A Tin Bowl in Changsin — Yeon Baik

City Hall Station kalguksu restaurant with parking tips: Tanbaek

Tanbaek is a Korean beef kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) restaurant at 37 Jeongdong-gil, on the Deoksugung stone wall path in Jung-gu, Seoul. After seeing the Seoul Museum of Art, I walked five minutes to Tanbaek for the signature clear beef kalguksu with makgeolli, sat among the 17 bar seats on the first floor and 32 table seats upstairs, and checked the paid parking lots nearby. The line at noon is long, but Tanbaek turns tables fast because it serves noodles, and the meal itself is mild rather than heavy.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored

PlaceJungnang, SeoulRestaurants

Jungnang hanjeongsik with banchan refills and a lunch line: Sanchaega

Sanchaega Hanjeongsik Meokgol Main Branch is a hanjeongsik (Korean set-menu) restaurant on Dongil-ro 157-gil in Jungnang, Seoul, a short walk from Meokgol Station. The gondre cauldron rice special set costs 18,000 won per person with a two-person minimum, and it arrives with 12 banchan (side dishes) plus free refills on the banchan and doenjang jjigae; by around 12:30 on a weekday a line had formed outside. The spread at Sanchaega is mild rather than spicy, so it suits a meal with parents or a group gathering.

Written Sep 15, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGwangjin, SeoulRestaurants

Gwangjin mazesoba restaurant, rice in the leftover sauce: Mentsuru

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch is a Japanese ramen and mazesoba restaurant one minute on foot from Exit 4 of Children's Grand Park Station in Gwangjin, Seoul. On a weekend lunch visit, mazesoba and gyoza (pan-fried dumplings) were ordered, and a small serving of rice mixed into the sauce left in the mazesoba bowl paired well with it. With everything from solo seats to 4-person tables, Mentsuru is an easy place to get a filling meal on your own.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored