Gangseo Last Seat · 4 stories

The Last Empty Table

I write about restaurant meals I come across in Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés

Hongdae pasta spot, ₩10,000 corkage & duck cream risotto: Hey Joji

Hey Joji (헤이죠지) is an American-style Western restaurant in a Yeonnam-dong alley, a 7-minute walk from Exit 3 of Hongik Univ. Station in Mapo, Seoul. Two diners shared the bocconcini meat chili tomato pasta, which had ragù-like meat and wasn't salty, and the duck steak cream risotto, which was thick and creamy with barley mixed in for a pleasant texture. Open daily 12:00-21:00 with no break time and charging ₩10,000 per person for corkage, Hey Joji suits cream risotto fans and small get-togethers like wedding-invitation dinners.

Written Apr 30, 2026Sponsored

PlaceSeodaemun, SeoulCafés

Yeonnam-dong bakery: garlic baguette pan-fried next day, Mandong Jegwa

Mandong Jegwa Yeonnam Branch (만동제과 연남점) is a well-known Yeonnam-dong bakery at 32 Yeonhui-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, whose signature breads are the garlic baguette and the onion bagel. On a weekday visit with no wait, the writer took both home: the Mandong Jegwa garlic baguette was moist straight away, but after a night in the fridge and a reheat in a frying pan it came out crisp outside and even moister inside. Verdict: the Mandong Jegwa garlic baguette tastes best pan-warmed the next day.

Written May 6, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Pork cutlet and bacon cream spaghetti by Seoul Botanic Park: Tteudon

Tteudon Magok Branch is a handmade pork cutlet (donkatsu) restaurant near Magok Station and Seoul Botanic Park in Gangseo, Seoul, from a brand that started in Daegu. We ordered the Tteudon pork cutlet and bacon cream spaghetti, then built a pork cutlet burger with dinner rolls from the Tteudon self-serve bar. The garlic-sauce salad tasted even better inside the burger, so it was worth the extra effort. Soup, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), udon broth and ice cream are all self-serve, and cutlet dishes are 1,000 won off at lunchtime.

Written Aug 6, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Jjolmyeon set and chicken mayo rice bowl in Gangseo: Uwol Gimbap

Uwol Gimbap is a newly opened Korean snack restaurant (bunsik) near Ujangsan Station in Gangseo, Seoul. Three of us ordered the jjolmyeon set (chewy spicy noodles with tonkatsu and gimbap) for 13,000 won, the hot stone chicken mayo rice bowl for 9,000 won and the spicy anchovy gimbap for 6,000 won, and tried everything from tonkatsu made with Korean pork to gimbap studded with almonds. With self-serve side dishes and udon broth plus generous portions, Uwol Gimbap is an easy neighborhood favorite.

Written Sep 6, 2026Sponsored

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