Weekday Eater · 45 stories

Everyday Seoul Meals

I write about restaurant meals I come across in Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons · Bars · Cafés · Shopping

PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Seolleung Station eel restaurant: Kanto-style vs hitsumabushi, Manmok

Manmok (만목) is a Japanese restaurant near Exit 2 of Seolleung Station in Gangnam, Seoul, serving eel rice bowls, grilled eel and eel nabe (hot pot) made with Gochang freshwater eel. Two diners each ordered a whole-eel bowl (39,000 won), and the eel at Manmok, grilled once, steamed, then brushed with sauce and charcoal-grilled twice more, was melt-in-the-mouth tender, unlike Nagoya-style hitsumabushi, with sancho berries (Japanese pepper) lifting the flavor further. Manmok suits anyone who wants a Kanto-style eel bowl in a calm setting instead of the familiar hitsumabushi.

Written Apr 17, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangdong, SeoulRestaurants

Hagfish pub near Dunchondong Station: pork skin set & fish cake soup

Ppalgan Kkomjangeo Dunchondong Station Main Branch is a charcoal-grilled hagfish pocha (Korean street-style pub) near Exit 4 of Dunchondong Station in Gangdong, Seoul. On a late weekday evening the blogger ordered Set 2 (spicy hagfish plus pork skin, 39,000 won) and enjoyed the complimentary tofu kimchi and fish cake soup, the chewy, crunchy spicy hagfish and the pork skin dipped in soybean powder. For a hagfish pub near Dunchondong Station with generous free side dishes, Set 2 at Ppalgan Kkomjangeo is a good fit.

Written Apr 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Apgujeongnodeo hair salon ash brown for faded red hair: Choijin Hair

Choijin Hair Apgujeongnodeo flagship is a hair salon on Seolleung-ro 161-gil in Gangnam, Seoul, near Apgujeongnodeo Station, known for layered cuts and coloring. At Choijin Hair, the writer had faded, patchy hair with red tones showing through toned down to ash brown, then got a layered cut shaped to her face line. Verdict: a calm ash brown with no red tones and a careful process that protected the scalp made the visit a satisfying one.

Written Apr 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Gangnam Station hair salon Cinderella Clinic for dry ends: Koara

Koara Haircare Gangnam is a hair salon on B1 of A Tower, right in front of Gangnam Station Exit 12 in Seoul, run together with a Pink Age wig shop. For ends dried out by frequent treatments, the writer had director Koara's Cinderella Clinic: two applications of clinic product with steam, then blow-dry and iron setting, which left the hair weighty, nourished and glossy. A week later, fingers still slid smoothly through the hair at every wash.

Written Apr 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangdong, SeoulRestaurants

Cheonho baby octopus restaurant, milder than Shin Ramyun: Jjuksami

Jjuksami Cheonho Main Branch (쭉삼이 천호본점) is a baby octopus (jjukkumi) restaurant in the octopus alley of Cheonho-dong, Gangdong, Seoul. The writer ordered 2 servings of baby octopus (₩14,000 per serving) and 2 servings of flying fish roe fried rice (₩3,000 per serving), served with free nurungji soup (scorched rice soup), corn cheese and steamed egg and a Rich Gold cheese ring around the pan, and found the spice milder than Shin Ramyun. For anyone who wants spicy baby octopus without the burn, Jjuksami Cheonho Main Branch delivers a generous, filling meal.

Written Apr 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Garak Market sashimi to go: ₩100,000 omakase with uni, Jangseong Susan

Jangseong Susan (장성수산) is a sashimi restaurant in Garak Market, at Unit C-23, 1F of the Garak Mall Panmae-dong building in Songpa, Seoul. The small seasonal omakase (100,000 won) was taken home and included mixed sashimi (flounder, red sea bream, striped jack and bluefin tuna), skidashi side dishes of uni, sweet shrimp, abalone and roe-filled webfoot octopus, plus mulhoe. The portions filled the table even without spicy fish stew. For generous sashimi takeout at Garak Market, the Jangseong Susan seasonal omakase was a satisfying choice.

