Southbound Diner · 11 stories

Dining Southward

I write about meals at restaurants I visit in Busan and Gyeongnam. · Writes about: Restaurants · Bars · Cafés

PlaceNowon, SeoulRestaurants

Seokgye Station Korean BBQ after-work date with grilled kimchi: Hanam

Hanam Doeji Jip Seokgye branch (하남돼지집 석계점) is a Korean BBQ restaurant in Nowon, Seoul, about a 5-minute walk from Seokgye Station, where staff grill the meat for you. Timed to the writer's boyfriend finishing work, their dinner date was the mixed platter (모둠한판), kimchi mari guksu (noodles in cold kimchi broth) and lunchbox-style kimchi fried rice, and pork belly with grilled kimchi and grilled bean sprouts was the standout. Hanam Doeji Jip Seokgye branch suits couples who want to leave the grilling to staff and focus on the meal and conversation.

Written Jun 20, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongin, GyeonggiRestaurants

Yongin duck restaurant after Everland driving practice: Seonbong

Seonbong Sandeomi Ori (선봉산더미오리) is a duck restaurant on Seongsan-ro in Cheoin-gu, Yongin, whose main dishes are duck bulgogi, duck shabu-shabu and perilla duck soup. The writer stopped at Seonbong Sandeomi Ori on the way back from Everland, a trip taken as driving practice, and ordered duck bulgogi for 2 plus a mini perilla duck soup (₩5,000); the thin frozen duck cooked quickly and absorbed the marinade well. The ssam (lettuce wraps) came without garlic or chili peppers, a small letdown, but with a large free parking lot and partitioned seating, Seonbong Sandeomi Ori is especially recommended for family gatherings with older relatives.

Written Jun 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

Yangjae gamjatang restaurant on a monsoon day with my sister: Chomu

Chomu Gamjatang (초무 감자탕) is a gamjatang (pork bone and potato stew) and pork bone hangover soup restaurant on a main road in Poi-dong, near Yangjaecheon Stream in Seocho, Seoul. On a rainy monsoon-season day, the writer and her sister shared a small gamjatang for 35,000 won. Without ordering any extra add-ons, the pot still had plenty of siraegi (dried radish greens), potatoes and sujebi (hand-torn dough flakes), and the meat, boiled twice each morning, was tender. With a clean dining room, house-made kimchi and a broth that never feels heavy, Chomu Gamjatang is a Yangjae gamjatang spot worth recommending for a family meal.

Written Jul 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Irwon-dong tonkatsu with my sister: hangover kimchi nabe, Sioldon

Sioldon Irwon Branch is an aged tonkatsu (Japanese pork cutlet) restaurant on the Irwon-dong food street in Gangnam, Seoul, right in front of the Samsung Seoul Hospital intersection. The writer and her sister ordered the mixed katsu set (15,900 won) and the kimchi katsu nabe (13,900 won), and fell for the tonkatsu, tender as chicken breast, and the spicy nabe broth that tastes like braised kimchi stew. For this self-confessed tonkatsu lover, Sioldon Irwon Branch has earned a new spot on her list of favorite tonkatsu restaurants.

Written Jul 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceDong-gu, BusanRestaurants

Pork cutlet dinner with a coworker, Busan Station: Dal and Sixpence

Gyeongyangsik Dal and Sixpence Main Branch (경양식 달과6펜스 본점) is a Western-style pork cutlet (gyeongyangsik donkkaseu) restaurant in a Choryang alley in front of Busan Station, Dong-gu, Busan. After lunch at Seoul Station and an evening arrival at Busan Station, the writer had dinner there with a coworker, ordering the sweet potato cheese cutlet and the Cheese King pork cutlet, and was pleased with the generous cheese and the 10,000-won-range prices. For a hearty dinner near Busan Station that isn't gukbap (rice soup), Dal and Sixpence is a solid choice.

Written Jul 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulBars

Gangnam wine bar for a friends' dinner with six dishes: Luna Vine

Luna Vine is a wine bar and Western restaurant in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam, Seoul, halfway between Sinsa and Hakdong stations. Three friends reunited at Luna Vine with a reservation and shared six dishes (caprese salad, aglio e olio, fish papillote, margherita pizza, roast chicken and melon prosciutto) with sparkling wine and house wine. With group tables and a private room, Luna Vine suits get-togethers, blind dates and work dinners alike.

Written Aug 3, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Summer lunch with Mom at a Jeongdong-gil Korean restaurant: Tanbaek

Tanbaek is a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle) Korean restaurant on Jeongdong-gil in Jung-gu, Seoul, in the alley in front of Jeongdong Church along the Deoksugung Palace stone wall path. On a City Hall outing with her mom, the writer had lunch at Tanbaek: summer-only bean bibim kalguksu and yukgaejang kalguksu, with mushroom rice and kimchi mandu (dumplings) on the side. The heaped mushroom rice, the clear hanwoo beef broth of the yukgaejang kalguksu, barley tea served in a kettle and a dining room full of traditional objects made Tanbaek more than just a meal.

Written Aug 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongnam, GyeonggiRestaurants

Weekday lunch pho set and peanut-sauce chả giò in Jeongja-dong: Kkamon

Kkamon Bundang Jeongja Direct Store is a Vietnamese restaurant in Jeongja-dong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, a 10-minute walk from Jeongja Station. On a weekday lunch for two, the pho + water spinach set, Kkamon fried rice and chả giò (Vietnamese spring rolls) with peanut sauce came out generously portioned, the pho piled with bean sprouts and meat and the fried rice close to two servings. For anyone who likes Vietnamese food, the set that pairs pho with a water spinach side is the most satisfying order at Kkamon.

Written Aug 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

9,900-won lunch set at a Yangjae Korean BBQ: Gamdol Yeontan Jip

Gamdol Yeontan Jip Yangjae Citizen's Forest Branch is a charcoal-grill Korean BBQ restaurant in Seocho, Seoul, a 3-minute walk from Yangjae Citizen's Forest Station. Ordered for three, the weekday lunch-only special set of charcoal pork bulgogi with sundubu-jjigae soft tofu stew and side dishes came to 9,900 won per person, with draft beer at 990 won. Banchan and lettuce refill free at the self-serve bar, making Gamdol Yeontan Jip a solid value lunch near Yangjae.

Written Aug 20, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangsan, GwangjuCafés

Gwangju choco pie shop for parents who dislike sweets: Ssukseu

Ssukseu Choco Pie is a takeout-only choco pie shop on the market street by Gwangju Songjeong Station in Gwangsan, Gwangju. The writer and a friend each built a box of six (24,800 won), packed them in a cooler bag for the train ride, and shared the Nonsan strawberry and Geomundo sea-breeze mugwort pies with their parents. Ssukseu Choco Pie's pies are not very sweet, so they suit older palates, and with 8 days chilled plus freezer storage after that they make an easy gift to carry home.

Written Aug 19, 2026Sponsored
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