Folded Card Fan · 28 stories

The Folded Menu

I write about restaurant meals and places I visit around Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Bars · Things to do

PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiCafés

Goyang drive café near Seoul: hotel-quality mango bingsu, Baedagol

Baedagol Bakery House (배다골베이커리하우스) is a garden bakery café in Wondang-dong, Deogyang-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi, about a 20-minute drive from Magok in Seoul. On a day off, the writer had a café latte and fresh mango snowflake bingsu (milky shaved ice), then explored the hydrangea garden and 2nd-floor terrace. Baedagol Bakery House earns a recommendation as a drive or date café near Seoul for its garden views and a mango bingsu the writer ranks in their all-time top 3, in Korea or abroad.

Written Jun 14, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Grilled eel with kids near Imjingak, Paju: Jangeo Myeongga Jijunghae

Jangeo Myeongga Jijunghae (장어명가지중해) is a grilled eel restaurant in Munsan-eup, Paju, right below Imjingang Station and Imjingak Park, where big windows look out over the Imjingang and toward North Korea. On a weekend lunch with two kids, we ordered one premium grilled eel salt-grilled and one sauce-grilled at 44,500 won each, plus doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) and a bulgogi hot pot for the kids. Jangeo Myeongga Jijunghae is a private-room restaurant near Imjingak where families with kids can enjoy eel in comfort.

Written Jun 18, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Kids' bacon cream pasta at Mokushura Table, a Paju Heyri restaurant

Mokushura Table is an Italian restaurant and café near Park 6 in Heyri Art Village, Paju. As the last stop of a rainy-day Paju trip, the writer's family arrived just before last order and shared gorgonzola pizza (23,000 won), a kids' bacon cream pasta (11,000 won), scallop oil pasta ordered mild (25,000 won) and pescatore risotto (24,000 won). With a kids' menu, a 2nd-floor kids zone, a diaper-changing table and an elevator, Mokushura Table proved a satisfying spot for a family dinner with children in Heyri.

Written Jun 20, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiCafés

Paju café after grilled eel, watermelon juice, pen-making: On the Rail

On the Rail is a large bakery café with an outdoor garden beside the Gyeongui-Jungang Line tracks on Imjingak-ro in Munsan, Paju. On a weekend trip to Paju, after a grilled eel lunch, the writer, his wife and their two children stopped at On the Rail for an ang-butter croissant (red bean paste and butter), watermelon juice, a Pororo drink and an iced Americano, then explored the railway photo zone and outdoor garden. With good bread and drinks, photo zones and solid kid-friendly facilities, On the Rail is a reliable outdoor café in Paju for a family day out with children.

Written Jun 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangseo, SeoulBars

Magongnaru izakaya date with swordfish belly sashimi: Kuro Yakitori

Kuro Yakitori is a yakitori and aged-sashimi izakaya in Magongnaru, Magok (Gangseo, Seoul), on the alley between the Magok Lux Nine officetels, with a 29,000-won-per-person omakase running from aged sashimi to yakitori by cut and a surprise finishing dish. On a long-overdue drinks date with his wife, the writer had aged salmon, red sea bream, flounder, sweet shrimp and swordfish belly sashimi; tenderloin, shoulder, tebasaki and tsukune skewers; and tempura udon cup noodles with coriander and mala sauce, all with Orion beer. Kuro Yakitori delivered on flavor, friendly explanations and atmosphere, and the writer is certain to return.

Written Jun 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Chungmuro bossam restaurant after a Baby Shark exhibit: Nagwon-ui Soba

Nagwon-ui Soba (낙원의소바) is a Korean restaurant on the second floor of a main-road corner building near Chungmuro Station and Dongguk University in Jung-gu, Seoul, specializing in house-made buckwheat soba, bossam (boiled pork wraps) and kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup). After the Baby Shark exhibition at DDP, the writer arrived at Nagwon-ui Soba just before last order and shared bossam, lemon soba and a buckwheat soba set with a buckwheat-crusted pork cutlet with a child. The warm, tender bossam and cool, zesty lemon soba made a great pairing, so the late trip to Nagwon-ui Soba was well worth it.

