Lane Lunchbox · 21 stories

Lunch in the Alley

Writes about restaurant meals found around Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Bars · Things to do

Dog-friendly Thai restaurant in Ilsan: crab pad thai at Drunken Thai

Drunken Thai Ilsan is a dog-friendly Thai restaurant in Western Dom, near Ilsan Lake Park in Goyang, Gyeonggi. The blogger visited with their dog Kongi and ordered spring rolls, som tam (12,000 won), beef rice noodle soup with extra beef (11,500 won) and seafood pad thai (14,000 won); the portions were so large that the leftovers were taken home for dinner. For a hearty Thai meal with your dog, Drunken Thai Ilsan is a good choice.

Written May 21, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiCafés

Dog-friendly Goyang bakery café with Mom: mango latte & cake, Baedagol

Baedagol Bakery House is a dog-friendly bakery café with an outdoor garden in Wondang, Goyang. The writer visited Baedagol Bakery House with Mom and the family dog Kongi, had an iced Americano (6,000 won), the signature fresh mango latte and a fresh mango cake slice, and packed a fig campagne (7,000 won) to take home from the self-packing station. With a flower-filled garden, mango desserts and plenty of parking, Baedagol Bakery House suits a family outing with a dog.

Written May 22, 2026Sponsored

PlaceSeocho, SeoulBars

Gangnam Station jazz bar: Joun and Friends, ₩39,000 course, Flat Nine

Flat Nine is a jazz bar on the 5th floor of a building near Gangnam Station in Seocho, Seoul, with live jazz by different artists every day alongside chef-made food. The writer ordered the weekday 7-course menu (₩39,000 per person) with a ₩29,000 bottle of red wine and watched Joun and Friends from the second row; the sweet shrimp ceviche, tamamiso carbonara and sous vide chuck flap steak were satisfying in both portion and taste. Flat Nine is a good-value jazz bar near Gangnam Station for an unusual date, a blind date or an anniversary dinner.

Written Apr 2, 2026Sponsored

PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Anguk brunch restaurant with flower-ice mimosas: Debbie's

Debbie's is a brunch restaurant at 45 Changdeokgung-gil in Jongno, Seoul, right beside Changdeokgung Palace near Anguk Station. At Debbie's the writer had the signature Debbie's Mimosa (₩15,000) with flower-shaped ice, a non-alcoholic mimosa (₩10,000), a Scotch egg (₩28,000) and the vegan Summer Garden Capellini (₩24,000), with a second-floor palace view, a terrace and private rooms setting the mood. For a date or blind-date brunch overlooking Changdeokgung, Debbie's is an easy recommendation.

Written Apr 30, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGuro, SeoulBars

Gudi Station retro bar for dumpling egg soup and dalgona: Eulji Pocha

Eulji Pocha Guro Digital Complex Branch is a retro-themed Korean pub near Gudi Station (Guro Digital Complex Station) in Guro, Seoul, with 110 pyeong of space and 41 tables. On a weekend evening at Eulji Pocha, the order was dumpling egg soup (16,000 won) and dried filefish (7,000 won) with soju and draft beer, and the coins earned from food orders went toward a dalgona-making attempt and a chakani exchange. With hearty, good-value dishes and plenty of games, Eulji Pocha is a solid pick for a Gudi team dinner or group night out.

Written Jun 4, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGunsan, JeonbukRestaurants

Gunsan early-morning hangover drinks over spicy gamjatang: Insaeng

Insaeng Gamjatang Gunsan Branch (인생감자탕 군산점) is a gamjatang (pork bone stew) and hangover soup restaurant on Gongdan-daero in Gunsan, Jeonbuk, open from lunch until the early morning. For early-morning hangover drinks, the blogger ordered the small ugeoji (dried radish greens) and aged kimchi half-and-half for 39,000 won in the spicy level, with 4,500 won draft beer and cheese steamed egg; any two of the four gamjatang types can be combined half-and-half. Even the small size at Insaeng Gamjatang is generous, so the leftover broth was packed to go as a late-night snack.

Written Aug 4, 2026Sponsored

PlacePaju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Level 3 fire-chicken stone jjamppong at a Paju Chinese restaurant

Dolpanseok Jjamppong Paju Simhaksan Branch is a stone-plate jjajang and jjamppong Chinese restaurant on Dolgoji-gil below Simhaksan in Paju, Gyeonggi. The order was the medium stone jjamppong plus Donchitang SET at 42,000 won, taken at spice level 3 (fire-chicken heat), with tungbosha (4pcs) at 15,000 won added, and the noodles and the nurungji (scorched rice crust) scraped off the hot stone plate before the leftover donchitang and tungbosha went home in takeout boxes. Dolpanseok Jjamppong delivers on both heat and portion size, so even two people should arrive ready to pack some of it up.

Written Aug 14, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiRestaurants

Single-portion pork belly and cheek cut at Goyang BBQ: Dokbul Janggun

Dokbul Janggun Ilsan Baekseok Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant near Baekseok Station in Goyang, Gyeonggi, serving Jeju pork aged 100 hours. One portion each of ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly, 180g, 18,000 won) and bolhangjeong (pork cheek-neck cut, 180g, 17,000 won) came with cheese egg custard for 5,000 won, plus white kimchi, hairtail fish sauce (galchi sokjeot) and cheonggukjang as standard sides. The thick, chewy pork belly skin and the fatty cheek-neck cut made Dokbul Janggun a generous, side-dish-rich meal worth a drink or two.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored

PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Spicy tteokbokki set for 23,000 won at Yeouido IFC Mall: Hyeonseonine

Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch is a tteokbokki, sundae, and fried snack restaurant on basement level 2 of IFC Mall in Yeouido, Seoul. Eating solo, I ordered the Hyeonseonine Set (₩23,000) in spicy — tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), 5 kinds of fried snacks (mandu, sweet potato, mixed vegetable, squid, kimmari), sundae (Korean blood sausage) with real intestines, and 4 rolls of mini gimbap. The spicy option is genuinely spicy, making this a solid pick for solo diners craving heat with a cold beer.

Written Sep 7, 2026Sponsored

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