Sooyeon Baek · 2 stories

A Half Pint in Mapo

Writes about bars and restaurants around Seoul, mostly the ones near where the night starts to wind down. · Writes about: Bars · Restaurants

PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Myeongdong BBQ 3rd-floor seats, bibim naengmyeon: Yuktongnyeong

Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong Main Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant in Jung-gu, Seoul, a 4-minute walk from Myeongdong Station Exit 5, with aged black pork belly served across a whole three-story building. The first floor was full, so the writer was seated in the wide third-floor hall and ordered omija-aged Gwanggaeto black pork belly, dongchimi naengmyeon (bibim, cold noodles with watery radish kimchi), rice and Cass beer, with the staff grilling the pork at the table; the sun-tae jeot (fermented pork sauce) and pajeori (scallion salad) stood out. With that much space, Yuktongnyeong handles group dinners in Myeongdong easily.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwanak, SeoulBars

Soy sauce shrimp rice at Tomo, a Sharosu-gil izakaya in Seoul

Tomo is an izakaya with all private rooms on Sharosu-gil, near Seoul National University Station in Gwanak, Seoul. On a weekday 5:30pm reservation the writer sat in the innermost four-person room at Tomo and ate premium sashimi for two, soy sauce shrimp rice and the clam butter steam that comes free with a Naver reservation, and all 12 kinds of sashimi were soft with no fishy taste. With free corkage and no limit on the number of bottles, Tomo suits group drinking nights such as wedding invitation gatherings or birthday parties.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
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