Pocket List · 10 stories

Pocket List, Haeundae to Hongdae

Writes about restaurants, bars, beauty spots, and shopping stops across Seoul, Busan/Gyeongnam, and Gyeonggi. · Writes about: Restaurants · Bars · Hair & beauty salons · Shopping

PlaceSongpa, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Saenae hair salon clinic straight perm for dye-damaged curls: Anew

Anew Hair Songpa Jamsil Branch is a hair salon on the 3rd floor of a building near Exit 4 of Saenae Station in Songpa, Seoul. The writer's hair was very curly and damaged from frequent dyeing, so before the rainy season she chose a clinic magic straight perm, which applies a protective product coating first, instead of a regular magic straight perm. The clinic magic straight perm left her hair shiny and smooth, making Anew Hair Songpa Jamsil Branch worth considering for damaged, curly hair.

Written Jun 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Gangnam Station pho restaurant for a light dinner on a diet: Anan

Anan Gangnam Direct Store is a Vietnamese pho restaurant near Exit 12 of Gangnam Station in Seoul. Dining after work while on a diet, the blogger and one companion ordered beef pho with extra noodles, bun cha (grilled pork with rice noodles), stir-fried morning glory with garlic and cha gio (fried spring rolls), and enjoyed the clean broth, the garlic flakes on the morning glory and the tangy bun cha sauce. For a dinner that isn't heavy or strongly seasoned, or a quiet get-together near Gangnam Station, Anan Gangnam Direct Store is a good choice.

Written Jun 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Jamsil Saenae jokbal restaurant to watch football over soju: Manjok

Manjok Ohyang Jokbal Jamsil Sincheon Branch is a jokbal (braised pig's trotters) restaurant in the food alley by Jamsil Saenae Station in Songpa, Seoul, known as one of Seoul's top three jokbal spots. On a weekday evening after work, a couple ordered the original jokbal set with free tteokguk (rice cake soup), pickled lettuce and spicy makguksu (buckwheat noodles), and drank soju while watching a football friendly on the restaurant's two screens. Verdict: clean jokbal with no gamey smell, and the best jokbal the writer had eaten recently.

Written Oct 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Sangwangsimni hair salon: root dye for 3cm regrowth, Oreudeubi

Oreudeubi Sangwangsimni Station Branch (오르드비 상왕십리역점) is a hair salon in the Centras shopping complex between Sangwangsimni Station and Sindang Station in Seongdong, Seoul. The blogger had more than 3cm of patchy regrowth fixed with a root dye by designer Haru, who applied a scalp protector first and matched the new color to the existing hair with no visible line. The massage-chair shampoo station also stood out. Oreudeubi is an easy, reliable Sangwangsimni salon for blending grown-out roots naturally.

Written Oct 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHaeundae, BusanCafés

Busan dog-friendly café: Ethiopian coffee & banana cookie, Low & Sweet

Low & Sweet Roastery is a roastery and bakery café on Haeridan-gil near Haeundae Station in Busan that roasts its own coffee beans. On a weekday afternoon after lunch, the writer enjoyed the house-roasted Ethiopian signature coffee and a banana cookie alone at a window seat; pets are allowed, and there is a public parking lot right in front. Low & Sweet Roastery makes a relaxed, dog-friendly coffee stop, but for the widest choice of fresh bread, arrive at 9 am or 1 pm, when the bakes come out.

Written Jul 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Sindang gopchang restaurant, pre-order the tripe fried rice: Jinseong

Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Sindang Direct Branch is a beef gopchang (small intestine) restaurant in Sindang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, right outside Exit 7 of Sindang Station. On a weekend evening, past a line outside and a full dining room, the writer ordered 1 serving each of gopchang, daechang (large intestine) and makchang, with a homemade minari (Korean water parsley) and minced garlic sauce, a free steamed egg, a platter the staff grilled on a timer for about 5 minutes, and fried rice with beef tripe to finish. Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Sindang Direct Branch is worth it if you go early on weekends and order the fried rice about 30 minutes ahead.

Written Jul 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Samseong Station poke restaurant for a monsoon solo lunch: Ola Poke

Ola Poke Samseong Branch is a Hawaiian poke restaurant on Yeongdong-daero 85-gil in Gangnam, Seoul, near Samseong Station and COEX. On a rainy weekday lunch in monsoon season, after a short wait, the writer ordered salmon poke alone at the in-store kiosk, with extra brown rice and sriracha sauce. Ola Poke Samseong Branch suits Samseong Station office workers eating solo who want a light but filling lunch before an evening company dinner.

Written Jul 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Gangnam hair salon level 9 ash green tone-down for brassy hair: Beorn

Beorn Hair Cheongdam (비오른헤어 청담점) is a hair salon on the 2nd floor of 710 Seolleung-ro in Gangnam, Seoul, near Exit 3-1 of Gangnam-gu Office Station. After magic straightening left her hair lighter and yellowish, the writer had it toned down to a level 9 ash green shade at Beorn Hair Cheongdam, added a scalp nutrition treatment for about ₩50,000 extra, and got a layered mid-length cut. Beorn Hair Cheongdam is worth recommending to anyone who wants a calmer autumn tone and a lighter cut.

Written Oct 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Sinnonhyeon gyukatsu spot for solo diners, kiosk waitlist: Ichigyu

Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch is a gyukatsu (Japanese-style beef cutlet) restaurant on the 2nd floor, a 5-minute walk from Exit 5 of Sinnonhyeon Station (Line 9) in Gangnam, Seoul. On a solo visit at a slightly late weekday lunch, the signature gyukatsu (19,500 won base) was ordered, the kiosk waitlist at the entrance turned out to drop anyone not present after 2 call-outs or 3 minutes, and 1 pat of butter plus 2 solid fuel tablets were enough to grill the beef on the table brazier. For gyukatsu lovers, Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch is an easy place to eat alone.

Written Sep 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceIcheon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Icheon 120-seat group dining with soy crab: Neul Gogi Jip

Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch is a 120-seat galbi restaurant on Gyeongchung-daero in Icheon, Gyeonggi, right next to Barun Hospital. On an Nth family visit, the group ordered marinated galbi, soy-marinated crab (ganjang gejang) and Icheon rice cooked in a hot stone pot, and the assigned server grilled most of the meat over charcoal. Between the self-serve wrap vegetable bar and the cone ice cream in the lounge on the way out, Neul Gogi Jip suits a big family gathering.

Written Sep 23, 2026Sponsored
You've reached the end · 10 stories