Quiet Seat Guest · 78 stories

A Quiet Bar Seat

I write about unhurried evenings at bars around Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Bars · Cafés · Shopping · Hair & beauty salons · Things to do

PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Light Korean meal in Dongdaemun Market: yukhoe & pancake, Sunhuine

Sunhuine Bindaetteok Dak Hanmari Dongdaemun (순희네빈대떡 닭한마리 동대문본점) is a Korean restaurant on Dak Hanmari Alley, between Jongno 5-ga Station and Dongdaemun Station in Jongno, Seoul, with a menu that goes well beyond dak hanmari (whole chicken hot pot) to yukhoe tangtangi, mung bean pancakes and rice dishes. Wanting something light, the writer ordered yukhoe tangtangi (beef tartare with live octopus, 38,000 won) and a meat mung bean pancake (12,000 won), and was happy with the moist yukhoe and the pancake's crispy outside and thick inside. Sunhuine Bindaetteok is a good Dongdaemun Market stop even when you are craving yukhoe or bindaetteok rather than chicken hot pot.

Written Nov 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Italian date in Yeouido: runny-yolk Bismarck pizza, Cuisine R

Cuisine R is an Italian restaurant on the 2nd floor of the Baeksang Building, near Exit 5 of Yeouido Station in Seoul. On an evening date, the blogger shared a bottarga rosé pasta loaded with pollock roe (23,000 won) and a cream-based Bismarck pizza topped with a soft-cooked egg (30,000 won). Ordering rosé pasta with cream pizza at Cuisine R is a winning combination, and the ginkgo views from the window seats make it a recommended dinner spot in Yeouido.

Written Nov 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hapjeong Korean BBQ lunch set for two with kimchi fried rice: Daemok

Daemok (대목) is a Korean BBQ restaurant near Exit 5 of Hapjeong Station in Mapo, Seoul, serving pork belly, pork neck and salt-marinated grilled pork, with a lunch set that runs daily from 11:30 until before 14:00. The writer ordered the salt-marinated pork lunch set (130g of meat plus one meal, 26,000 won, minimum two people) for two, choosing Daemok kimchi fried rice and a seasonal doenjang (soybean paste) stew; staff grilled the meat, and the meals arrived almost at the same time as the pork. With lunch sets on weekends too and free corkage, Daemok is worth considering for a filling Korean BBQ lunch near Hapjeong Station.

Written Nov 3, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulThings to do

Hongdae couple ring-making class: free-form wax rings at Silver Family

Silver Family is a wax carving ring workshop on Seogang-ro in Mapo, Seoul, near Exit 7 of Sinchon Station. In Silver Family's wax carving one-day class, a couple each carved a green wax ring into a free-form, irregular ring and decided to add white round cubic zirconia stones. Even without a knack for crafts, the teacher's close guidance made it possible to finish, so the Silver Family class is a recommended one-of-a-kind date near Hongdae and Sinchon.

Written Nov 3, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Burger joint after a Seonyudo Park walk: The BAS Burger and BAS Lager

BAS Burger Seonyudo is a handmade burger restaurant right in front of Exit 4 of Seonyudo Station in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. After a walk in Seonyudo Park, the writer ordered The BAS Burger (13,100 won) and a wasabi mayo shrimp burger (10,900 won) with an added fried egg, both switched to grilled onion, alongside a 285ml BAS Lager and free handmade James Gam potato chips. BAS Burger Seonyudo is a filling burger-and-beer stop to end a day out at Seonyudo Park.

Written Nov 2, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulBars

Korean pub near Sangsu Station with brisket potato pancake: Hwanyeong

Hwanyeong (환영) is a Korean pub on Wausan-ro 15-gil near Sangsu Station Exit 1 in Mapo, Seoul. On a Saturday evening around 8 PM, after a wait, the writer sat in a private room at Hwanyeong and ordered beef brisket potato pancake (18,000 won), perilla oil fried eggs with five eggs (6,000 won) and Kirin draft beer (8,000 won). The crispy brisket potato pancake and the good-value perilla oil fried eggs made Hwanyeong a satisfying spot for a beer near Sangsu Station.

