Jung-gu Door Pusher · 83 stories

Through the Restaurant Door

I write about meals and visits to restaurants in Gyeonggi. · Writes about: Restaurants · Bars · Cafés · Hair & beauty salons · Shopping · Things to do

PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Jeju-style restaurant in Sindang: thick dombe-gogi at Guksue Chwihaman

Guksue Chwihaman Sindang Main Branch is a Jeju-style restaurant specialising in gogi-guksu (pork noodle soup) and dombe-gogi (boiled pork slices), a 2-minute walk from Exit 3 of Sindang Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. Missing a winter trip to Jeju, the writer stopped by Guksue Chwihaman for dinner and ordered gogi-guksu, bibim guksu (spicy mixed noodles) and dombe-gogi; each noodle bowl was 10,000 won and topped generously with thick, tender dombe-gogi. Guksue Chwihaman is a good way to get a taste of Jeju near Sindang Station when there's no time to fly there.

Written Nov 9, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Gwanghwamun sushi for a wedding invite meetup: tuna belly, Choe Uyeong

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch is a sushi and kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) restaurant in Jongno near Gwanghwamun, Seoul, linked to Jonggak Station Exit 1 by an indoor passage. On the Sunday of the first snow, the meal was the 16-piece top sushi set (₩27,000) with extra tuna belly, a top kaisendon in the ₩20,000 range and ₩1,500 fried glutinous rice cake (chapssal mochi). Topped with abalone, eel, shrimp and thick-cut sashimi, the Choe Uyeong Sushiya top kaisendon is good enough to earn praise as a venue for a wedding invitation get-together.

Written Nov 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongnam, GyeonggiShopping

Seongnam tableware shop for home café dishes and gifts: Jubilee House

Jubilee House is a tableware select shop in Godeung-dong, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, selling plates, bowls, cups, cutlery and small homeware from many brands. On a Children's Day drive, the blogger browsed housewarming gifts, home café dishes, a kids' Car tableware set, and Syracuse and Johnson Brothers ware at Jubilee House, finding reasonable prices and free parking. If you want to see housewarming gifts in person before buying, Jubilee House covers it all in one stop.

Written May 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, DaejeonRestaurants

Pork bone grill dinner in Daeheung-dong, Daejeon: free soup, Yeonam

Yeonam Charcoal-Grilled Pork Backbone & Gamjatang (연암숯불뼈구이&감자탕) is a charcoal-grilled pork bone and gamjatang (pork bone potato stew) restaurant in Daeheung-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon, near Jungangno Station. For dinner, the writer ordered the medium maekbanseok (elvan stone) pork bone grill for 39,000 won. The highlight was the free pork bone hangover soup loaded with ugeoji (dried cabbage greens), which you get by ticking a box when ordering, and the leftover pork bones were deboned and packed to take home. Yeonam is worth a dinner stop in Daeheung-dong for smoky, spicy grilled pork bones and generous servings.

Written Nov 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hanwoo dinner course for seafood lovers at Gongdeok Station: Usu

Usu is an all-private-room hanwoo (Korean beef) dining restaurant on the B2 floor of the Lotte Castle President arcade in Mapo, Seoul, linked to Gongdeok Station Exit 2 by an indoor passage. On a weekend anniversary evening, the writer and their partner had Usu's Dinner B course, which adds tilefish and seasonal fish pot rice, and loved its flow from woo-gye jinjuk porridge through 1++ sirloin grilled on a personal brazier to a corn dessert. Usu's Dinner B course is a strong choice for family gatherings or meeting the parents when you want both hanwoo and seafood.

Written Nov 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeo-gu, DaejeonRestaurants

Daejeon burger shop: shrimp burger & mozza sticks, Downtown Burger

Downtown Burger Galleria Timeworld (다운타우너 갤러리아 타임월드점) is a handmade burger shop on the B2 floor of Galleria Timeworld in Dunsan-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon. The writer had a shrimp burger (11,800 won), mozzarella sticks and original chicken bites with 3 dipping sauces for lunch, and the crispy, chewy mozzarella sticks were the highlight. If you want Daejeon burgers with sides that are just as good, Downtown Burger Galleria Timeworld is worth a stop.

