Jongno Low Window Wanderer · 6 stories
Writes about restaurants, bars, cafes and things to do around Seoul neighbourhoods. · Writes about: Restaurants · Things to do · Bars · Cafés
Jazz 257 Songdo Central Park Branch is a live jazz wine bar on the 2nd floor of Building D at Artfore in Songdo, Incheon. The writer took a friend worn out by work to a front-row table for wine, a glass-dome flaming steak and a handmade-dough margherita pizza during a live performance. Jazz 257 suits a Songdo evening out when you want dinner and live music in one place.
Eulji Darak Gangnam Station is a Western-style restaurant on the 2nd floor near Exit 12 of Gangnam Station in Seoul. Most of its tables are couple seats, which makes it an easy pick for a blind date or date night. The visit included spicy crab risotto, pork neck steak and a lemonade you finish yourself at the table. The playful concept stood out, with an entrance disguised so it doesn't look like a door and a bathroom door that looks like a wardrobe. For atmosphere and good food near Gangnam Station, Eulji Darak Gangnam Station is a reliable choice.
Mudeungdowon is an LP and retro-themed café on Bomun-ro 32-gil in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, near the main gate of Sungshin Women's University. On a weekday afternoon with no wait, the flat white (₩5,500) was made with the Yetsarang blend and the vanilla latte (₩6,000) with the Danbalmeori blend, both beans chosen by the customer. Mudeungdowon welcomes dogs and even serves a meongpuccino, making it a good café for a date with your dog.
Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun Branch is a charcoal bulgogi restaurant on Yulgok-ro 4-gil in Jongno, Seoul. Five coworkers came at noon on a weekday for the 16,000 won lunch special charcoal bulgogi set and the squid charcoal bulgogi set, and were seated straight away with no wait on the Catch Table kiosk. Roomy seating and quick service make Eom Yongbaek an easy choice for a team lunch in Gwanghwamun.
Yesulgwan Sungshin Women's University Branch is a Korean bar and restaurant a 2–3 minute walk from Exit 2 of Sungshin Women's University Station in Seongbuk, Seoul. A couple who can't stand the heat took the shaded outdoor seats with a clear view of the street and ordered pork belly kimchi grill (14,000 won) and mild beef bone and tendon hot pot (28,000 won), and the portions were more than enough for two. Yesulgwan is a good call for a summer evening when you want the outdoor-table mood without the sweat.
Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon is a knife-cut noodle Chinese restaurant on Jongno in Seoul, between Gwanghwamun and Jonggak stations. On a weekday dinner date, we took an upstairs table and ordered one bowl each of uyuk dosakmyeon (beef knife-cut noodles) and Sichuan-style beef noodles: the knife-cut noodles were wide, thick and chewy, while the Sichuan bowl had only very faint mala heat over a nutty, mild spice. If you like heavily spiced Chinese food, the beef knife-cut noodles are the bowl to start with, but last orders were at 9:30pm, so come early.
