Seongsu Weekender · 89 stories

Beyond the Menu

I write about restaurants I visit around Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Bars · Stays · Things to do · Shopping · Home & living · Hair & beauty salons

PlaceSeongbuk, SeoulRestaurants

Gireum Station dining bar for highballs and Brussels sprouts: N.G.T

N.G.T is a dining bar in Seongbuk, Seoul, near Exit 7 of Gireum Station, where food and drinks are served at dark-toned bar tables. The writer ordered the doenjang (fermented soybean paste) rockfish risotto for 27,000 won, fried Brussels sprouts for 18,000 won, lemon cream brûlée for 8,000 won and a Jim Beam White highball for 8,000 won. From the pre-meal crackers and mini salad through to dessert, N.G.T's unusual ingredient pairings stood out. For a quiet date or a solo drink near Gireum Station, N.G.T is a great fit.

Written Jun 3, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulBars

Sinnonhyeon jazz bar date: Lee Seonggu Trio and frosé at Flat Nine

Flat Nine (플랫나인) is a jazz dining bar on the 5th floor of 10 Gangnam-daero 65-gil in Seocho, Seoul, near Gangnam Station Exit 10, where you can eat a course meal while watching live jazz. On Saturday, October 24 at 4 p.m., the Lee Seonggu Trio played the first set while we shared Flat Nine's signature 7-course for two (118,000 won) with Iberico steak, plus a strawberry frosé. For a Sinnonhyeon or Gangnam Station date that adds something special to dinner, Flat Nine is worth recommending.

Written Oct 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulCafés

Seochon bakery café: gourmet butter salt bread & Fromance tea, Respire

Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon is a bakery café with a European countryside feel in Seochon, Jongno, Seoul, just below Cheongwadae. The order was condensed milk salt bread (4,300 won), the signature Salt Summer Latte (8,000 won) and Fromance, a fruity tea served in a pot (7,500 won), and the salt bread balanced condensed milk sweetness, French gourmet butter and a salty finish. For sweet-salty salt bread and cozy 2nd-floor window seats on a Seochon walk, Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon is a good fit.

Written Jun 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Yeoksam Station eel bowl dinner for two: eggplant & seaweed, Yangsando

Yangsando Yeoksam is a Japanese eel bowl restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul, within walking distance of Yeoksam Station Exit 3. At dinner, the eggplant eel bowl for two came topped with grilled eggplant and was served as a full set with soup, salad, egg custard and small soba noodles, followed by plum tea for dessert. If you want something different from an eel-only bowl, the eggplant eel bowl at Yangsando Yeoksam is worth a try.

Written Oct 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceUijeongbu, GyeonggiRestaurants

Korean BBQ on Uijeongbu's Haengbok-ro: 500g marinated rib at Sotongae

Sotongae Uijeongbu Direct Store (소통애 의정부직영점) is a charcoal-grilled beef short rib restaurant near Uijeongbu Station and Haengbok-ro in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi. For dinner, the writer ordered 500g of marinated beef short rib for 45,000 won and steamed egg with flying fish roe for 6,000 won, grilled the beef over charcoal and got one free doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew) with the plate of marinated short rib. Alternating the marinated short rib with garlic, myeongi (pickled wild garlic leaves), mushrooms and lettuce wraps kept the whole plate enjoyable to the last bite.

Written Oct 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceUijeongbu, GyeonggiRestaurants

Uijeongbu Korean BBQ: jowl, neck-end, grilled kimchi, Geuttaegeujip

Geuttaegeujip (그때그집) is a Korean BBQ restaurant in the Sinsigaji (new town) area of Uijeongbu near Uijeongbu Station, open 24 hours a day, year-round, for more than 20 years. The writer grilled one serving each of pork jowl (hangjeongsal) and gabrisal (pork neck-end) at ₩20,000 each, ate them with grilled kimchi and lettuce wraps, and finished with a ₩10,000 kimchi stew; the chewy, nutty pork jowl and the wide spread of side dishes stood out. Geuttaegeujip is a good stop when you want Korean BBQ in a spacious room without worrying about the time.

