Island Sip Postcard · 16 stories

A Drink in Seoul

I write about visits to bars in Seoul. · Writes about: Bars · Restaurants · Things to do · Cafés

PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Sindang outdoor chicken pub for Friday drinks: Obang Tongdak

Obang Tongdak is a rotisserie chicken pub with open-air street seating near Sindang Station, Seoul Jungang Market and Cheonggyecheon Stream in Jung-gu, Seoul. On a reserved Friday evening, the writer and a best friend sat at the 1st-floor outdoor tables at Obang Tongdak with the Golden Chicken (22,000 won) plus extra garlic, spicy sea snail salad and cucumber salad, washed down with soju and draft beer. There were plenty of mosquitoes, but the staff kindly brought mosquito repellent. Obang Tongdak is recommended for anyone who loves outdoor drinking and rice-stuffed whole chicken, though anyone sensitive to bugs should keep that in mind.

Written Oct 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Friday Korean BBQ lunch at City Hall Station: hanwoo 1+ set, Geumseong

Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant grilling Korean beef (hanwoo) and pork in Bukchang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, near Exit 7 of City Hall Station. On a Friday lunch, the writer and a best friend booked ahead and ordered the hanwoo 1+ galbisal (beef rib finger meat) set for 2, which included sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew) and rice, then added steamed egg, mul naengmyeon (cold noodles) and grilling vegetables for 3,000 won. Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch suits office workers who want hanwoo and a full meal in one filling lunch.

Written Oct 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Seongsu-dong noodle restaurant for bossam dinner: Seongsu Makguksu

Seongsu Makguksu is a buckwheat noodle restaurant near Exit 1 of Ttukseom Station in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, that makes its own 100% buckwheat noodles. After work, the writer and a best friend shared a small bossam (boiled pork wraps) for 30,000 won and perilla oil makguksu (buckwheat noodles) for 12,000 won, and found the tender pork and nutty noodles a great match. Seongsu Makguksu works not only for a quick lunch but also for a dinner of bossam and makguksu shared together.

Written Oct 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Euljiro makchang grill with my best friend, 6mm Daegu cuts: Baegyeom

Baegyeom Makchang Euljiro Main Branch (백염막창 을지로본점) is a makchang (grilled beef intestine) restaurant near Exit 11 of Euljiro 3-ga Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, serving Daegu makchang, seasoned makchang, chewy pork neck and makchang hot pot. On a Friday evening with a best friend, the order was 2 servings of Daegu makchang (whole pre-grilled makchang finished over charcoal and cut 6mm thick), a 2,500-won glass of jjabaegi (soju on ice) and 1 extra serving of seasoned makchang. Baegyeom Makchang Euljiro Main Branch is a solid Euljiro 3-ga pick for Daegu-style makchang and a relaxed drink.

Written Oct 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Seongsu shabu-shabu with wagyu rib-eye and extra chili: Shabu in Seoul

Shabu in Seoul Seongsu is a shabu-shabu restaurant right outside Seongsu Station Exit 3 in Seongdong, Seoul, offering meats from black pork to wagyu and 5 broths. On a weekday evening with a best friend, the writer ordered two Black Nine wagyu rib-eye shabu sets (37,000 won per person) in clear mushroom broth and asked for extra hot chili peppers for a spicy kick. The meal ended with egg porridge and omija tea. Shabu in Seoul Seongsu is worth recommending for anyone after a light, clean shabu-shabu meal near Seongsu Station.

Written Oct 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Euljiro 3-ga Western restaurant: romesco mackerel pasta and IPA at Pyu

Pyu Euljiro is a Western restaurant near Exit 9 of Euljiro 3-ga Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. On a Saturday, the writer booked a 5 p.m. table with a best friend and ordered Spanish mackerel pasta, charcoal-grilled octopus with romesco, and two craft beers, Neomsabyeok and Cheotsarang-ui Hyanggi. The mackerel pasta was mild with no fishy smell and also paired well with the romesco sauce spooned on top. Pyu Euljiro is a wide, bright Euljiro restaurant for long conversations over dinner, but it may not suit diners looking for bargain prices or an old-school Euljiro vibe.

