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I write about meals at restaurants I visit in Gyeonggi. · Writes about: Restaurants · Bars · Stays · Cafés · Hair & beauty salons

PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Seoul Korean BBQ in Jongno 3-ga: weekday dinner for 3 friends, Cham

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch is a black pork and aged-meat Korean BBQ restaurant on the first floor of the Piccadilly CGV theater near Ikseon-dong in Jongno 3-ga, Seoul. On a weekday evening, three friends joined the Cham Dwaejitgan waitlist through the Catch Table app. They ordered 2 servings of black pork five-layer belly, 1 serving of black pork neck and fried rice. Staff grilled the meat to the end, and minari (water dropwort), bean sprouts and kimchi went on the grill alongside it. For a group dinner or work outing in Jongno 3-ga where someone else does the grilling, Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch is a good fit.

Written Apr 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeongdeungpo restaurant: chicken stew with kalguksu noodles, Doriyeon

Doriyeon Dakdoritang Yeongdeungpo-gu Office branch (도리연닭도리탕 영등포구청점) is a dakdoritang (spicy braised chicken stew) restaurant near Exit 4 of Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station in Seoul, open until 2am. The blogger ordered a medium boneless dakdoritang at regular spice with a bowl of rice, then cooked kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) in the leftover broth to finish. The seafood-based broth gets richer as it simmers, so the kalguksu add-on at Doriyeon is well worth ordering.

Written Nov 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongsan, SeoulRestaurants

Namyeong Korean BBQ with a chef-collab herb sauce: Byeoljin Hwarogui

Byeoljin Hwarogui is a camping-themed smoked barbecue restaurant near Exit 1 of Namyeong Station in Yongsan, Seoul. The writer returned to Byeoljin Hwarogui with a friend for a wedding invitation meetup, drawn back by the herb-based signature sauce made in collaboration with a chef, and ordered the Smoke Camping Set (medium, 800g), kimchi stew and a gin Earl Grey highball. The set left two people stuffed, and the soft lighting makes Byeoljin Hwarogui a good Namyeong pick for a meal where conversation matters.

Written Nov 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNowon, SeoulRestaurants

Nowon Korean set course with forsythia fritters: Sutgarak Masil

Sutgarak Bansang Masil (숟가락반상 마실) is a Korean set-course restaurant at 412 Nowon-ro in Nowon, Seoul, a 10-minute walk from Nowon Station Exit 1. The writer ordered the signature Masil set with mom and enjoyed a spring course that ran from Job's tears and cherry blossom porridge through forsythia fritters, nutritious mushroom galbijjim (braised short ribs), Masil tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties), spring wild chive hot pot and cherry blossom pot rice to a seasonal dessert. With private rooms, high chairs and its own parking lot, Sutgarak Bansang Masil is a good fit for family meals or meeting the in-laws in Nowon.

Written May 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNowon, SeoulRestaurants

Hagye-dong sushi buffet lunch: BBQ & pineapple slush, Kuu Kuu Nowon

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet of over 300 pyeong on the 6th floor of the Seoul Oncheon Building near Hagye Station in Nowon, Seoul. The writer skipped breakfast and came for lunch with a friend who can't eat raw fish, and the two filled up on BBQ, made-to-order dishes, bubble tea and pineapple slush as well as sushi, rolls and seafood. Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch has such a varied menu that even a friend who can't eat raw fish suggests going, making it a solid Nowon pick for family meals and get-togethers.

Written May 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSiheung, GyeonggiRestaurants

Siheung BBQ lunch: pajeon bulgogi in sweet-salty sauce, Bulhyangjip

Bulhyangjip Mulwang Lake Main Branch is a briquette-grilled Korean BBQ restaurant right by Mulwang Reservoir in Siheung, Gyeonggi. Over lunch on the Bulhyangjip terrace, the writer had 2 servings of briquette pajeon bulgogi (bulgogi with scallions), briquette-seared pork belly, Country Grandma's doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) and Bulhyangjip bibim guksu (spicy mixed noodles), and rated the sweet-salty special sauce, nicknamed the "drug sauce", and the doenjang stew especially highly. With its nature-view terrace and large parking lot, Bulhyangjip is a family meal spot the writer wants to revisit with parents.

