Neon Lunch · 12 stories

Lunches Under Neon

I write about restaurants and everyday meals around Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons · Cafés

Charcoal offal BBQ in Byeollae during wedding prep: Chodaechang

Chodaechang Byeollae Branch (초대창 별내점) is a charcoal-grilled beef offal restaurant in an alley near the Sinan Insville complex in Byeollae, Namyangju. After holding off on greasy food while preparing for the wedding ceremony, the writer enjoyed a full course of Mixed Grill Set A (640g, 66,000 won) and beef tripe fried rice (13,000 won), with staff grilling everything over charcoal from start to finish. For grilled offal with no gamey smell in a comfortable, smoke-free room, Chodaechang Byeollae Branch is a great fit.

Written Oct 28, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Solo sushi bar in Seolleung: salted squid and 13 Post-it picks, Sakai

Sakai is an unmarked sushi sakaba (sushi and drinks bar) in Gangnam, Seoul, about a 7-minute walk from Seolleung Station Exit 1, where diners order each piece by writing it on a Post-it. The writer ate 13 pieces alone at the counter, from flatfish (₩3,700) through uni (₩10,000) and negitoro hosomaki to egg (₩2,900), and named sweet shrimp with kimi (egg-yolk) sauce, chutoro and salt-sprinkled spotted squid as the must-order pieces. For a pick-your-own, omakase-style sushi meal near Seolleung Station while watching the chef shape each piece, Sakai is a strong fit.

Written Oct 15, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGangnam, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Gangnam Station lash salon: LED C-curl with 11mm center at Lashdol

Lashdol Gangnam Station is a lash extension and lash perm salon on Teheran-ro 4-gil near Gangnam Station in Seoul. The writer gets extensions often because her lashes are short and flat. She asked for a JC curl, but after an eye-shape consultation with the Lashdol Gangnam Station owner she got LED lash extensions in a C-curl of 8–10mm, with longer lashes mixed in only at the center. The result was not overdone and looked defined even without mascara, and she was happy enough to plan a return visit.

Written Oct 13, 2026Sponsored

PlaceYongsan, SeoulRestaurants

Yongsan Station eel rice bowl for solo diners: eel with wasabi at Una

Una Yongsan Main Branch is a charcoal-grilled eel hitsumabushi (Nagoya-style eel rice) restaurant on the 2nd floor of Episode Yongsan in Yongsan, Seoul. Dining solo, the writer ordered the small hitsumabushi mentaiko set (42,000 won) with a beer, ate the eel with wasabi and with mentaiko (pollock roe), then finished with ochazuke and green tea ice cream. The soft, non-fishy eel at Una Yongsan Main Branch tasted even better than the eel rice bowls the writer had eaten in Japan.

Written Oct 7, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Apgujeong Station sushi bar, 8 nigiri and draft beer: Sushi Sakaba

Sushi Sakaba Apgujeong is a Japanese sushi izakaya in Gangnam, Seoul, a 3-minute walk from Exit 4 of Apgujeong Station, where diners order nigiri one piece at a time. At the counter, the writer ate 8 pieces: threeline grunt, young yellowback seabream, deokja silver pomfret and herring, all marked 'seasonal', plus seared sea bream, jack mackerel, sweet shrimp and sea urchin, with a Suntory draft beer and self-serve oden. Sushi Sakaba Apgujeong lets you pick premium toppings to your own taste, which makes it a satisfying spot for eating and drinking solo.

Written Aug 7, 2026Partially sponsored

PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Gangnam Taiwanese restaurant: beef noodles and cream shrimp, Namsogwan

Namsogwan U Yuk Dosakmyeon (남소관 우육도삭면) is a two-floor Taiwanese-style Chinese restaurant near Exit 11 of Gangnam Station in Seoul, serving handmade dim sum and knife-cut noodles. After a wait on a weekday evening, the writer shared beef knife-cut noodles (₩11,000), xiaolongbao and shaomai (₩9,800 each) and cream shrimp (₩19,900). Namsogwan lets you enjoy Taiwan-style knife-cut noodles and dim sum in one meal without flying to Taiwan.

