Lunch Line Local · 16 stories

Lunch Lines in Gyeonggi

I write about restaurants and everyday meals around Gyeonggi. · Writes about: Restaurants · Bars

PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiRestaurants

Thai lunch by Western Dom: pad kra pao for beginners at Drunken Thai

Drunken Thai Ilsan is a Thai restaurant right in front of Western Dom, near Ilsan Lake Park in Goyang, Gyeonggi. The writer brought a friend new to Thai food and ordered pad kra pao moo sab (stir-fried minced pork with basil over rice) and chicken pad thai with extra noodles; both had crowd-pleasing flavors and very generous portions. Drunken Thai Ilsan is a good-value Thai spot that Western Dom office workers can easily make a regular lunch stop.

Written May 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulBars

Nonhyeon retro bar: boiled pork with salted oysters at Yeongdong Pocha

Yeongdong Pocha (영동포차) is a retro pocha-style bar with outdoor seating on the 2nd floor of a building about a 5-minute walk from Nonhyeon Station in Gangnam, Seoul. At Yeongdong Pocha, the writer ordered gabrisal suyuk (boiled pork) and clam soup with sides such as eorigul-jeot (spicy salted oysters), white kimchi and seasoned dried radish, and drank Hallasan somaek (soju mixed with beer). Verdict: the tender boiled pork and clean clam broth make Yeongdong Pocha an easy spot for relaxed drinks with friends.

Written Oct 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulBars

Retro Hapjeong bar for tteokbokki, beer and sports on TV: Bako Jumak

Bako Jumak (바코주막) is a Korean pub with an old-fashioned tavern feel on Dongmak-ro 7-gil near Hapjeong Station in Mapo, Seoul. After dinner with a friend, the writer came for a second round of tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and beer with free puffed corn as the basic snack, and enjoyed the tablet ordering, the TV for sports broadcasts and the fun of tearing a free service item off the outside menu. Bako Jumak is an easygoing Hapjeong second-round bar for talking over a beer.

Written Jun 9, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Sinsa Station udon and tonkatsu spot: free mini tempura set at Tebo

Tebo is a Japanese restaurant on Apgujeong-ro 4-gil, between Sinsa Station and Garosu-gil in Gangnam, Seoul, serving house-made udon and tonkatsu. At Tebo, the writer ordered kamabata udon (mentaiko butter udon) with bacon and a rosu katsu (pork loin cutlet) and mini udon set by QR code, then received a mini tempura set for joining a Naver receipt review event. Alternating bites of Tebo's springy, chewy noodles and crisp rosu katsu make it a good meal stop for a Garosu-gil date.

Written Oct 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulBars

Hongdae Korean pub comparing Oneul and Donghae soju: Ijillirya

Ijillirya Yeonnam is a Korean pub on Donggyo-ro in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo, Seoul, serving traditional Korean liquor with Korean dishes. On a visit with a friend, the writer started with a sweet plum-scented welcome drink, ordered dongpa suyuk (braised pork) and Halmuni Kalbibim (grandma's mixed knife-cut noodles), and compared Oneul and Donghae, two sojus of different alcohol strengths. With a cozy wood-toned room, blankets and chargers, a traditional liquor taste test and non-alcoholic drinks, Ijillirya Yeonnam is a good pick even with friends who know little about Korean liquor.

Written Oct 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceEunpyeong, SeoulRestaurants

Yeonsinnae jokbal restaurant for company dinners: Gwihanjokbal

Gwihanjokbal Yeonsinnae is a jokbal (braised pig's trotters) restaurant about a 5-minute walk from Yeonsinnae Station in Eunpyeong, Seoul. After work, the writer had half-and-half jokbal with somaek (soju mixed with beer), makguksu (buckwheat noodles) and rice balls, and remembers the tender jokbal with no gamey smell, the spicy bean sprout soup and the friendly staff. Gwihanjokbal Yeonsinnae is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a company dinner or group meetup spot in Yeonsinnae.

Written Jul 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiRestaurants

Old-school Korean BBQ in Ilsan: stone-grilled pork belly at Auseong

Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu is a long-standing dumpling and pork barbecue restaurant near the Western Dom entrance in Ilsan, Goyang. Returning after about 10 years, the writer grilled 2 servings of pork belly on a stone plate at Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu, with kimchi grilled in the pork fat, free steamed egg, and extra stew and rice. Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu is worth a visit for less greasy pork belly and a friendly, old-school Korean BBQ atmosphere.

Written Oct 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Anguk pizza restaurant, hot chili potato for a birthday: Low Five

Low Five Anguk (로우파이브 안국) is a pizza and pasta restaurant on Bukchon-ro in Jongno, Seoul, about a 5-minute walk from Anguk Station. For a friend's birthday, the writer visited Low Five Anguk on a weekday and ordered the hot chili potato pizza, Alfredo cream pasta and a cola, and the spicy pizza and smooth cream pasta balanced each other well. With brick-and-wood interiors, QR ordering and a self-serve bar, Low Five Anguk is a solid pick for a birthday meal or a date in Anguk.

Written Aug 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Weekday Korean BBQ lunch in Jongno, Seoul with a self-serve bar: Cham

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch (참돼짓간 종로본점) is a pork belly Korean BBQ restaurant on the first floor of the Picadilly CGV building in Jongno, Seoul, a 5-minute walk from Jongno 3-ga Station. On a weekday daytime visit, staff grilled the meat at the table to eat with potato wraps and minari (water dropwort), the beer order came with a complimentary milk thistle, and the side was soy sauce margarine egg rice (ganjang margarine gyeran bibimbap). With individually wrapped cutlery, a self-serve bar and a restroom inside, Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno is a solid pick for meeting friends or a team dinner.

Written Aug 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBusanjin, BusanRestaurants

Jeonpo sashimi bar that fries shrimp for non-raw eaters: Rigo Susan

Rigo Susan Jeonpo Station Main Branch is a sashimi and seafood bar in Busanjin, Busan, about a 5-minute walk from Jeonpo Station near the Jeonpo bar street. On a Busan trip, staff peeled the raw shrimp sashimi at the table, fried the shrimp heads when they were taken to the kitchen, and happily fried a few whole shrimp separately for a friend who can't eat raw seafood. With side dishes such as cold udon, sundae (Korean blood sausage) and tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), one plate of raw shrimp sashimi at Rigo Susan made a generous dinner.

Written Sep 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Gwanghwamun restaurant for hamburg omurice and extra gyukatsu: Ichigyu

Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch is a gyukatsu (Japanese-style breaded beef cutlet) restaurant on the basement floor of Lemeilleur Jongno Town, between Jonggak Station and Gwanghwamun Station in Jongno, Seoul. Over lunch with a friend, the writer ordered the Ichigyu gyukatsu set, hamburg omurice and a zero-sugar cola by table QR code, grilled the beef on a personal tabletop grill, and added an extra portion of gyukatsu meat when one set wasn't enough. With rice refills and the smell of Isigny butter through the room, Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch suits a slow meal with plenty of talking.

Written Aug 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulBars

Hongdae bar for three-flavor sausages and honey corn: Kkoko Land

Kkoko Land is an outdoor patio bar near Sangsang Madang in Hongdae, Seoul, about a 10-minute walk from Sangsu Station. At a wide outdoor table we had the charcoal-grilled sauced chicken barbecue with two draft beers, then added Super Pig handmade grilled sausages, which came with buttery honey corn and arrived in basic, spicy, and cheese flavors that all worked with beer. With sports broadcasts on a large screen over the patio, Kkoko Land is more fun than an ordinary chicken-and-beer spot.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored