Queue Companion · 34 stories

Lunch Queue, Gyeonggi

I write about restaurant visits and meals around Gyeonggi. · Writes about: Restaurants · Bars · Cafés · Shopping

PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Suwon pizzeria, truffle pizza less salty than Italy's: The European

The European Haenggung Main Branch is an Italian pizza and pasta restaurant in a converted villa on a Haenggung-dong side street near Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon. The writer and a friend shared the beef ragù fresh pasta (22,000 won) and the signature jambon truffle funghi pizza (31,000 won), and found the pizza less salty and better suited to Korean tastes than the truffle pizza they had recently eaten in Italy. With its dim lighting, The European Haenggung Main Branch is also worth recommending for a date or a blind date.

Written Jun 3, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Pre-grilled BBQ in Paju Unjeong: per-portion belly & meljeot, Tannae

Tannae Paju Main Branch (탄내 파주본점) is a Korean BBQ restaurant on Garam-ro in Unjeong, Paju, Gyeonggi, that pre-grills pork belly and pork neck over charcoal briquettes before serving. Three people ordered 2 servings of pork neck and 2 servings of pork belly. Tannae pre-grilled the pork belly one serving at a time so the grill would not overflow, and its meljeot (salted anchovy dip) simmered with garlic and chili was the standout. Tannae's meljeot can win back even someone who never liked meljeot.

Written Jun 7, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Paju Heyri Italian restaurant, tangerine grape salad: Mokushura Table

Mokushura Table is an Italian restaurant and café in Heyri Art Village, Paju, set in a 400-pyeong, three-story building. On a first drive to Heyri, the writer ordered the 2-person set (a garden salad topped with tangerines and grapes, scallop oil pasta, margherita pizza and two drinks) for the 60,000 won range, and was surprised how fast the food arrived despite the crowd. Spacious and not noisy, Mokushura Table suits both dates and family outings.

Written Jun 5, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiCafés

Paju Unjeong terrace café: ice cream latte & lemonade, Pound Coffee

Pound Coffee Unjeong Main Branch is a latte and baked-goods café on a side street off Waseoksunhwan-ro in Unjeong, Paju, right in front of a park. The writer visited at 4 pm, when the baked goods had already sold out, and enjoyed a latte, a latte with added ice cream and a lemonade with a park view in a quiet setting. Pound Coffee is worth recommending for good coffee and a calm atmosphere, but arrive early if you want the baked goods.

Written Jun 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Suwon lake-view café for late-night crispy chicken and beer: Barefoot

Barefoot Gwanggyo is a restaurant and café behind Galleria at Gwanggyo Lake Park in Suwon, serving pasta, pizza and café drinks alongside fried chicken and beer. For a late-night snack, the writer ordered the Crispy Beer Set (30,500 won), a whole crispy chicken with two draft beers, and ate it indoors with the doors wide open to the lake park view. The slightly spicy chicken, crisp outside and tender inside, makes Barefoot Gwanggyo a strongly recommended chicken-and-beer spot at Gwanggyo Lake Park.

Written Jun 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiBars

Suwon Station bar after pork belly, hanwoo yukhoe for 4: Yukhoe Dokjon

Yukhoe Dokjon Suwon Station Branch is a hanwoo (Korean beef) yukhoe (seasoned raw beef) bar on the first floor of Dream Plaza in the Rodeo alley by Suwon Station, Suwon. After a first round of pork belly, four already-full friends stopped in for a second round, ordered the hanwoo yukhoe for 4 (₩37,000), mixed in two egg yolks and dipped each bite in black sesame sauce with soju. Yukhoe Dokjon is a clean, light second-round spot near Suwon Station for keeping the soju going even when you're stuffed.

