Mangwon Night Stroller · 15 stories

Small Vanity, Seoul Cafes, Bars and Beauty

Writes about Seoul's restaurants, bars, cafes, and beauty spots as she finds them. · Writes about: Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons · Cafés · Bars

PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Gwanghwamun gyukatsu restaurant: half-and-half weekend lunch, Ichigyu

Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch is a Japanese gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) restaurant on basement level 1 of Le Meilleur Jongno Town in Gwanghwamun, Seoul. To avoid the weekday wait, the blogger came for a weekend lunch with a friend, ordered one tenderloin gyukatsu (₩23,000) and one striploin gyukatsu (₩19,000) to split half and half, and added karaage (Japanese fried chicken) on the side. With 2 hours of free parking and friendly staff, Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch made for a satisfying weekend lunch in Gwanghwamun.

Written Jun 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Wasabi hanwoo Korean BBQ in Gongdeok, Seoul: Gogikkun Kim Chunbae

Gogikkun Kim Chunbae Gongdeok Direct Store is a franchise Korean BBQ restaurant near Gongdeok Station in Mapo, Seoul, serving both hanwoo (Korean beef) and Korean pork with free corkage. The writer ordered the hanwoo and pork set for two (₩124,000), ate the hanwoo sirloin with wasabi and gungchae (pickled celtuce stems), then finished with half-and-half naengmyeon (cold noodles) and kkakdugi (radish kimchi) fried rice. With hanwoo included for two people at just over ₩120,000, Gogikkun Kim Chunbae is one of the better-value hanwoo spots near Gongdeok Station.

Written Jun 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYangcheon, SeoulRestaurants

Gopchang restaurant in Mokdong for a weekend family dinner: Omokgyo

Omokgyo Gopchang Mokdong Main Branch is a beef gopchang (grilled beef intestine) restaurant near Omokgyo Station in Yangcheon, Seoul, known for its signature garlic and green onion kimchi. On a weekend evening the family ordered the mixed gopchang (₩27,900), ate each cut with the sauce pairings recommended on the menu and finished with cheese fried rice, while enjoying events such as free vitamin C, a roulette game, hangover sticks, a black-and-white receipt photo and wait-time freebies. Omokgyo Gopchang is a Mokdong beef gopchang spot worth recommending for family gatherings as well as weekday company dinners.

Written Jun 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYangcheon, SeoulRestaurants

Omokgyo Chinese restaurant: soy-chili dip mini tangsuyuk, Yugwanjang

Yugwanjang Banjeom Omokgyo Station Branch is a 24-hour Chinese restaurant on the 2nd floor of 256 Mokdongdong-ro in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, near Omokgyo Station. Two diners shared XO seafood fried rice, steamed bone-broth seafood jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) and a ₩13,000 mini tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) fried in a sweet rice batter, and the mini tangsuyuk tasted juiciest dipped in soy sauce with chili powder. With parking and a short walk from the station, Yugwanjang Banjeom is an easy Omokgyo pick for family meals or group dinners.

Written Jun 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulCafés

Seochon brunch café with ₩16,500 lunch sets for two: Wine Stein

Wine Stein Seochon is a brunch café and wine bar on the 3rd floor of the Inwang Building in Seochon, near Gyeongbokgung Station in Jongno, Seoul, serving lunch sets by day and running as a wine bar in the evening. On a weekend, two people shared the A and B lunch sets at ₩16,500 per person, and the apple croissant sandwich, thick mushroom soup and ragù penne pasta were all satisfying. Wine Stein Seochon is a good-value Seochon brunch spot with big-window views and a wine shop and gift shop to browse.

Written Jun 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulCafés

Gongdeok Station bakery: 7 gift bakes in a 6-slot box, Fluffy Bake

Fluffy Bake Shop is a baked-goods dessert café focused on financiers and madeleines, a 3-minute walk from Gongdeok Station in Mapo, Seoul. For a housewarming and other gifts, the writer fit 7 financiers, madeleines and canelés into a 6-slot box, which an elder loved; a canelé bought separately was textbook crisp outside and moist inside. For an affordable dessert gift in Gongdeok, a Fluffy Bake Shop gift box is a great fit.

