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Late Bar Notes, Seoul/Gyeonggi and Daejeon/Chungcheong Restaurants, Cafes and Bars

Writes about restaurants, cafes and bars across Seoul, Gyeonggi and Daejeon/Chungcheong. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Bars

PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiCafés

Wondang bakery café: blueberry tart & sweet potato latte, Baedagol

Baedagol Bakery House (배다골베이커리하우스) is a large bakery café with a garden in Wondang, Deogyang-gu, Goyang. On a return visit to Baedagol Bakery House, the writer ordered a basil tomato bread (6,000 won), a blueberry tart (7,000 won), an americano and a sweet potato latte, which came with a whole sweet potato on the side. With a wide bread selection, gentle prices and 1kg of free sweet potatoes on purchases of 30,000 won or more, Baedagol Bakery House is a Wondang café worth coming back to.

Written Oct 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiRestaurants

Wondang buckwheat restaurant, cold and hot noodles: Bongpyeong Gohyang

Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu (봉평고향막국수) is a buckwheat restaurant near Wondang Station in Deogyang-gu, Goyang, serving makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles) and perilla buckwheat kalguksu made with house-made buckwheat noodles. On a day when one person craved cold noodles and the other wanted a warm broth, the table shared mul makguksu, perilla buckwheat kalguksu with ongsimi (potato dumplings) and a buckwheat pancake, and even the barley rice served before the meal was delicious. Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu is a good fit when you want cold and hot dishes in one meal.

Written Oct 20, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBucheon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Bucheon Korean set meal, japchae refills at full size: Gim Myeongju

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch is a Korean set meal restaurant serving stone pot rice in Jak-dong, Bucheon, near Kkachiul Station. On a return visit, the writer added grilled mackerel to the Tteuranchae table set, and refills of japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) and stew came out at the same size as the first serving, leaving the table stuffed. Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang is an easy pick for pot rice, grilled fish and namul (seasoned vegetable) sides, especially with parents.

Written Oct 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiBars

Goyang tonkatsu bar in Haengsin-dong: tenderloin katsu, Momo Sikdak

Momo Sikdak (모모식탁) is a Korean kitchen pub in Haengsin-dong, Goyang, Gyeonggi, with a wide menu running from tonkatsu and pasta to drinking snacks. For dinner the writer ordered tenderloin katsu, cheongyang chili cream pasta and 2 Suntory draft beers, and Momo Sikdak added mentaiko potato salad and grilled shishamo on the house. The thick, crispy-outside, juicy-inside tenderloin katsu and the rich cream pasta, whose cheongyang chili heat cuts the richness, make Momo Sikdak a very satisfying bar in Haengsin.

Written Oct 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiRestaurants

Goyang galbi house: not-too-sweet pork lunch for two at Sujeong Galbi

Sujeong Galbi Seongsa Main Branch (수정갈비 성사본점) is a galbi (marinated grilled meat) restaurant in a standalone building in Seongsa-dong, Deogyang-gu, Goyang. Two people ordered the weekday lunch special of Handon Wang-gui Yangnyeom (marinated Korean pork, 280g for 21,000 won per portion) with bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles) and added doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew) and rice. The marinade was not overly sweet and the pork was tender. The owner's homemade side dishes, including spicy marinated crab, and the free homemade sikhye stood out. Sujeong Galbi's bibim naengmyeon tasted better than at naengmyeon specialty restaurants and is a must-order.

Written Oct 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiRestaurants

Pungsan Station seaweed soup spot, pollack vs beef sets: Haenon

Haenon Miyeok Ilsan Direct Branch is a Korean restaurant serving seaweed soup (miyeokguk) set meals on Aenigol-gil, near Pungsan Station in Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi. On a return visit, the writer shared the pollack (hwangtae) seaweed soup set and the beef seaweed soup set to compare them, received the free abalone served to birthday diners, and tried the self-serve bar with warm japchae (glass noodles). With its calm, gallery-like interior, Haenon Miyeok Ilsan Direct Branch is a good choice for a quiet meal with your parents.

Written Oct 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYuseong, DaejeonRestaurants

Yuseong seafood restaurant: haemuljjim + free egg custard, Seommaeul

Seommaeul (섬마을), officially Seommaeul Agujjim & Nakjibokkeum, is a haemuljjim (braised spicy seafood) restaurant on Yuseong-daero in Yuseong, Daejeon. Arriving at opening time for a lunch during a work errand, the writer ordered a small haemuljjim at mild heat and got a large plate piled with octopus, blue crab, shrimp, abalone and cod milt (gonie), plus free steamed egg custard and house-made sikhye (sweet rice drink). With 4 spice levels and generous portions, Seommaeul is a good-value pick for a haemuljjim lunch in Yuseong, Daejeon.

Written Jul 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYangju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Yangju Korean BBQ lunch special, extra galbi and grilled garlic: Manpo

Manpo Galbi Yangju Main Branch (만포갈비 양주본점) is a standalone galbi restaurant on Songnang-ro in Yangju, Gyeonggi, whose lunch special sets pork galbi, doenjang sulbap (soybean paste soup with rice) and naengmyeon (cold noodles) for under 20,000 won per person. The writer came for lunch, added one serving of galbi, and enjoyed banchan including yukhoe and yukjeon, a choice of mul or bibim naengmyeon, and ppeongscream for dessert. The Manpo Galbi Yangju Main Branch lunch special is a good-value galbi meal that's generous from side dishes to dessert.

Written Jul 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeo-gu, DaejeonRestaurants

Daejeon gukbap restaurant where the free fried egg is back: Ssangdung

Ssangdung Suyuk Gukbap Wolpyeong Seonsa Branch is a gukbap (Korean rice soup) and pork belly restaurant on Cheongsaseo-ro in Wolpyeong-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon, where sundae (Korean blood sausage), liver, lung and kimchi pancake are free at the self-serve bar. On a return visit, a regular customer found that the free fried egg (one per person), paused for a while, had come back, and ordered regular-size suyuk gukbap (boiled pork rice soup), eolkeun gukbap (spicy rice soup) and 6,000-won pyeonyuk (pressed boiled pork). Verdict: Ssangdung Suyuk Gukbap is an incredibly good-value gukbap restaurant where the side dishes alone can fill you up.

Written Jul 7, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Paju BBQ revisit at Yadang Station for gochujang pork: Haetteuljip

Haetteuljip (해뜰집) is a Korean BBQ restaurant on Soricheon-ro near Yadang Station in Paju, Gyeonggi, where the meat is cooked in the kitchen and served ready to eat. The writer kept thinking about the gochujang pork belly, so they returned and ordered 2 servings (₩15,000 per 200g), cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew, ₩5,000) and rice (₩1,000). They loved how the thick, well-seasoned, smoky pork paired with the rich stew. Verdict: Haetteuljip's gochujang pork belly is a rice-stealer worth a return trip.

Written Oct 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Magok Mexican family restaurant at opening: honey kidsadilla, Taqueros

Taqueros Magok Main Branch is a Mexican family restaurant on the 2nd floor of Magok GMG Tower in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. The writer arrived right at opening for the Taqueros Signature Couple Set (a fajita plus 2 tacos of choice) and taste-tested the kidsadilla, a cheese quesadilla served with honey, ahead of bringing a niece. Verdict: Taqueros Magok Main Branch has an Outback-like atmosphere and good value, making it a safe pick whether you go with parents, friends or kids.

Written Jul 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceUijeongbu, GyeonggiCafés

Forest-garden café in Uijeongbu for apple ade and Basque: Forerest

Forerest is a large, standalone café on Nogyang-ro in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi, set in grounds that feel like a forest garden. The writer sat at a window seat with an iced americano, apple ade, and Earl Grey and chocolate Basque cheesecakes, and especially loved the rich apple ade and the dense, creamy cheesecake. Forerest is worth a special trip when you want a short, restful break in Uijeongbu.

Written Jul 9, 2026Sponsored