Written Jun 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Gwanghwamun gyukatsu restaurant: Memorial Day cut comparison, Ichigyu

Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch is a Japanese restaurant on basement level 1 of Le Meilleur Jongno Town in Jongno, Seoul, where diners grill gyukatsu (Japanese beef cutlet) themselves on a personal tabletop grill. On Memorial Day evening, the writer ordered tenderloin gyukatsu (₩23,000) and striploin gyukatsu (₩19,000) and tried them in turn with itare sauce, wasabi, chili sauce and a mini curry. Verdict: the striploin had a richer, nutty flavor and the tenderloin a softer bite, which makes Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch a good gyukatsu spot for comparing two cuts side by side.

Written Jun 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Eel rice bowl restaurant near Deoksugung: nori-wrapped shogayaki, Tawa

Tawa is a Nagoya-style hitsumabushi (grilled eel rice bowl) restaurant on basement level 1 of the Hansan Building, right in front of Exit 10 of City Hall Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. At Tawa, the Nagoya-style hitsumabushi (30,000 won) was eaten three ways in order: plain, wrapped in nori with wasabi, and as ochazuke. The side dish of baby shogayaki (ginger pork, 8,000 won) was wrapped in the leftover nori. Tawa is a solid choice for a date meal paired with a visit to Deoksugung Palace.

Written Oct 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulCafés

Seongsu taiyaki café for groups: marshmallow cream coffee at Childish

Childish is a dessert café on the 2nd floor of 114 Yeonmujang-gil in Seongsu, Seoul, known for salted taiyaki, a mash-up of salt bread and taiyaki (fish-shaped pastry). A group shared the Salt Bread X Taiyaki, Mammoth Chewy Salted Taiyaki, Pizza Salted Taiyaki, Red Bean Rice Cake Salt Bread, two salt bread sandwiches, the Playing with Fire Cream Coffee and a Strawberry Tulsi. For anyone who wants to try baked-to-order salted taiyaki from sweet-and-salty to savory, Childish is a Seongsu café worth a stop.

Written Oct 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Italian restaurant in Hyehwa, Seoul: apple brie pizza at Pasta Market

Pasta Market Hyehwa flagship is an Italian restaurant in a hanok-style building with a European market feel, tucked into an alley off Daehak-ro 11-gil in Jongno, Seoul. On this visit the order was the apple brie jambon pizza (23,000 won), the Parma steak risotto (20,900 won) and a Pepsi Zero, and the sweet-salty mix of apple, jambon (French ham) and brie paired well with the thick, creamy risotto. With its charming interior and two-person tables, Pasta Market Hyehwa flagship is a safe pick for a blind date in Hyehwa or a date in Daehak-ro.

Written Jun 9, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulBars

Cherry blossom ceiling pub at Konkuk Univ. with mango highballs: Dowon

Sinseon Sulzip Dowon Konkuk Main Branch is a Korean gastropub near Exit 2 of Konkuk Univ. Station in Gwangjin, Seoul. On the 2nd floor, under a ceiling filled with cherry blossom trees, the writer had jokbal suyuk (boiled pork hock, 23,800 won), assorted sundae (Korean blood sausage, 20,800 won), avocado hanwoo++ yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) served in a sinseollo pot (24,800 won) and I'm Fine pineapple bingsu (12,800 won), plus two mango highballs at 8,000 won each, one regular and one non-alcoholic. At Sinseon Sulzip Dowon, the cherry blossom and waterwheel decor left a stronger impression than the food.

Written Oct 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Myeongdong massage shop for first-timers with tech neck: Da Hanoi

Da Hanoi Foot & Body City Hall President Hotel Branch is a hotel-spa-style massage shop on basement level 2 of the President Hotel on Euljiro in Jung-gu, Seoul. An office worker who had almost never had a massage tried the 60-minute Aroma Basic Care (77,000 won member price), which runs through a foot bath, an aroma massage with Sevin London Marble Black oil, warm stones and lower-body care. Verdict: Da Hanoi is an easy, low-pressure first massage shop in Myeongdong for anyone whose neck, shoulders and back are stiff from long hours at a desk.

Written Oct 22, 2026Sponsored