Written Oct 1, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Gangnam Station Korean BBQ served on minari and bracken fern: Giun

Giun Gangnam Station Main Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant on Dogok-ro near Gangnam Station in Seoul, specializing in galbi samgyeopsal (rib-bone pork belly) that staff grill for you. Two diners ordered the Giun Set (₩60,000) with 600g of galbi samgyeopsal and mixed vegetables, eating the meat over minari (water dropwort) and gosari (bracken fern) with soy-sauce grilled scallion, grilled white kimchi and pickled gungchae (celtuce stem). For a richer, nuttier flavor than regular samgyeopsal, the Giun Set at Giun Gangnam Station Main Branch is a safe first order.

Written Sep 29, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

First-time pufferfish soup near Cheongdam Station: Bogi-o Boguk

Bogi-o Boguk is a pufferfish restaurant on the 2nd floor of the Cheongdam Deokyoung Building on Dosan-daero, a 10-minute walk from Exit 13 of Cheongdam Station in Gangnam, Seoul. Trying pufferfish for the first time, the writer dined alone and ordered the milbok clear pufferfish soup (jiri) at 24,000 won, served in an earthenware pot that kept it hot to the last spoonful, with a clean broth and no fishy taste. The pufferfish meat was chewy and mild, making Bogi-o Boguk a satisfying place for a first bowl of pufferfish soup.

Written Sep 22, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGangdong, SeoulRestaurants

Naver-bookable Cheonho chicken galbi with rice balls: Ondogye annex

Ondogye is a charcoal chicken galbi (grilled marinated chicken) restaurant at the entrance to Cheonho's Jjukkumi Alley in Gangdong, Seoul, and its new annex is a one-minute walk from the main building. This visit covered two servings of garlic salt chicken galbi and one of spicy sauce chicken galbi at 270g for 17,000 won each, plus a 3,000 won rice ball and 5,000 won steamed egg, with doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) and fried chicken gizzard served free. Ondogye takes Naver reservations, so booking ahead is the safer plan for dinner.

Written Sep 19, 2026Sponsored

PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Cauldron-lid pork belly BBQ near Wangsimni Station: Pujutgan

Pujutgan Saenggogi-jeom is a cauldron-lid pork belly BBQ restaurant in the Haengdang Market food alley, a 4-minute walk from Wangsimni Station Exit 10 in Seongdong, Seoul. On a weekday evening, two diners shared 3 servings of fresh pork belly and 1 serving of pork jowl grilled at the table by staff, then worked through the unlimited nurungji (scorched rice soup), doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) and dessert naengmyeon (cold noodles). Order meat for your headcount and four meal items come free and unlimited, which makes Pujutgan Saenggogi-jeom the one pork belly stop in Wangsimni worth repeating.

Written Sep 15, 2026Sponsored

PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

Solo uni and sweet shrimp kaisendon at Ilpum, Gangnam Station

Ilpum Gangnam Branch is a Japanese rice bowl restaurant a 2-minute walk from Exit 6 of Gangnam Station, Seoul. Eating solo at the bar table, the writer ordered the premium kaisendon (₩37,000) topped with sea urchin, sweet shrimp and abalone, served with a full course of chawanmushi, karaage & cold udon, and mango pudding. The aged sashimi was thick-cut and the sea urchin had zero bitterness, making it a satisfying solo meal for seafood lovers.

Written Sep 8, 2026Sponsored

PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Euljiro-ipgu Station tonkatsu: solo black pork loin set, Hunta Euljiro

Hunta Euljiro is a Japanese pork cutlet restaurant in Jung-gu, Seoul, serving premium black pork cutlets near Euljiro 1-ga Station. I ordered the 14,000-won loin cutlet set for a solo dinner and especially loved its rich meatiness with homemade green-onion kimchi. Hunta Euljiro is an easy, satisfying choice whether dining alone or with a group.

Written Sep 12, 2026Sponsored

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