Written Oct 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Ttukseom Korean BBQ after work with cheonggukjang rice: Seongsu

Seongsu Teojeon Ttukseom Main Branch is an aged-pork Korean BBQ restaurant between Ttukseom Station and Seoulsup Station in Seongdong, Seoul. After work on a weekday, the writer booked a table with a best friend and ordered the staff-grilled Popular Platter for 2 (500g pork belly and pork neck, ₩55,000), with the cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) switched to sulbap, stew served with rice. The pork was tender, but the savory cheonggukjang sulbap at Seongsu Teojeon, free of any funky smell, was the real star of the night.

Written Oct 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJeju, JejuRestaurants

Hamdeok black pork BBQ, Chuseok dinner for 4, two stews: Jeju Samchun

Jeju Samchun (제주삼춘) is a black pork BBQ restaurant near Hamdeok Beach in Jocheon-eup, Jeju, where staff grill 300-hour cold-aged, grapevine-smoked black pork at the table. On a Sunday evening during a Chuseok family trip, a family of four booked ahead and ate the 800g Samchun Set (₩96,000), plus extra gabrisal (pork shoulder cap), kimchi stew and seafood doenjang (soybean paste) stew. For four people, the 800g Samchun Set and one stew at Jeju Samchun are already plenty to leave full.

Written Oct 2, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Sashimi restaurant at Nonhyeon Station: wild fish set, Nonhyeon Bada

Nonhyeon Bada (논현바다) is a sashimi restaurant specializing in wild-caught seasonal fish near Exit 2 of Nonhyeon Station in Gangnam, Seoul. On a weekday evening, the writer and a friend ordered the Bada Wild Set at 55,000 won per person for two. The set brought two plates of wild sashimi; seafood including bigfin reef squid, sweet shrimp and sea urchin; a plate of sushi each; and mussel soup, chive pancake, cheese-grilled king prawns, grilled fish head, tempura and spicy fish stew. For wild sashimi and a wide spread of seafood served course-style near Nonhyeon Station, Nonhyeon Bada's Bada Wild Set is a strong choice.

Written Oct 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJeju, JejuCafés

Jeju garden café on Chuseok, peach cream pastry: Jayeon in PLANT827

Jayeon in PLANT827 is a large garden café with its own bakery in Wolpyeong-dong, Jeju City, near Jeju Airport. On a Chuseok family trip, we took a slow walk through the autumn garden, then had 4 americanos, a peach cream pastry and injeolmi-style bread (inspired by rice cake coated in roasted soybean powder) at a seat by the floor-to-ceiling windows. Jayeon in PLANT827 is a great Jeju garden café for a mid-trip break with a garden stroll and coffee.

Written Sep 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJeju, JejuRestaurants

Jeju BBQ with parents in Nohyeong-dong: staff-grilled belly, Boncham

Jeju Boncham Sutbul Galbi is a charcoal-grill pork restaurant in Nohyeong-dong, Jeju City, about a 4-minute walk from Grand Hyatt Jeju. On the first night of a Jeju trip with parents, dinner was one serving of black pork belly, two servings of raw galbi, one serving of marinated pork galbi and a ₩3,000 seafood doenjang stew. Staff grill everything at the table, which makes Jeju Boncham Sutbul Galbi an easy choice for a family dinner.

Written Sep 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulBars

Sindang izakaya with spicy seafood ramyeon and sashimi: Nuridam

Nuridam is an izakaya in Jung-gu, Seoul, one minute on foot from Exit 1 of Sindang Station. On a Friday after work, the writer and a friend ordered the aged sashimi platter for 46,000 won and the spicy seafood ramyeon for 9,000 won with soju and cheongha, and found the fish thickly cut and the ramyeon close to a smoky jjamppong. For a drinking night where raw fish and a hot soup dish come one after the other at the same table, Nuridam is an easy choice.

Written Sep 22, 2026Sponsored