Lunch Bell Listener · 34 stories

Between Lunch Bells

I write about restaurant meals and small dining stops around Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons · Shopping · Cafés · Bars · Things to do

PlaceGangnam, SeoulCafés

Late-night Gangnam Station café, Earl Grey & tiramisu: Selected Nicks

Selected Nicks is a large café near Gangnam Station in Seoul, about a 5-minute walk from Exit 3, with a different concept on each floor. Looking for somewhere to keep talking late with friends after dinner, the writer ordered a strawberry latte, Earl Grey tea and pistachio tiramisu at Selected Nicks and explored every floor from B1 to the rooftop. Open until midnight on weekdays, Selected Nicks is a good Gangnam Station café for a post-dinner catch-up or a study session.

Written Nov 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulBars

Sinnonhyeon bar: Shin Ramyun-spicy webfoot octopus at Yeongdong Pocha

Yeongdong Pocha is a pocha (Korean street-style pub) with outdoor seating in the food alley between Sinnonhyeon Station and Nonhyeon Station in Gangnam, Seoul. Four former coworkers met there after work and ordered the 88 webfoot octopus at Shin Ramyun spice level, plus spicy whelk salad with flat dumplings, pork belly kimchi pancake and tuna rice balls. Expected to be a second-round spot, Yeongdong Pocha served food good enough to be the first stop of the night too.

Written Jun 2, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNowon, SeoulRestaurants

Nowon sushi buffet for a brother's birthday: 8:30pm 10% off, Kuu Kuu

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is a sushi buffet on the 6th floor of the Seoul Oncheon Building (서울온천빌딩) on Nowon-ro, near Hagye Station in Nowon, Seoul. The family visited Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch on a weekday around 8:30pm for a younger brother's birthday, got 10% off at entry, and found sushi, LA galbi (marinated short ribs), slushies and ice cream still being refilled late in the evening. Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is a good fit for a birthday meal with a family whose tastes all differ.

Written Oct 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Gunja Station men's salon: cut-only fix for fine curly hair, HairOnDeu

HairOnDeu Gunja Station Branch is a men's hair salon a 3-minute walk from Exit 5 of Gunja Station in Gwangjin, Seoul. The writer's husband has strongly curly, fine hair and worried about his crown, so he was considering a down perm or a side-part perm. The stylist at HairOnDeu recommended a cut only, since a perm could expose more scalp, and the frizzy hair ended up neat, with men's cuts starting at 20,000 won. HairOnDeu Gunja Station Branch suits men who want advice based on their hair's condition before choosing a treatment.

Written Oct 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Gangnam Station Vietnamese restaurant for a pre-wedding catch-up: Anan

Anan Gangnam Direct Store is a Vietnamese pho restaurant with a striking mint-colored interior near Exit 12 of Gangnam Station in Seoul. On a weekday evening, the writer met a soon-to-be-married friend to receive a wedding invitation and shared banh xeo (crispy Vietnamese crepe) and bun cha (grilled pork with rice noodles), both available only after 5 PM and served generously in bamboo baskets. For a relaxed place to talk at length near Gangnam Station, Anan Gangnam Direct Store is a good fit.

Written Oct 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNowon, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Nowon hair salon root perm + clinic for mom's too-short cut: Yeum Hair

Yeum Hair Nowon District Office branch is a hair salon in Nowon, Seoul, a 5-minute walk from Nowon Station Exit 7. Ahead of her wedding, the writer brought in her mother, whose hair a neighborhood salon had cut too short, for a root volume perm and a 3-step clinic on the lower lengths, along with a scalp massage, hand massage and eyebrow trim. The verdict: choosing root volume over a full perm made the short hair much easier to manage.

