Solo burger dinner in Jongno after Kyobo and Jogyesa: Reel Burger
In short
Reel Burger Gwanghwamun is a handmade burger restaurant on the ground floor of the Shilla Stay building, between Gwanghwamun Station and Jonggak Station in Jongno, Seoul. At the end of a solo outing to Kyobo Book Centre and Jogyesa Temple, the writer ate alone at Reel Burger Gwanghwamun around 5 p.m., ordering the Classic Cheeseburger and the El Taco Burger, a menu item developed with consulting from Chef Lee Won-il. Verdict: Reel Burger Gwanghwamun is an easy place to eat alone, with a textbook cheeseburger and a spicy taco burger.
Good to know
- Getting there
- Jonggak Station Exit 2 · 5-min walk (store listing, Oct 6, 2026)
- Location
- Unit 105, 1F, Shilla Stay building, 71 Sambong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul (2–3 min walk from Gwanghwamun Station, 3–4 min from Jonggak Station)
- Hours
- Mon–Fri 11:00–20:30, Sat 11:00–15:00, closed Sundays
- Last order
- 30 minutes before closing
- Waitlist
- Available through Catch Table
- Parking
- No parking
- Ordering
- QR code at the table
- Solo dining
- Welcome
- What I ordered
- Classic Cheeseburger, El Taco Burger
- Complimentary
- Pickles and a self-serve bar
as written by the visitor on Jul 15, 2026
Why Reel Burger Gwanghwamun for a solo dinner in Jongno
Reel Burger Gwanghwamun is the handmade burger place I chose for dinner after a solo day out at Kyobo Book Centre and Jogyesa Temple. It's been a while since I played alone ~_~ Today I headed to Jongno to browse Kyobo and see Jogyesa, haha. After a little wandering I got hungry and thought I'd grab a quick dinner before going home, so I looked up Gwanghwamun restaurants and suddenly a handmade burger caught my eye, haha.
A burger is a perfect balance of carbs, protein and fat, so it's a flawless dinner! While searching for burger places, I spotted Reel Burger, which I'd meant to try ever since I went to The Hyundai Seoul.
Of course I had to run over right away! Haha. When I visited, Reel Burger Gwanghwamun had been open for less than a month, a brand-new Gwanghwamun spot, haha.
Reel Burger Gwanghwamun location, opening hours and parking
Reel Burger Gwanghwamun is on the ground floor of the Shilla Stay building, a 2–3 minute walk from Gwanghwamun Station and 3–4 minutes from Jonggak Station. Hours are Mon–Fri 11:00–20:30 and Saturday 11:00–15:00, with last order 30 minutes before closing, and it's closed on Sundays.
- Waitlist available on Catch Table
- No parking
It's on the ground floor, so it isn't hard to find. Shall we go in? Yo~
Is Reel Burger Gwanghwamun good for eating alone?
Solo dining is fine at Reel Burger Gwanghwamun, and I really did go alone and eat burgers. Maybe because it's new, the place is super clean!
The seats are quite roomy too! It was early evening (5 p.m.) and still there were quite a few people (solo dining is fine, and I was solo too 🙋🏻♀️).
How to order at Reel Burger Gwanghwamun and what to pick
You order at Reel Burger Gwanghwamun with the QR code on the table~ The menu descriptions are detailed, which I liked, haha.
Everything looks so good that I couldn't decide. But it was my first visit, and I wasn't really craving fried sides today, so I figured I'd go for two burgers and chose from the burger list, haha.
What's in the Classic Cheeseburger?
My first pick was the Classic Cheeseburger! 🍔 It's described as a cheeseburger that's true to the basics yet distilled to a refined flavor: a soft milk velvet brioche, a top-grade 100% beef patty, American cheese and red onion, plus Reel Burger's special garlic mayo and signature sauce, an authentic cheeseburger that anyone can enjoy without any burden, they say.
You can add extra options like this too! Haha.
What's in the El Taco Burger, and can you skip the cilantro?
And the other burger is the El Taco Burger! 🍔 Finished with consulting from Chef Lee Won-il on the YouTube channel <Gwajang malgo Sajang Haja>, it reinterprets the charm of authentic Mexican tacos, made with a spicy homemade salsa mayo sauce, crispy onion rings, a patty, cheese and onion, so you get an addictive taco-burger bite, they say, haha.
The coriander (cilantro) is mixed into the pico de gallo (salsa), so you can't take out just the coriander! Options can be chosen here too, haha. It's been a while since I had two handmade burgers, so I'm excited.
Once you order, you get these tangy, tasty pickles, haha. Wait a little and the burgers appear~!
The dishes all came out at once, which I loved, haha. Ahh, it smells amazing!
How does the Classic Cheeseburger at Reel Burger Gwanghwamun taste?
The Classic Cheeseburger at Reel Burger Gwanghwamun tasted like a textbook cheeseburger. First up, the Classic Cheeseburger!
It really tasted exactly like a textbook, delicious cheeseburger. The combination of fresh, good-quality ingredients was great. The patty was savory without being greasy, with a good texture, and the sauce was nutty and delicious, haha. Looking at the photos, I want to eat it again.
How spicy is the El Taco Burger at Reel Burger Gwanghwamun?
As you keep eating, the El Taco Burger at Reel Burger Gwanghwamun turns spicy, so it can be very hot for anyone who can't handle spice. The portion was also surprisingly generous. Next, the El Taco Burger! A tasty smell is wafting up~
It looks great too~ When you cut the burger, the salsa sauce comes out, haha.
Oh, it's surprisingly hearty, a surprisingly big portion, haha. And as I ate, it got spicy >_< (heads-up for anyone with a low spice tolerance: it can be very hot). I got the sharp bite of onion and the sauce, with a subtle hint of coriander, and even eaten with the meat patty it tasted like a taco, which was amazing, hahaha.
A tidy self-serve bar, haha. Reel Burger Gwanghwamun gave me a truly good handmade burger for the first time in a while. Next time I'll go back and try other burgers ^_^!
Where it is
Unit 105, 1F, 71 Sambong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 종로구 삼봉로 71 1층 105호
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