Written Oct 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGeumsan, ChungnamRestaurants

Geumsan Korean restaurant between Muju and Daejeon: Madang Itneun Jip

Madang Itneun Jip (마당있는집) is a reservation-only Korean restaurant on Dwitdammal-gil in Geumsan-eup, Geumsan, Chungnam, serving seasonal, health-focused hanjeongsik (Korean set meals). On the drive to Daejeon after a trip to Muju, the writer stopped at Madang Itneun Jip with the kids for a lunch spread of neungi mushroom soup, pickled Korean melon, fried ginseng, lotus leaf rice and soy-marinated crab. For travelers on the Daejeon–Tongyeong Expressway who want a hearty Korean meal instead of a rest-stop snack, Madang Itneun Jip in Geumsan is a good choice.

Written Jul 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulRestaurants

Ramen after a kids' café in Gwangjin: a first shio ramen at Mentsuru

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch is a Japanese ramen shop near Children's Grand Park Station in Gwangjin, Seoul. After a stop at the Seoul public kids' café in Ttukseom (Ttukseom Jabeolle branch), the writer arrived after 2 p.m. with two children and a younger sibling. They ordered shio ramen, abura soba, hormone-don (beef intestine rice bowl) and fried gyoza, and the eldest, who only ever wanted udon, fell for his first ramen. With kids' cutlery and free rice, Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch is a good ramen pick for families eating out with children.

Written Jul 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Seoul Botanic Park octopus restaurant worth a 1-hour wait: Jju Baksa

Jju Baksa Magok Branch (쭈박사 마곡점) is a griddle-cooked baby octopus (jjukkumi) restaurant in Magok, Gangseo, Seoul, on the way from Yangcheonhyanggyo Station to Seoul Botanic Park. After waiting nearly 1 hour, the writer ordered the fried rice set for 3: octopus with pork belly, a free crab egg custard and cheese-topped fried rice, all cooked at the table by staff. The writer ranks Jju Baksa Magok Branch among their top 3 griddle octopus spots and recommends booking ahead at peak hours.

Written Jul 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Family pork cutlet near Magok Station: jam roll mini burgers, Tteudon

Tteudon Magok Branch is a pork cutlet restaurant near Exit 4 of Magok Station in Gangseo, Seoul, with a kids' play room, an ice cream corner and a self-serve bar by the entrance. The writer visited with his wife and two kids and ordered his favorite spicy pork udon, a fish cake udon set and carbonara, and found Tteudon good value thanks to ₩1,000 off pork cutlets at weekday lunch and free extra rice. For a Magok Station pork cutlet spot to visit with kids, Tteudon Magok Branch is a great fit.

Written Jul 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNam-gu, DaeguRestaurants

Daemyeong-dong chicken BBQ, ₩9,500 lunch buffet: Hyeongnim Dakgui

Hyeongnim Dakgui Daemyeong-dong Gyeongdae branch is a charcoal-grilled chicken restaurant in Nam-gu, Daegu, beside the stone steps of Keimyung University's Daemyeong campus. On a visit with kids, the blogger ordered a whole chicken, half salt-grilled and half soy-grilled, and finished with ramyeon from the free self-bar, which has 12 side dishes. With a kids' room, private rooms and a large hall with screens, Hyeongnim Dakgui works well for both family meals and company dinners.

Written Aug 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceDalseo, DaeguCafés

Sangin-dong, Daegu café for snowflake cherry bingsu: Otter Rabbit

Otter Rabbit House is a brunch and dessert café in a residential area near Woelgwang Waterside Park in Sangin-dong, Dalseo-gu, Daegu. On a late weekday afternoon after lunch, the writer ordered the cherry bingsu (shaved ice dessert) and Otter Rabbit House's signature castella latte and shared them with a child on small plates; the cherries were sweet and tart, and the snowflake ice underneath stayed good to the last spoonful. With a quiet atmosphere and well-spaced tables, Otter Rabbit House is an easy Daegu café pick for a date or an outing with kids.

Written Aug 4, 2026Sponsored