Written Jun 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJeju, JejuCafés

Jeju rice cake shop: 40 omegi-tteok gifts, 5 flavors cut open: Suragan

Suragan Tteokbang (수라간떡방) is a rice cake shop on Noyeon-ro in Jeju City, about a 10-minute drive from Jeju Airport. After tasting same-day rice cakes with their parents, the writer packed one 20-piece mixed-flavor omegi-tteok (Jeju millet rice cake) set and two 10-piece tangerine omegi-tteok sets as gifts, then cut five flavors in half to compare them: tangerine, red bean, mixed nut, soybean powder and black sesame. Suragan Tteokbang is a good place to pick up gift omegi-tteok on the last day of a Jeju trip, on the way to the airport.

Written Oct 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeogwipo, JejuRestaurants

Family Korean breakfast near Yongmeori Coast, Seogwipo: mackerel ssam

Jungmun Godeungeo Ssam-bap is a mackerel Korean restaurant on Iljuseo-ro in Seogwipo, Jeju, open from 8:30 a.m. and a handy breakfast stop on a Jeju trip. The writer's family ordered aged-kimchi mackerel ssam-bap (mackerel with rice wrapped in greens) and abalone sea urchin seaweed soup, each as an abalone stone-pot rice set; the moist mackerel, sweet-spicy aged kimchi, nurungji (scorched rice) and homemade sikhye (sweet rice drink) all won the parents over. For a hearty family breakfast near Yongmeori Coast and Jungmun Tourist Complex, Jungmun Godeungeo Ssam-bap is a good fit.

Written Oct 20, 2026Sponsored
PlaceDongdaemun, SeoulRestaurants

Seoul Korean BBQ in Dongdaemun: 5-second rice cake wraps, Donbyeorak

Donbyeorak Kimchi Samgyeopsal Jangandong Main Branch is a kimchi pork belly Korean BBQ restaurant near Janghanpyeong Station and the Jangan-dong intersection in Dongdaemun, Seoul. The writer grilled 2 servings of kimchi pork belly by the hourglass, wrapped the pork in tteoksam (thin rice cake wraps), then had mild bibim somyeon (mixed thin wheat noodles) and flying fish roe fried rice with extra cheese. With a roomy, well-ventilated dining room and plenty of events, Donbyeorak is a filling pick for group dinners or a date-night meal.

Written Oct 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Seafood restaurant in Jung-gu, Seoul: mild monkfish stew with Mom

Yaksudong Haemul Teombeong (약수동해물텀벙) is a seafood restaurant in Jung-gu, Seoul, near Exit 5 of Yaksu Station. After the weekday lunch hour, the writer and Mom ordered the medium agujjim (braised monkfish and seafood) in the mild version, heaped with octopus, abalone and shrimp, and finished with a side of fried rice. Even with family members who can't handle spicy food, the mild agujjim at Yaksudong Haemul Teombeong is an easy, stress-free choice.

Written Jun 17, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulRestaurants

Gwangjin ramen shop: alternating motsu ramen and hormone-don, Mentsuru

Mentsuru Children's Grand Park Branch is a Japanese-style ramen shop near Exit 4 of Children's Grand Park Station in Gwangjin, Seoul. The writer ordered motsu ramen (beef intestine ramen) and hormone-don (beef large intestine rice bowl) together, switching between the spicy broth and the rich, savory daechang. With bar seats and kiosk ordering at the entrance, Mentsuru is an easy pick for a solo meal or a quick dinner.

Written Oct 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

Sadang Chinese restaurant: egg jajangmyeon & tangsuyuk, Baoro China

Baoro China Sadang Branch is a Chinese restaurant with many private rooms on the 2nd floor of a building near Exit 13 of Sadang Station in Seocho, Seoul. The writer and a partner shared three dishes: the signature fresh pork loin skewer tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork), jajangmyeon (black bean noodles) topped with a fried egg, and seafood jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), and melting the butter in the tangsuyuk sauce was the most memorable part. For a family meal, team dinner or meeting near Sadang Station, Baoro China Sadang Branch is a satisfying choice, with all three dishes hitting the mark.

Written Jun 18, 2026Sponsored