Written Nov 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hapjeong solo sukiyaki restaurant: ₩16,900 warishita pot at Nahonsha

Nahonsha is a solo shabu-shabu and sukiyaki restaurant on Dongmak-ro in Mapo, Seoul, near Hapjeong Station Exit 7. Every bar seat at Nahonsha has its own induction burner and tablet for ordering, and the Hon Sukiyaki (16,900 won) is simmered in warishita sauce and dipped in raw egg for a sweet, salty flavor. Nahonsha suits solo diners and companions who would rather not share, since each person gets their own pot.

Written Nov 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeodaemun, SeoulRestaurants

Sinchon gukbap spot after U-Plex shopping: generous sundae, Pyeongando

Pyeongando Sikdang Sinchon Branch (평안도식당 신촌점) is a gukbap (rice soup) and hangover-soup restaurant on Yeonse-ro 4-gil in Sinchon, Seoul, near Exit 3 of Sinchon Station, open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. After shopping in Sinchon, the writer ordered spicy boneless gukbap (14,000 won) and a half plate of sundae (Korean blood sausage, 11,000 won); the meat tasted fresh, and the half plate was generous for its name. Pyeongando Sikdang Sinchon Branch is an easy, no-time-pressure stop for a meal after shopping in Sinchon or a late dinner.

Written Oct 31, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Gwanghwamun sushi after Kyobo Book Centre: big-cut fish, Choe Uyeong

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch (최우영스시야 종로점) is a sushi and Japanese restaurant on basement level 1 of Tower 8, between Gwanghwamun and Jonggak in Seoul. After a stop at Kyobo Book Centre in Gwanghwamun, the writer ordered the 16-piece premium sushi set, the special kaisendon (seafood rice bowl), shrimp tempura udon and a jumbo fried shrimp, and the large slices of fish generously covering the rice stood out most. Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch is a good choice for a filling sushi meal after browsing books.

Written Oct 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeongdeungpo sushi omakase, salt & wasabi flounder: Sushi Hibi

Sushi Hibi is a counter-seat sushi omakase restaurant in an alley near Exit 4 of Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. The 50,000-won-per-person Sushi Hibi lunch omakase started with egg tofu and a seaweed-and-octopus vinegar jelly. It moved on to flounder eaten two ways (with salt and with wasabi), shiso-topped mackerel, ankimo (monkfish liver), Goto udon and strawberry sorbet, with the chef explaining each course. For a good-value lunch omakase in Yeongdeungpo, Sushi Hibi is worth recommending.

Written Oct 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulCafés

Yeonnam-dong café, air fryer glacé scone tip: Butter & Shelter

Butter & Shelter Yeonnam is a butter sand dessert café on Seongmisan-ro in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo, Seoul. The writer took home three butter sands (original ₩3,200, glacé and crème brûlée ₩3,500 each) and a ₩4,900 glacé scone, and found the glacé scone tasted even more buttery after warming it in an air fryer. Butter & Shelter Yeonnam is a Yeonnam-dong dessert café that stands out for comparing butter sand flavors and for its gift packaging.

Written Oct 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Weekend brisket shabu-shabu for 2 at ₩48,000, Hapjeong: Shabu in Seoul

Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch is a premium shabu-shabu set restaurant on B2 of Delight Square 1 by Hapjeong Station in Mapo, Seoul. For a weekend lunch, two premium brisket shabu sets in spicy mushroom broth came to 48,000 won (dinner pricing of 24,000 won per person), and a flyer event added 8 free assorted fish balls. With a rose risotto made tableside by staff and omija tea to finish, Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch is a satisfying pick for a date or family meal.

Written Oct 27, 2026Sponsored