Written Jun 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Hongdae hair salon for a thick jelly perm on long damaged hair: Andoff

Andoff Hongdae is a private hair salon on the ground floor at Donggyo-ro 23-gil in Mapo, Seoul, a 5-minute walk from Exit 1 of Hongik Univ. Station. The writer got a thick jelly perm on badly damaged hair that reached below the chest; the perm took 2 hours 30 minutes, the curls came out well, and the owner-stylist explained in detail how to blow-dry them. For a natural hippie or jelly perm even on damaged hair, Andoff Hongdae proved a satisfying choice.

Written Jul 3, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeodaemun, SeoulRestaurants

Hongdae poke shop: 381-kcal buckwheat noodle poke for one, Slow Cali

Slow Cali Hongdae Entrance Station Branch (슬로우캘리 홍대입구역점) is a salad and poke restaurant on Sinchon-ro in Seodaemun, Seoul, near Hongik Univ. Station Exit 4. Around opening time on a weekend, the writer ate alone at Slow Cali, ordering the All-in-One Poke on buckwheat noodles (381 kcal, 35.9 g protein) with organic ABC juice and an americano, and added wasabi oil and Sriracha from the self-serve bar. Thanks to its sauce choices and buckwheat noodle base, Slow Cali is a satisfying solo meal for anyone on a diet.

Written Jul 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulCafés

Yeongdeungpo bakery café weekend brunch: jambon-beurre, BYWAY BAKERS

BYWAY BAKERS Yeongdeungpo Branch is a bakery café in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, a 2-minute walk from Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station, with a meeting room free for 1 hour and roomy seating. The writer brought a book to BYWAY BAKERS on a weekend morning and had brunch: a short latte, a jambon-beurre sandwich and the new fresh mango yogurt wakppu salt bread. The BYWAY BAKERS jambon-beurre, with mild ham, rich butter and crisp bread, made a perfect weekend brunch.

Written Jul 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYangcheon, SeoulRestaurants

Pork gukbap restaurant near Deungchon CGV with parking: Bosung Hoegwan

Bosung Hoegwan Deungchon Station Branch is a suyuk gukbap (boiled pork and rice soup) restaurant in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, a 2-minute walk from Deungchon Station. After a movie at Deungchon CGV, the writer stopped by around 3 p.m. on a weekend for suyuk gukbap (₩11,000) and the ₩18,000 solo special set, which pairs pork jowl suyuk gukbap with a plate of pyeonyuk (pressed boiled pork) and sundae (Korean blood sausage). The rich but clean-tasting bone broth and the refillable kimchi stood out. With parking behind the building and an easy solo-dining setup, Bosung Hoegwan Deungchon Station Branch is a solid pick for a filling meal near Deungchon Station.

Written Jul 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Beginner-friendly lamb BBQ in Hapjeong with mint jelly: Gukjeyangsik

Gukjeyangsik (국제양식) is a lamb brazier restaurant near Exit 8 of Hapjeong Station in Mapo, Seoul, where staff grill the meat for you on an individual brazier. For an anniversary date, the writer had the premium brazier set for two (₩72,000) with French rack and shoulder rack, and added lamb fried rice and cheese cream shrimp as sides. Because the lamb at Gukjeyangsik has little gamey smell and comes with mint jelly sauce, it is a good pick for an anniversary meal with someone new to lamb.

Written Aug 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceDongdaemun, SeoulRestaurants

Cheongnyangni sashimi after book club: 4-fish platter, Simdo Hoetjip

Simdo Hoetjip (심도횟집) is a sashimi restaurant in the Lotte Castle Florence shopping arcade near Jegidong Station in Dongdaemun, Seoul. On a public-holiday evening, the writer booked a table for two with a friend. They ordered the seasonal 4-fish assorted sashimi platter (flounder, rockfish, sole and red sea bream) and the 13,000-won jiritang (clear fish soup), then added maeuntang (spicy fish stew), and stayed for almost 6 hours. With generous side dishes and live-fish sashimi with no fishy smell, Simdo Hoetjip is worth recommending for a group dinner in Cheongnyangni.

Written Jul 29, 2026Sponsored