Geomdan Pilgrim · 48 stories

Cafes and Tables

I write about visits to cafes and restaurants in Seoul and Incheon. · Writes about: Restaurants · Beauty products · Cafés · Hair & beauty salons · Shopping · Bars

PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Weekday pork omakase in Magok with cheonggukjang risotto: Don Tamguso

Don Tamguso (돈탐구소) is a pork omakase restaurant in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, halfway between Magok Station and Balsan Station. The writer and her husband booked the weekday 7pm dinner course (58,000 won per person) on Catchtable and tasted 8 dishes at an open-kitchen bar table, from chestnut and button mushroom velouté and nuruk-salt pork tenderloin to cheonggukjang (fermented soybean paste) risotto and a blueberry dessert. For an atmospheric after-work weekday date, the Don Tamguso dinner course was a satisfying choice for the price.

Written Oct 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGeomdan, IncheonBars

Geomdan, Incheon omakase bar for a mother-daughter dinner: Matgim

Matgim is a seasonal-course omakase bar on a quiet alley in Dangha-dong, Geomdan, Incheon. The writer, her mom and her sister each ordered Matgim's 3.5 course at 35,000 won per person: tomato and yuzu salad, grilled baby napa cabbage, chili con carne, basil and jambon ham pasta, pork tenderloin steak, and watermelon and yuzu granita, with glass wine and seasonal fruit ade on the side. Watching every dish being cooked from Matgim's open-kitchen counter seats made it a satisfying pick for a mother-daughter dinner or a date.

Written Aug 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGimpo, GyeonggiRestaurants

Gimpo shabu-shabu lunch with a 17-month-old and grandma: Homilwon

Homilwon Shabu Kalguksu Gimpo Main Branch is a Korean restaurant on Geolpo-ro in Gimpo, Gyeonggi, serving shabu kalguksu (hot pot with knife-cut noodles) in a sanghwang mushroom broth. On a weekday lunch with a 17-month-old baby and her own mother, the writer ordered two servings of the Full Table Special Sanghwang Shabu Kalguksu at 19,900 won per person, and Homilwon provided a baby chair and baby tableware so the family could eat comfortably. With a spacious private parking lot and unlimited refills of beef and mushroom radish rice, Homilwon Shabu Kalguksu was a satisfying spot for a family meal out.

Written Aug 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceUijeongbu, GyeonggiCafés

Stroller-friendly Uijeongbu café with a 17-month-old: Forerest

Forerest is a large dessert café at 181 Nogyang-ro in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi, with a wide private parking lot right out front. On a weekend visit with a 17-month-old baby, the order at Forerest was the plain Basque cheesecake (7,500 won), the chocolate Basque cheesecake (8,000 won), a caffè latte switched to decaf (+1,000 won) and lemonade (6,800 won). Roomy table spacing that fit a stroller and cheesecakes aged for 16 hours made Forerest a satisfying weekend outing with a baby.

Written Aug 10, 2026Sponsored
PlacePocheon, GyeonggiCafés

Pocheon café with a toddler and Hong Kong milk tea: Geurine Oasis

Geurine Oasis (그리네 오아시스) is a large bakery café beside Gomo Reservoir in Gomo-ri, Soheul-eup, Pocheon, Gyeonggi. On a weekend drive with a 17-month-old, the writer parked in Geurine Oasis's spacious private lot and used the kiosk to order an iced Americano, the signature Hong Kong milk tea, salt bread, anbutter salt bread (red bean paste and butter) and honey malenka cinnamon. They then relaxed by the annex windows overlooking the reservoir. With easy parking and flow, tasty desserts and an open reservoir view, Geurine Oasis made a satisfying weekend outing with a baby.

Written Aug 9, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNamdong, IncheonRestaurants

Incheon Nonhyeon Japanese lunch date, 350-hour aged katsudon: Hongdae

Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch is a Japanese restaurant on the 2nd floor of the Iflex Building, Nongogae-ro 123beon-gil, Namdong-gu, Incheon. A couple visited Hongdae Gureume for a weekday lunch date on the husband's day off and ordered Korean-style Gureume Ramen as a hangover cure, a single plate of cold pan soba and a 350-hour aged Korean pork katsudon set. With the spicy ramen broth and the juicy katsudon, both left satisfied and promised to come back for the sushi.

Written Aug 9, 2026Sponsored
PlaceUijeongbu, GyeonggiCafés

Uijeongbu bakery for 2 financiers and an egg tart: Byway Bakers

Byway Bakers Cheongsa Main Branch is a takeout-only bakery on the first floor of the Gyeongnam Building on Cheongsa-ro 5beon-gil in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi. An August-only 12% discount brought the sweet corn cream salt bread down from 8,500 won to 7,500 won, and the takeout box also held a salty financier, a yellow cheese financier (3,200 won) and a golden egg tart (3,800 won), all opened at home. There is no seating at Byway Bakers, but for home-café treats and gift boxes the baked goods never miss.

Written Aug 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeohae, IncheonRestaurants

Luone City charcoal BBQ: 4,900-won Samsuni bibimbap at Euljiro Yeontan

Euljiro Yeontan Gui Luone City Branch is a charcoal-grill meat restaurant in the Luone City food street in Gajeong-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon. A couple in their 30s visited on a weekend and ordered the Pork Han-geun Daepyo platter, which brings pork belly, neck, jowl, skirt meat, back meat and skin on one plate, then added a 4,900-won Samsuni bibimbap and 9,400-won marinated beef short ribs. With extra cuts sold by the 100g and plenty of parking, Euljiro Yeontan Gui made for a satisfying weekend meal out.

Written Aug 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGeomdan, IncheonRestaurants

Geomdan bossam restaurant weekday lunch set with dried radish: Taegine

Taegine Jogae Jeongol Geomdan Ara Branch is a seafood stew and bossam (boiled pork wraps) restaurant on the first floor of a commercial building in Geomdan, Incheon. On a weekday lunch a couple ordered the soup-and-bossam set for two at 14,000 won per person, chose the spicy seafood stew as their soup, mixed barley rice bibimbap with young radish kimchi and sesame oil at the free self-bar, and finished with ice cream. Spicy broth with bossam and seasoned dried radish made Taegine a great-value weekday lunch.

Written Sep 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Seoul Korean BBQ with private rooms, AC and outlets: Moyeon Mapo

Moyeon Mapo is a hanwoo (Korean beef) restaurant near Mapo Station in Mapo-gu, Seoul, where every seat is in a private room. On a weekday lunch visit, waiting number 5 meant about 50 minutes before the table opened, and the meal was the lunch special hanwoo charcoal-grilled marinated beef with pot rice for two (50,000 won) plus 100% buckwheat Pyongyang naengmyeon (16,000 won), each room fitted with its own air conditioner and power outlet. Moyeon Mapo suits a couple's lunch, a family gathering or a business meal near Mapo Station.

Written Sep 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGimpo, GyeonggiCafés

Chocolate financiers on a weekday lunch at Gimpo café The Nillai

The Nillai is a large brunch café near Yangchon Station in Gimpo, Gyeonggi, at 80 Yangchonyeok-gil, G floor. On a weekday lunch with her younger sister, the writer ordered rosé shrimp pasta (19,900 won), a blueberry yogurt smoothie, an iced Americano and a two-piece pack of chocolate financiers, then looked around the media art zone and the outdoor terrace. With a big parking lot right outside, The Nillai works well as a weekday lunch and drive course.

Written Sep 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBucheon, GyeonggiHair & beauty salons

Bucheon men's hair salon for stubborn straight side hair: Ieum

Ieum Men's Hair Bucheon City Hall Station Branch is a men-only hair salon on the 3rd floor of a building on Seokcheon-ro 169beon-gil, near Bucheon City Hall Station in Bucheon, Gyeonggi. Ahead of a get-together, a husband whose thick, stubborn straight hair kept flaring out at the sides got a cut and a down perm together from Senior Artist Taeho, and the side and back lines sat slim and close to the head, holding their shape with nothing more than a rough towel-dry. Seats at Ieum Men's Hair are spaced far enough apart that his wife could wait comfortably beside him.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored