Dim Sign Wanderer · 26 stories

Under the Dim Sign

I write about bars I visit around Seoul and the evenings they hold. · Writes about: Bars · Restaurants · Cafés · Things to do

PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Hot-day Jonggak sashimi spot: olive flounder fin & mulhoe, Suksseong

Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch is an aged sashimi restaurant on the 3rd floor of a building in the Jonggak Youth Street alley near Jonggak Station, Seoul. In a curtained seat, the writer had the small aged sashimi platter for 2, flounder mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) and red crab innards cream croquettes. The aged sashimi melted in the mouth with no fishy taste, and the flounder mulhoe was sweet and tangy. For private sashimi and mulhoe in Jonggak on a hot day, Suksseong Susan is a good fit.

Written Apr 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Nonhyeon seafood pub: flying fish roe squid & yuzu highball, Sanhocho

Sanhocho Nonhyeon is an aged sashimi and seasonal seafood pub in the Nonhyeon food alley in Gangnam, Seoul, near Exit 3 of Nonhyeon Station. On a night out with friends, the group ordered the flying fish roe bomb squid sashimi (33,000 won), crab innards pasta (25,000 won) and the Sanhocho platter (65,000 won) with Kakubin and yuzu highballs, and enjoyed the pairing of roe and swordtip squid textures, the thick, rich crab innards pasta and the wide range of aged sashimi and seafood. Sanhocho Nonhyeon is a sashimi pub worth recommending for group gatherings in Nonhyeon.

Written Apr 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Anguk burger restaurant: mac and cheese croquette burger at Jackjack

Jackjack Anguk is a Nashville-style chicken burger and handmade beef burger restaurant near Exit 1 of Anguk Station in Jongno, Seoul. The Jack the Mac set (19,400 won) comes with a mac and cheese croquette and a whole chicken thigh patty. It was ordered at the first-floor kiosk and eaten with pickled chilies and a spicy fry sauce from the second-floor self-bar. For a thick, hefty American-style burger and a filling meal, the Jack the Mac at Jackjack Anguk is a good fit.

Written Apr 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongsan, SeoulRestaurants

Samgakji Chinese restaurant with mala cream shrimp: Imsabu Monkok

Imsabu Jungwha Yori Monkok is a good-value Chinese restaurant run by a former hotel chef, near Exit 3 of Samgakji Station in Yongsan, Seoul. For dinner, the writer had seafood jjamppong rice (spicy seafood soup with rice, ₩13,500) and mala cream shrimp (₩11,900); the thick, rich jjamppong broth and the mala lemon cream shrimp, with more than 8 shrimp, were the highlights. Imsabu Jungwha Yori Monkok is a solid pick for authentic Chinese food at easy prices near Samgakji Station and Yongridan-gil.

Written Apr 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Bukchon-ro hanok burger shop: sweet potato fries upgrade, Downtowner

Downtowner Anguk is a craft burger shop with a hanok-style interior, in an alley off Bukchon-ro in Jongno, Seoul, near Exit 2 of Anguk Station. The blogger Yeoreumppang upgraded the signature avocado burger set to sweet potato fries and added Kiri cream cheese chicken bites (7,300 won); the fluffy bun with avocado and the chicken, crispy outside and juicy inside with thick cream cheese, were all satisfying. For a distinctive craft burger in a hanok setting in Bukchon, Downtowner Anguk is a good choice.

Written May 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Anguk Korean BBQ: 3-step pork belly & fist-cut pork, Eom Yongbaek

Eom Yongbaek Pork Grill Gwanghwamun Branch is a pork barbecue restaurant by the back gate of Jogyesa Temple, between Anguk Station and Jonggak Station in Jongno, Seoul. The writer walked in at lunchtime with no wait, ordered 2 servings of skin-on pork belly (ogyeopsal) and 1 serving of the signature fist-cut pork (jumeokgogi), then tasted the staff-grilled meat in three steps: with salt, with meljorim (braised salted anchovies), and with barley ssamjang and onion. Complimentary lunchtime pot rice and soup came too. With roomy first and second floors and a grilling service, Eom Yongbaek is a good pick for relaxed Korean BBQ in Seoul.

Written May 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongsan, SeoulRestaurants

Yongsan mazesoba spot: rice mixed into leftover sauce at Goshi Goshi

Goshi Goshi Sookmyung Women’s University Station Direct Branch is a fusion Japanese rice bowl and mazesoba (brothless noodle) restaurant on Cheongpa-ro in Yongsan, Seoul, between Sookmyung Women’s University Station and the university. On a self-paid return visit, the writer ordered Nagoya-style karai mazesoba (₩11,900), Toowoomba demi-glace tonkatsu (₩12,900) and potato-wrapped shrimp (₩5,600), and found that mixing the tonkatsu set’s rice into the leftover mazesoba sauce was the highlight. With no break time, Goshi Goshi is an easy pick near Sookmyung Women’s University for a solo meal or a date.

Written May 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiCafés

Ilsan café with spring blooms: bacon cheese shrimp croissant, Baedagol

Baedagol Bakery House (배다골베이커리하우스) is a garden bakery café near Gongneung Stream in Deogyang-gu, Goyang, on the way to the Goyang flower market greenhouses. On the outdoor terrace among spring flowers in full bloom, the writer had a fresh mango coconut smoothie (₩11,000), a decaf iced Americano (₩7,000), salt bread (₩3,000), cheese brioche (₩6,000), a bacon cheese shrimp croissant (₩10,000) and Basque cheesecake (₩6,000), and the mango-season menu and chewy breads were all satisfying. For a drive outside Seoul with seasonal fruit desserts and a flower garden, Baedagol Bakery House is a great fit.

Written May 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulBars

Nambu Terminal second-round pub: Sapporo draft & dried squid, Kkanbu

Kkanbu Chicken Nambu Terminal Branch is a chicken pub with outdoor patio tables on the 1st floor of Bluefin Tower, right by Exit 1 of Nambu Terminal Station in Seocho, Seoul. After a get-together, the writer stopped at Kkanbu Chicken for a second round and ordered 4 premium Sapporo draft beers (₩9,000 each) with the semi-dried squid set (₩20,000) as a discount beer-and-snack set, then added Cajun potatoes (₩14,000). Verdict: with a good range of draft beers and light bar snacks, Kkanbu Chicken is an easy second-round pub near Nambu Terminal.

Written May 17, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulBars

Jonggak pub after Cheonggyecheon: duck set and tteokbokki, Ari Gyegok

Ari Gyegok Jonggak (아리계곡 종각점) is a Korean pub with an antique, traditional look in the Jonggak Youth Street alley near Jonggak Station, Seoul. After a walk along Cheonggyecheon Stream, the writer was craving chicken soup and ordered the 2-person duck set (mud duck jeonbyeong with spicy hangover chicken hot pot) for 40,800 won and chicken-feet oil tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) for 14,900 won; the crispy mud duck jeonbyeong and the clean, refreshing chicken hot pot broth stood out. Ari Gyegok Jonggak is a good Korean pub near Jonggak Station for a date or a group of 4 to 8.

Written May 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulCafés

Gangnam shopping-date café, salty financier & decaf: Selected Nicks

Selected Nicks (셀렉티드닉스) is a large dessert café near Gangnam Station Exit 3, by Kkachi Park in Yeoksam, Seoul, with floors from the basement up to a rooftop. On a Gangnam shopping date, the writer stopped at Selected Nicks for a sugar boost, sat on the 2nd floor and had a pistachio tiramisu (8,800 won), a choco salty financier (4,500 won) and an iced decaf Americano (7,000 won), and the sweet-salty financier paired well with the slightly acidic decaf. Selected Nicks suits anyone who wants study time, a city-view date and a hidden-room meetup all in one place.

Written May 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Japanese rice bowl date near Yeoksam Station: eel & salmon, Yangsando

Yangsando Yeoksam (양산도 역삼점) is a Japanese rice bowl restaurant on Nonhyeon-ro 85-gil, between Yeoksam Station and Gangnam Station in Seoul, known for hitsumabushi (Nagoya-style freshwater eel over rice) and sakedon (salmon rice bowl). On a Gangnam date the writer ordered hitsumabushi (27,000 won), sakedon (17,000 won) and extra salmon (6 pieces, 6,000 won); both the sweet-salty glazed eel and the fresh raw salmon satisfied, and the set came with salad, chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) and cold soba. For a clean Japanese rice bowl date or office lunch near Gangnam Station and Yeoksam Station, Yangsando Yeoksam is a good choice.

Written May 18, 2026Sponsored