Mapo Cup Wanderer · 26 stories

Daegu Cup Stroll

I write about cafés I visit around Daegu and Gyeongbuk. · Writes about: Cafés · Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons

PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Weekend dinner burgers at Gangnam Station: chicken fries, Downtowner

Downtowner Gangnam is a handmade burger restaurant on Teheran-ro 1-gil in Gangnam, Seoul. On a weekend evening the writer walked into Downtowner Gangnam with no wait, ordered a Classic Cheese Burger and a Downtowner Burger at the kiosk, swapped the set side for chicken fries and added Original Chicken Bites. Downtowner Gangnam's Classic Cheese Burger is reliably tasty with broad appeal, and the spicy pickles from the self bar cut through the richness nicely.

Written May 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Fusion Korean for one at Yeongdeungpo Times Square: squid set, Gangmun

Gangmun Times Square Branch is a fusion Korean restaurant in the B1 restaurant floor of Times Square in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. After shopping, the blogger ate there alone and ordered the 1-person squid set (spicy squid bibim kalguksu, beef radish soup and tuna mayo rice balls) plus a half-moon potato pancake. Even for a big eater the portions were generous, and the spicy squid noodles and the potato pancake, crispy outside and tender inside, stood out. Anyone looking for a fusion Korean meal for one at Times Square should try the squid noodles at Gangmun Times Square Branch.

Written May 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulCafés

City Hall Station café after dinner: yuja lemonade | Center Coffee

Center Coffee Gwanghwamun (센터커피 광화문점) is a hand-drip coffee café on B1 of SFC Mall in Gwanghwamun, Jung-gu, Seoul, and has reportedly won a Blue Ribbon almost every year. After dinner, the writer skipped coffee and ordered a yuja (Korean citron) lemonade with plain and fig baton financiers; the lemonade was pleasantly sweet, and the financiers were soft and moist. Center Coffee Gwanghwamun makes a satisfying after-dinner stop for dessert and a drink, even without coffee.

Written Jun 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulCafés

Yeongdeungpo bakery café: ₩4,500 pineapple bun with jam, BYWAY BAKERS

BYWAY BAKERS Yeongdeungpo Branch is a bakery café in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, a 5-minute walk from Exit 1 of Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station. The writer returned on a weekend around 3 p.m. for the trendy Hong Kong pineapple bun (₩4,500), alongside a lemon madeleine, a fig dessert and an iced americano. The pineapple bun, crisp outside and salty inside and served with pineapple jam and salted butter, was the star of the visit.

Written Jun 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeonnam-dong donburi: sweet-salty butadon & onsen egg tendon, Jongno

Jongno Donburi Yeonnam is a Japanese rice bowl (donburi) restaurant in the basement of a building on Donggyo-ro 46-gil in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul, and the second branch after the original in Jongno. The writer liked Jongno Donburi's pollock roe (myeongran) rice bowl and returned on a Sunday afternoon, when there is no weekend break time, for a butadon (pork rice bowl) with sweet-salty sauce and a tendon (tempura rice bowl) with an added onsen egg. The tender butadon and the crisp tendon with two shrimp were both satisfying, making Jongno Donburi Yeonnam a Japanese restaurant in Yeonnam-dong that also works well for eating alone.

Written Jun 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeouido gyukatsu restaurant, school-trip memory & house sauce: Izawa

Izawa Yeouido Direct Store is a gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) restaurant on the 2nd floor of the Yeouido Jonghap Sangga shopping arcade, right outside Exit 5 of Yeouido Station in Seoul. The blogger stopped in with a gyukatsu craving after a visit to The Hyundai Seoul and grilled a sirloin gyukatsu set on a mini brazier, alternating between salt, teriyaki sauce and the house special sauce. With sirloin gyukatsu that is crispy outside and juicy inside, Izawa Yeouido Direct Store is a good choice for a filling meal near The Hyundai Seoul.

Written Jun 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulCafés

Quiet Seoul Station café before a train home, scone & oat latte: Dance

Dance Dance Dance Seoul Station is a sandwich, baguette and coffee shop in the basement of Grand Central at Seoul Station, in Jung-gu, Seoul. Waiting for a train home on a weekday evening, the writer had a chocolate chip scone and an iced oat milk latte, and found the high-ceilinged shop quiet enough to relax. If you want a calm place for coffee and dessert at busy Seoul Station, Dance Dance Dance is a good fit.

Written Jul 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNam-gu, UlsanRestaurants

Gyukatsu restaurant in Samsan, Ulsan: spicy curry for a cold, Izawa

Izawa Ulsan The Terrace Garden branch is a Japanese gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) restaurant on the 2nd floor of The Terrace Garden shopping building on Samsan-ro, Nam-gu, Ulsan. Feeling drained by a cold, the writer arrived after lunch hour, ordered the gyukatsu set with spicy curry added, and seared the beef on a mini grill at the table. Gyukatsu on rice mixed with spicy curry is the best combination, so at Izawa the curry add-on is a must.

Written Oct 3, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Gangseo Japanese diner right after break time, cube steak don: Hekbap

Hekbap Kkachisan Branch is a rice bowl and ramen restaurant on the second floor of the Lotteria building, a 3-minute walk from Exit 3 of Kkachisan Station in Gangseo, Seoul. Walking in just as break time ended, the writer took a window seat made for solo dining and ordered the cube steak rice bowl (don) set, which arrived with mini udon, karaage (Japanese fried chicken) and grilled cheese rice cake, the beef tender in a sweet-savory soy base. Three packets of wasabi later, Hekbap proved a satisfying solo meal near Kkachisan Station.

Written Aug 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Solo weekend dinner at Hey Joji, a Yeonnam-dong restaurant in Seoul

Hey Joji is an American home-cooking restaurant in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul, a 10-minute walk from Hongik University Station Exit 3. Dining alone on a weekend evening, the writer waited behind two parties, then ordered white ragu truffle cream pasta, sweet potato fries (8,000 won) and lemonade at Hey Joji. The pasta is a generous portion of about 1.5 servings, and the easygoing room makes Hey Joji a solid pick for solo diners or a date in Yeonnam-dong.

Written Aug 17, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeonnam-dong tonkatsu, cheese-pull Mix Katsu B set: Katsu Monster

Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch is a tonkatsu (pork cutlet) restaurant in a Yeonnam-dong alley near Hongik Univ. Station in Mapo, Seoul, and a spot the writer keeps coming back to. On this visit she ate alone at the bar seats and ordered the Mix Katsu B set, which pairs fillet cutlet with cheese cutlet, plus a spicy mini curry on the side. The cheese stretched without snapping and the spicy curry cut the richness, so nothing was left on the plate even after she was full.

Written Aug 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Spicy motsu ramen with ajitama and lemon karaage in Jung-gu: Mentsuru

Mentsuru City Hall Branch is a Japanese ramen restaurant in Jung-gu, Seoul, a 5-minute walk from City Hall Station Exit 10, with 30 seats and no break time. The writer ordered motsu ramen (beef tripe ramen) in the spicy version with extra ajitama (soy-marinated egg), plus handmade karaage squeezed with lemon and dipped in chili sauce and mayonnaise. The heat of the cheongyang chili peppers cut through any gaminess in the beef tripe, making Mentsuru a sure pick for motsu ramen fans.

Written Aug 19, 2026Sponsored