Ilsan Quiet Table · 7 stories

Quiet Counter, Seoul and Gyeonggi Cafes

She writes about neighborhood cafes and small restaurants across Seoul and Gyeonggi. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés

PlaceNamyangju, GyeonggiCafés

Swiss-style red café in Namyangju, Mocha Harar drip: Waltz & Dr. Mahn

Waltz and Dr. Mahn (왈츠와 닥터만) is a long-established Bukhan River café on Bukhangang-ro in Joan-myeon, Namyangju, Gyeonggi, that doubles as a restaurant and runs its own coffee museum. On a weekday lunch visit with her husband, the writer tried the Ethiopian Mocha Harar hand drip, the signature Honor and Chevalier (어너앤슈발리) and an Opera cake at Waltz and Dr. Mahn. The Swiss-looking red building, Bukhan River views and friendly service make Waltz and Dr. Mahn worth a return visit; the only letdown was how tiny the Opera cake was.

Written Jun 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiCafés

Goyang café: Tuileries-like flower paths & blueberry scone, Baedagol

Baedagol Bakery House (배다골베이커리하우스) is a garden bakery café in Deogyang-gu, Goyang, with parking for 50 cars. A couple from Seoul drove out to Baedagol Bakery House to walk flower paths and gardens that recalled the Tuileries Garden in France, then had lunch of coffee and three breads, including a blueberry scone, at a 2nd-floor window seat. The 2nd floor has almost no internet, but with high chairs, a diaper-changing station and a sandpit zone, Baedagol Bakery House is a Goyang café worth recommending for a family outing.

Written Jun 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeonnam-dong tonkatsu, thick mozzarella katsu for two: Katsu Monster

Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch is a Japanese tonkatsu (pork cutlet) restaurant in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo, Seoul, that makes its katsu from pork aged 200 hours. The 2-person set was swapped to a premium loin katsu (gabrisal, pork collar cut) and a mozzarella cheese katsu, with cold soba on the side, and both the cheese and the meat were thick under a very crispy coating. Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch is worth recommending to anyone looking for a cheese katsu where the meat keeps its thickness.

Written Jul 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulCafés

Hot-day Yeonnam-dong café: rooftop seat & big-ice Geisha, Central Site

Central Site Yeonnam is a specialty hand-drip café in a three-floor standalone building on Yeonhui-ro in Mapo, Seoul. On a hot day the writer walked into Central Site Yeonnam on impulse, sat at the window of the all-season rooftop and had an iced Colombia Cauca Paraiso 92 Geisha Anaerobic Fermentation, a hot Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Chelbesa Washed and a classic tiramisu. Central Site Yeonnam is a drip coffee spot that even people who rarely drink coffee keep thinking about.

Written Jul 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Daeheung smash burger lunch date with my husband: Bored & Hungry

Bored & Hungry Mapo is an American smash burger restaurant in Mapo, Seoul, a 3-minute walk from Daeheung Station near the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail. On a lunch date with her husband, the writer ordered a shrimp burger, a Bacon Deluxe Double burger, Chili's Mutant Cheese Sticks and butter garlic fries; the shrimp burger stood out for how well its sauce and vegetables worked together, and the Bacon Deluxe Double for its heavy, rich flavor. Couples who love hearty burgers will find Bored & Hungry Mapo worth a visit, especially with the Naver Place draft beer 1+1 coupon.

Written Jul 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeonnam-dong pizza place in our old lamb skewer spot: Sunny's Pizza

Sunny's Pizza Market is an American-style pizza restaurant on the 2nd floor on Donggyo-ro in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo, Seoul, opened where the Seodaemun lamb skewer restaurant used to be. A couple with dating memories of that spot parked in a shared parking space and ordered a large sweet potato and combination half-and-half pizza with cheese crust plus classic oven pasta. Even as big eaters, they left half the pizza to take home. Verdict: Sunny's Pizza Market is a generous Yeonnam-dong pizza place whose combination pizza, with thin, fluffy dough and thick cheese, is the standout.

Written Jul 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiRestaurants

Gukbap near Goyang Children's Museum with toddlers: Pyeongando

Pyeongando Restaurant Hwajeong Branch (평안도식당 화정점) is a 24-hour gukbap (soup with rice) restaurant in Hwajeong-dong, Deogyang-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi. After a visit to the Goyang Children's Museum, the writer ate sundae gukbap (blood sausage soup with rice), an innards set and ox head gukbap there with a 15-month-old and a 41-month-old. The sundae gukbap and ox head gukbap come without seasoning paste by default, so they are easy to share with little kids. With parking at the Deogyang-gu Office lot, Pyeongando Restaurant Hwajeong Branch is an easy, no-fuss meal stop for a family outing.

Written Aug 10, 2026Sponsored
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