Written Apr 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangdong, SeoulRestaurants

Gildong Station soup spot: bracken & offal suyuk sets, Sinjuokmi

Sinjuokmi Gildong Direct Store is a sundaeguk (Korean blood sausage soup) restaurant near Exit 2 of Gildong Station in Gangdong, Seoul, open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The writer and her older brother ordered the Boyang bracken sundaeguk suyuk set (₩15,000) and the mixed offal gukbap suyuk set (₩14,000), and loved the suyuk (boiled pork) simmered 4 times a day and the sundaeguk packed with bracken. Verdict: Sinjuokmi's bracken sundaeguk is the best sundaeguk the writer has ever had.

Written Apr 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangdong, SeoulRestaurants

Amsa Station tonkatsu: off-menu Jeju black pork tenderloin, Tonka

Tonka is a newly opened Japanese-style tonkatsu restaurant near Amsa Station in Gangdong, Seoul. On a weekend, Tonka served the last of its ingredients as a Jeju black pork tenderloin katsu (17,000 won) that isn't on the regular menu. It came with godeulppaegi kimchi (bitter wild lettuce kimchi), Cheongyang rice, radish soup and a hallabong (Jeju citrus) dessert for a satisfying meal. Verdict: Tonka's bar seating is great for solo dining, but it often sells out early on weekends, so check its Instagram stories before you go.

Written May 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Bangi-dong sashimi spot with spicy fish stew set: Ojingeo Seonsuchon

Ojingeo Seonsuchon Jamsil is a live-fish sashimi restaurant and pub in Bangi Food Alley, between Jamsil Station and Songpanaru Station in Songpa, Seoul. Because April is the squid fishing ban season, squid sashimi was off the menu, so the order was the flounder + rockfish + stew set (small, 65,000 won) with maeuntang (spicy fish stew). The firm, chewy sashimi and the refreshing, fiery stew beat expectations. For a group dinner or work get-together in Bangi Food Alley, the sashimi and stew set at Ojingeo Seonsuchon Jamsil is a safe choice.

Written May 3, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulShopping

Songpa florist: red carnation S basket for in-laws, Habio Flower by Su

Habio Flower by Su is a florist inside the Songpa Park Habio complex near Munjeong Station in Songpa, Seoul. For Parents' Day, the writer gave their in-laws Habio Flower by Su's red carnation basket in size S (25cm wide, 37cm tall), and the in-laws loved it. If you want a Parents' Day basket that looks full but is easy to carry, book ahead and choose size S.

Written May 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Jamsil patio pizza pub, Monster BBQ half-and-half: Pizza Face Off

Pizza Face Off Seokchon Lake Branch is a pizza and beer spot with outdoor patio tables between the Seokchon Lake café street and Songridan-gil in Jamsil, Songpa, Seoul. On a May evening, two people shared a Face Off and Monster BBQ half-and-half pizza (33,400 won) with a 5,000 won cheese crust, a 400 won garlic dipping sauce and Terra draft beer (5,900 won); the writer slightly preferred the cleaner Face Off half. Pizza Face Off Seokchon Lake Branch is a good patio pick for pizza and draft beer while watching sports on a big TV.

Written May 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangdong, SeoulRestaurants

24-hour gukbap at Gildong Station: solo special sets, Boseung Hoegwan

Boseung Hoegwan Gildong Station branch is a 24-hour gukbap (Korean rice soup) restaurant, open year-round near Exit 1 of Gildong Station on Line 5 in Gangdong, Seoul. The writer and a companion ordered the solo special sets: pork bone hangover soup (₩16,000) and spicy sundae (Korean blood sausage) gukbap (₩17,000). Each came with a taster of suyuk (boiled pork slices) and three kinds of sundae, and the slow-simmered bones and clean broth were satisfying. For a hearty bowl at Gildong Station, whether eating alone or curing a hangover, the solo special set at Boseung Hoegwan is the one to order.

Written Mar 23, 2026Sponsored