Side Door Lunchgoer · 5 stories

Cheongjin Side Door Lunch

Writes about restaurant meals eaten around Seoul and what each table was like. · Writes about: Restaurants

Ramen shop at City Hall Station: hangover ramen & karaage, Mentsuru

Mentsuru City Hall Branch is a Japanese ramen chain restaurant near Exit 10 of City Hall Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. On a first weekday-evening visit, the writer ordered the signature hangover ramen with a pork jowl (gabrisal) add-on for 2,500 won, plus karaage (Japanese fried chicken). The broth had a gentle kick without being too hot, and the karaage stayed crisp until the ramen was finished. Mentsuru City Hall Branch is an easy solo-dining stop near City Hall Station when you want a hearty bowl of soup.

Written Jun 18, 2026Sponsored

PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Euljiro tteokbokki shop: after-work spicy combo outside, Hyeonseoni-ne

Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch is an old-school tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) and Korean snack shop near Euljiro 1-ga Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. After work with a fellow teacher, the writer found Hyeonseoni-ne full inside and ate the spicy combo at an outdoor table. The tteokbokki had a sharp kick from Korean-grown chili powder, and the blood sundae, mini gimbap, yaki mandu (fried dumplings) and vegetable fritters were all satisfying. Hyeonseoni-ne is a familiar-tasting Euljiro tteokbokki spot worth returning to again and again.

Written Jul 3, 2026Sponsored

PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Anguk Station pizza: jalapeños instead of pickles, lemonade, Low Five

Low Five Anguk (로우파이브 안국) is a casual wood-fired pizza and pasta restaurant in an alley between Anguk Station and Bukchon-ro in Jongno, Seoul. On a weekday evening after work, two friends ordered truffle cream pasta, hot pot pesce pasta and a corn and pepperoni half-and-half pizza, with a Parmesan and Tabasco self-serve bar, jalapeños served instead of pickles and a lemonade made with freshly squeezed lemons. Thanks to a wood-fired crust that stays crisp to the last bite, Low Five Anguk is a Bukchon pizza spot worth returning to.

Written Jul 16, 2026Sponsored

PlaceJung-gu, SeoulCafés

Post-naengmyeon dessert with Mom at a Seoul Station café: Dance

Dance Dance Dance Seoul Station is a baguette sandwich brunch café on basement level 3 of Grand Central near Seoul Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. After Pyongyang naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) nearby, the writer and her mom had an iced oat latte and a pistachio tofu cream baguette for dessert at Dance Dance Dance, then took a baguette sandwich home. With a rich oat latte and a cream-packed pistachio tofu cream baguette, Dance Dance Dance Seoul Station is a definite place to return to.

Written Jul 20, 2026Sponsored

PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Anguk fusion restaurant for an exam celebration dinner: Concasse Anguk

Concasse Anguk (콩카세 안국) is a fusion Western restaurant in a hanok (traditional Korean house) just off Bukchon-ro in Jongno, Seoul. After work, the writer came to Concasse Anguk for dinner to celebrate a cousin finishing an exam. They ordered bread served with anchovy stir-fry butter, gejang (soy-marinated crab) pasta and the signature lasagna. With a tree growing inside the hanok and candles on every table, all three dishes hit the mark, and a return visit is already planned.

Written Oct 4, 2026Sponsored

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