Written Jun 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiCafés

Suwon bakery café with fresh chocolate terrine baguette: Cork Bake Bar

Cork Bake Bar (코르크베이크바) is a bakery café on the main road below Ajou University Intersection on Dongsuwon-ro in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon. The writer had a freshly baked chocolate terrine baguette and an almond croissant with coffee, and Cork Bake Bar also sells many breads, including baguettes and loaves, spreads, and a cookie gift box for about 20,000 won. Cork Bake Bar is a good Suwon bakery café for quiet time with bread and rich coffee.

Written Jun 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Ingye-dong cutlet spot, mother-of-pearl tray couple set: Gyewondang

Gyewondang Ingye Branch is a newly opened restaurant in Ingye-dong, Suwon, specialising in handmade chicken cutlets made from whole chicken thigh, plus pork cutlets. The writer ordered the Gyewon couple set for two and tried a wide spread at once: a mother-of-pearl tray filled with mini chicken cutlet, mini fried chicken and mini pork cutlet, plus buckwheat crepe rolls and butter curry. Despite the 'mini' name, the Gyewondang couple set's portions and variety make it an easy recommendation for a date or lunch in Ingye-dong.

Written Jun 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongin, GyeonggiRestaurants

Jokbal with geotjeori kimchi near Sanghyeon Station: Cheongdam Jokbal

Cheongdam Jokbal Gwanggyo Sanghyeon Branch (청담족발 광교상현점) is a new jokbal (braised pig's trotters) restaurant in front of Sanghyeon Station in Suji-gu, Yongin, which says it boils fresh domestic trotters every day and sells them the same day. A couple who aren't big jokbal fans ordered the warm regular jokbal in medium size (45,000 won) and ate it with geotjeori kimchi (freshly made kimchi), lettuce wraps and the makguksu (buckwheat noodles) served free to dine-in guests. Cheongdam Jokbal's jokbal is tender, chewy-free and has no porky smell, so it is worth recommending even to people who don't usually enjoy jokbal.

Written Oct 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Group night at a Gwangju lamb skewer pub with chili gasaeo: Sinbaegok

Sinbaegok Yang Kkochi Gyeongan Branch is a lamb skewer and Chinese food pub on the 2nd floor of Gwangju-daero 55beon-gil in Gyeongan-dong, Gwangju, Gyeonggi. Three of us ordered 20 lamb skewers (original and seasoned), three-color guobaorou (crispy sweet and sour pork), chili gasaeo (chili shrimp) and cream shrimp with drinks, and the tender, odor-free lamb and the unusual black guobaorou stood out. With spacious, private seating, Sinbaegok Yang Kkochi is a solid pick for get-togethers and team dinners.

Written Jun 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Gwanggyo Korean restaurant lunch: spicy octopus bibimbap, Bonghyejane

Bonghyejane Jubang Gwanggyo Avenuefrance (봉혜자네주방 광교아브뉴프랑점) is a Korean restaurant specializing in stir-fried octopus and baby octopus, located in Gwanggyo Avenue France near Gwanggyojungang Station in Suwon. At Bonghyejane Jubang, fire-grilled stir-fried octopus for 2 (28,000 won) came with an added rice bowl set, gamtae gimbap (rice roll wrapped in thin seaweed) and 3,000-won pollock roe dumplings, all mixed into an octopus bibimbap with sesame and perilla oil. Even at the basic Shin Ramyun-level spice the octopus was pleasantly hot, and with pumpkin porridge before and ice cream after, it made a hearty lunch.

Written Jul 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongnam, GyeonggiBars

Wedding invite meetup bar at Jeongja Station: seafood tteokjjim, Bacha

Bacha Jeongja is a Korean gastropub near the Jeongja Station café street in Bundang, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, open daily from 17:00 to 02:00 the next day. On an early-evening visit with Terra beer, the writer ordered the brisket seafood tteokjjim (braised rice cakes, 28,000 won) and the wing combo (22,000 won). The tteokjjim's sauce stood out, and it comes with a whole squid, scallops and a full block of ramen noodles. Verdict: Bacha Jeongja is a Jeongja Station bar worth returning to for dates and wedding invitation meetups.

Written Jul 7, 2026Sponsored