Written Jun 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongnam, GyeonggiRestaurants

Pangyo Korean BBQ on a diet: aged pork neck, a blanket, Dwaeji Mansion

Dwaeji Mansion Pangyo Avenue France Branch (돼지맨숀 판교아브뉴프랑점) is an aged-pork Korean BBQ restaurant where staff grill for you. It is on the first floor of Pangyo Avenue France, a 5-minute walk from Pangyo Station Exit 1 in Seongnam, Gyeonggi. A couple on a diet skipped pork belly and ordered 2 servings of aged pork neck and kimchi stew. Dwaeji Mansion staff grilled the meat from start to finish and explained each cut. When one diner got cold in short shorts, staff quietly brought a blanket. Moist, never-dry aged pork neck and a standout fish sauce pairing make Dwaeji Mansion a Pangyo Korean BBQ worth recommending for team dinners and get-togethers.

Written Jun 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNowon, SeoulRestaurants

Nowon Station conveyor sushi: 15+ plates, coffee coupon at Sushi Ianen

Sushi Ianen Nowon Station is a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant on the 3rd floor near Exit 2 of Nowon Station in Nowon, Seoul, where every plate costs a flat ₩1,990. The writer ate more than 15 plates, including salmon yukhoe sushi (seasoned raw salmon), engawa (flatfish fin), shrimp tempura, shrimp bacon sushi and futomaki (thick rolled sushi). The writer received a coffee coupon and came back because sushi not on the belt can be ordered straight from the chef. For good-value sushi near Nowon Station, Sushi Ianen Nowon Station comes highly recommended.

Written Jun 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongnam, GyeonggiRestaurants

Sunae Station Korean BBQ, 10% off to self-grill: Jeju Monteurak

Jeju Monteurak Bundang Sunae Branch (제주몬트락 분당수내점) is a Jeju black pork Korean BBQ restaurant in Bundang, Seongnam, a 5-minute walk from Sunae Station Exit 1. At a get-together to hear a friend's wedding news, the group grilled pork belly and pork neck themselves for a 10% discount and added a kimchi stew packed with pork. With a spacious hall and a Jeju-style atmosphere, Jeju Monteurak is a solid choice for friend gatherings or team dinners.

Written Oct 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulBars

Booth bar by Sejong Univ. for wedding invitations: yaki udon, Yukhoe

Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch is a yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) and yakiniku bar in Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin, Seoul, in front of Sejong University between Children's Grand Park Station and Konkuk Univ. Station. The writer chose a partitioned booth at Yukhoe Gongjakso to hand a friend a wedding invitation, ordered the salmon yukhoe yakiniku set, yaki udon and rice balls with soju, and was pleased with the free-refill beef egg soup and the fresh yukhoe and salmon. For a quiet, long conversation over drinks near Sejong University, Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch is a good fit.

Written Jul 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Haengdang-dong Korean BBQ for a wedding invitation meetup: Pujutgan

Pujutgan Saenggogi-jeom (푸줏간생고기점) is a pork belly Korean BBQ restaurant in Haengdang-dong, Seongdong, Seoul, a 5-minute walk from Wangsimni Station Exit 10. A regular of several years chose Pujutgan Saenggogi-jeom for a wedding invitation meetup and ordered fresh pork belly and pork neck. Staff grilled the meat at the table while the group talked, and free sides of bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles), doenjang (soybean paste) stew and kimchi stew came with the meal. Roomy seating and table-side grilling make Pujutgan Saenggogi-jeom a good fit for long, chatty gatherings.

Written Jul 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Post-honeymoon BBQ in Dogok-dong: galbi and naengmyeon, Gukgojip

Gukgojip (국고집) is a Korean BBQ restaurant in Dogok-dong, Gangnam, Seoul, near Yangjae Station Exit 4, serving fresh beef galbi-sal, handmade fresh sow pork galbi and lunch menus for office workers. Back from their European honeymoon, a couple arrived at Gukgojip right at weekend daytime opening and ordered 2 servings of fresh beef galbi-sal, handmade fresh sow pork galbi and a tasting-size bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles). Gukgojip delivered exactly the galbi and bibim naengmyeon they had craved all trip, a thoroughly satisfying visit.

Written Oct 7, 2026Sponsored