered the 400g Seonghwa Platter (snowflake beef, cubed flower rib and wine-marinated rib fingers) plus the lunch-special yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef bibimbap), grilled over real charcoal, and singled out the myeongi (pickled wild garlic leaf) wraps and butter pine mushroom. Sutbul Seonghwa delivered on all fronts: a calm atmosphere, friendly service and quality beef.

Written Jun 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Date-night grill in Seongsu with a keepsake photo: OX Live Fire Grill

OX Live Fire Grill Seongsu is a reservation-only wood-fire grill restaurant serving set courses on Dulle 15-gil in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. The writer sat at the bar for the six-step OX Season 7 dinner course, from Garden to Sweet, paired with Hwayo 53. With firelight like an American mountain lodge, a mid-course fire show and fire-gazing time, and a commemorative photo at the end, OX Live Fire Grill Seongsu is a strong pick for a birthday or anniversary date.

Written Oct 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Old-school galbi house in Gangnam: raw ribs grilled for you at Sojei

Sojei Seoul Flagship Store (소제이 서울본점) is a retro, old-school raw galbi (beef short rib) restaurant on Gangnam-daero 114-gil, on a side street between Nonhyeon Station and Sinnonhyeon Station in Gangnam, Seoul. At Sojei we ordered 500g of raw LA-cut ribs, a taster portion of braised oxtail and doenjang sulbap (rice simmered in soybean-paste broth), and the staff grilled the ribs from start to finish while explaining how to eat each part. With side dishes that even include beef tartare, a warm nostalgic atmosphere and easygoing service, Sojei Seoul Flagship Store was a thoroughly satisfying galbi spot in Gangnam.

Written Jun 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Cheongdam hair salon steam clinic + layered cut for tangled ends: Anew

Anew Hair Cheongdam Main Branch is a hair salon on the 2nd floor of a building between Apgujeongnodeo Station and Cheongdam Station in Gangnam, Seoul. After summer UV and frequent blow-drying left the writer's ends dry and tangled, the writer had a step-by-step hair clinic in a massage chair with a steam finish, then a layered cut shaped to face shape and volume. The hair clinic and layered cut combination at Anew Hair Cheongdam Main Branch suits anyone who wants hair that falls smoothly when finger-combed and a lighter style.

Written Jul 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulCafés

Sinnonhyeon bakery café tour by floor, yangzhi ganlu: Upper and Under

Upper and Under is a bakery café between Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station in Gangnam, Seoul, spread over several floors from the basement (B1) upward. The writer explored the different mood on each floor of Upper and Under and ordered an iced Americano, a matcha pistachio, yangzhi ganlu (mango pomelo dessert) and a hojicha pecan financier. Verdict: Upper and Under is worth a visit for the space alone, and its desserts beat expectations.

Written Jun 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulCafés

Seocho sandwich café, solo brunch amid sellouts: Focaccia Cucina

Focaccia Cucina is a handmade focaccia sandwich and brunch café on Banpo-daero 21-gil near Seocho Station in Seoul. The writer went alone around 10am on a weekday, found most popular sandwiches sold out, ate the remaining Stracciatella Pomodoro sandwich, and took home flour-free granola and no-sugar-added peanut butter on the owner's recommendation. Arrive at opening time for the full menu, but even the one sandwich left at Focaccia Cucina was very satisfying.

Written Jul 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulCafés

3-floor Gangnam café, sweet corn cheesecake: Something About Coffee

Something About Coffee is a large dessert café in Gangnam, Seoul, that fills an entire building from the 1st to the 3rd floor between Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station. From the central bakery zone, the writer chose an egg cookie, a pastry they had never seen before, and a Chodang sweet corn cheesecake, along with an iced Americano and a matcha cream cold brew. With its spacious floors and wide dessert range, Something About Coffee is a Gangnam dessert café made for lingering.

Written Jul 7, 2026Sponsored