Written May 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Family Korean BBQ with a baby near Sindang Station, Seoul: Beolpan

Gogijip Beolpan Sindang branch (고기집 벌판 신당점) is a Korean BBQ restaurant near Sindang Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, that grills pork belly and pork neck over an open flame in a separate space and brings them to the table. A family dinner with a baby at Gogijip Beolpan included the mixed platter (42,000 won for 2–3 people) and self-serve fried rice, kept warm to the end on a stone plate, with no worry about smoke smells. For a family meal out without the BBQ smell clinging to your clothes, Gogijip Beolpan is a good fit.

Written May 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

Gyodae Station gimbap for a Han River picnic: cheese egg & Spam, Halls

Halls Gimbap Main Branch (홀스김밥본점) is a gimbap shop near Gyodae Station Exit 1 in Seocho, Seoul, formerly Otto Gimbap and now run under the Halls Gimbap brand. While planning a Han River picnic lunch box, the writer tried a half double cheese egg, half Spam roll and a dakgangjeong (sweet crispy fried chicken) set at Halls Gimbap Main Branch, where rolls cost 6,000–7,000 won, drinks and cup noodles 2,000 won, and there is a picnic-mat-style terrace and parking out front. Verdict: Halls Gimbap Main Branch is a Gyodae Station gimbap shop you can trust with picnic lunch boxes, office snacks and group orders.

Written May 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeo-gu, DaejeonCafés

Daejeon bread tour bakery: margherita & matcha sandwich cookie at anc.

anc. Tanbang (앤크 탄방점) is a French dessert bakery café in Tanbang-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon, right next to Namseon Park. On a morning visit to anc. Tanbang, the writer picked the margherita (₩5,800), corn cheese sausage salt bread (₩4,900), a matcha sandwich cookie, a ciabatta sandwich and an iced Americano (₩4,000). The verdict: anc. Tanbang's margherita was the number one pick of this Daejeon bread tour.

Written Nov 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwacheon, GyeonggiHair & beauty salons

Gwacheon hair salon no-cut winter clinic for angel-ring shine: Juno

Juno Hair Gwacheonchungsa Station is a hair salon on the 2nd floor of the Burger King building, right outside Exit 11 of Gwacheon Government Complex Station in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi. To revive hair dried out by winter wind without cutting it, the writer had a checklist-based 1:1 hair consultation followed by a premium protein-layering clinic, and the hoped-for angel ring (a glossy halo of shine) appeared afterward. Juno Hair Gwacheonchungsa Station charges no extra for length, so long hair costs the same, which makes it a good fit for anyone with damaged long hair who wants a clinic treatment.

Written Nov 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Euljiro 3-ga gimbap shop, cheese Spam crab roll at opening: 29 Tamago

29 Tamago Euljiro Branch is a gimbap (seaweed rice roll) shop on the 2nd floor near Exit 12 of Euljiro 3-ga Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, selling both regular rice gimbap and rice-free keto gimbap filled with vegetables and egg. Right at opening time, the writer ordered spicy fish cake gimbap, cheese Spam crab gimbap and keto carrot râpée gimbap for takeout at the kiosk, and each roll came with a dipping sauce labelled with its best pairing. For Euljiro office workers who want a solo meal or a diet-friendly option, 29 Tamago Euljiro Branch is a gimbap shop worth coming back to.

Written Nov 3, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Late-night Sindang izakaya: whole-squid jjamppong, Lucky Dragon JCB

Lucky Dragon JCB Sindang is a Chinese-style izakaya in an alley off Exit 4 of Sindang Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. For a first weekend late-night meal, the blogger ordered mapo tofu and the dinner-only whole-squid Nagasaki jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup). Even the regular mapo tofu was numbing enough, and the owner timed the ₩2,000 extra noodles so they wouldn't go soggy. Lucky Dragon JCB by Sindang Station is a good fit for Chinese bar food in a Japanese back-alley izakaya mood.

Written May 23, 2026Sponsored