Empty Glass Nighter · 5 stories

Empty Glassware, Seoul Nights

Writes about Seoul's restaurants and bars, one neighborhood table at a time. · Writes about: Restaurants · Bars

Magongnaru octopus restaurant, white sauce and roe wraps: Songjjujip

Songjjujip Magok is a spicy stir-fried jjukkumi (webfoot octopus) restaurant on the 2nd floor of Central Tower 2, near Exit 1 of Magongnaru Station in Gangseo, Seoul, and has been open for nearly 10 years. A Magok local and regular ordered the octopus plus all-add-ins set for two (37,600 won), wrapped each bite in perilla leaf and seaweed with flying fish roe and white sauce, and finished with flying fish roe fried rice (3,500 won). Verdict: Songjjujip's special herbal-medicine sauce has Shin Ramyun-level heat and so much savory depth that you end up frying rice even when you're full.

Written Jun 19, 2026Sponsored

PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Unlimited eel near a Seongsu small theater, ₩29,900: Songnim Bok

Songnim Bok Jangeo Unlimited Freshwater Eel Seongsu Branch is a charcoal-grill all-you-can-eat eel restaurant on Seongdeokjeong-gil in Seongsu, Seoul, near a small theater. Adults pay 29,900 won, plus a 3,000 won table-setting fee per person, for unlimited freshwater eel, thick-cut pork belly and chicken neck grilled at the table over charcoal; the eel was plump with no fishy smell, and the pork belly wrapped with green onion kimchi was just as satisfying. Songnim Bok Jangeo Seongsu Branch suits anyone who wants to eat their fill of eel without worrying about the bill and alternate it with Korean BBQ pork.

Written Jul 4, 2026Sponsored

PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Mullae Korean restaurant with slushie sangria and clam kalguksu: Palmi

Palmi Jogae Kalguksu (팔미 조개칼국수) is a Korean restaurant serving clam shabu-shabu and kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) near Mullae Station in Mullae-dong, Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. On a dinner outing, the writer ordered the Palmi clam shabu kalguksu for two in basic broth (18,900 won per person at dinner and on weekends) with the signature Palmi Slushria, a 3,900 won slushie sangria, and worked through clam and beef shabu-shabu, kalguksu with hard clams and abalone innards porridge. With fresh clams, live abalone and free refills of geotjeori (fresh kimchi), Palmi Jogae Kalguksu was satisfying from start to finish and a solid Mullae pick for a date or group meal.

Written Jul 28, 2026Sponsored

PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Dog-friendly café by Gyeongui Line Forest Park: fig French toast, HEOD

HEOD Gongdeok (해옫) is a French toast brunch restaurant and café in Mapo, Seoul. It sits right in front of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, near Daeheung Station Exit 4. Stopping by after a meal, the writer ordered the autumn-only fig French toast (16,000 won) with a cappuccino and an iced Americano, and enjoyed the moist aged bread, the light butter cream and the forest park view through the folding doors. HEOD Gongdeok is a good pick for dessert with your dog before a walk along Gyeongui Line Forest Park.

Written Oct 5, 2026Sponsored

PlaceJung-gu, SeoulBars

Euljiro 3-ga bar with a one-drink-per-person dinner rule: Hey Jinny

Hey Jinny is a small Western-style wine bar on the second floor of a building three minutes' walk from Exit 10 of Euljiro 3-ga Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. Dinner at Hey Jinny requires one drink per person, so we ordered a watermelon bar highball and a Maker's highball, both 11,000 won, with the 20,000 won Osaka niboshi shrimp oil pasta and the 18,000 won crispy fish-fragrant eggplant, which even an eggplant-averse friend finished first. Quiet and softly lit, Hey Jinny's second floor suits a Western-style date or a blind date in Euljiro.

Written Aug 11, 2026Sponsored

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