Bucheon Noon Ladle · 44 stories

Ladle at Midday

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

PlaceMapo, SeoulBars

Budget Hapjeong bar: matcha beer set & 12-piece tebasaki, Soottori

Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong is a charcoal-grilled yakitori izakaya with handmade skewers, in a side street near Sangsu Station in Mapo, Seoul. The order at Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong was the signature Hot Tail Set (₩19,900) with matcha draft beer, plus black pepper tebasaki (₩13,900). The rich matcha draft beer, crunchy kushikatsu and 12 pieces of tebasaki gave great value for money. For a budget izakaya in Hapjeong for a second or third round, Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong is a good choice.

Written Apr 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Picnic burgers to go near Seongsu Station: shrimp avocado, bd Burger

bd Burger Seongsu is a handmade burger joint on the 2nd floor of a building near Yeonmujang-gil by Seongsu Station in Seoul, open with no break time and still packed at 2pm. This time the order to go was a grilled shrimp avocado burger, a double cheeseburger, fried eggplant and mushroom, and butter garlic fries; the burger cross-sections held their shape after packing, and bd Burger included plenty of napkins and wet wipes. Verdict: bd Burger Seongsu is a great Seongsu Station burger spot to grab takeout for a Seoulsup picnic lunch.

Written Apr 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Burger pub by Ttukseom Station: chili vs plain cheese bars, Bas Burger

Bas Burger Seongsu is a handmade burger restaurant on Wangsimni-ro 4ga-gil near Ttukseom Station in Seongdong, Seoul, open with no break time and serving beer from midday. Curious about the spicy mozzarella cheese stick that went viral on social media, the writer ordered the chili mozzarella cheese bar with ranch sauce (3,500 won), the plain mozzarella cheese bar (3,000 won) and the Greedy Burger (14,000 won) with Bas Lager, plus free unlimited potato chips, beer tasting and free sauces. At Bas Burger Seongsu, both the chili and plain mozzarella cheese bars make such good beer snacks that it is hard to pick just one.

Written Apr 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulBars

Baseball pub by Yeongdeungpo Station: butter fried eggs at Yeokjeon

Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo (역전포장마차 영등포점) is a retro pub for groups on the second floor near Yeongdeungpo Station in Seoul. The writer watched baseball on the big TV over draft beer and highballs and ordered, in turn, kkanpung dakgangjeong (sweet-spicy crispy fried chicken), chicken hearts with whole garlic (7,900 won) and butter fried eggs (6,900 won). With draft beer always at 2,900 won and soju at 3,900 won, Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo is an easy, affordable pick for a group night out.

Written Nov 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwanak, SeoulRestaurants

Sharosu-gil burger joint: eggplant fries even a hater loved, Daily Fix

Daily Fix Seoul National University Entrance is an American-style handmade burger joint on Sharosu-gil in Gwanak, Seoul, with plenty of single-person tables that make solo dining easy. The writer and a friend ordered a cheeseburger (₩8,900), a classic burger (₩11,400) and eggplant fries (₩12,900). Daily Fix's hanwoo (Korean beef) burgers nail the basics, but the eggplant fries, which won over a friend who never eats eggplant, were the star of the meal.

Written Nov 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Solo-dining sukiyaki near Balsan Station: Korean beef Set D, Okso Ban

Okso Ban Magok Main Branch is a sukiyaki and shabu-shabu restaurant on Magokjungang 6-ro in Gangseo, Seoul, near Balsan Station, offering unlimited vegetable refills and accepting orders for one person. Right after the lunch rush, the writer had the Sukiyaki Set D with 80g of Korean beef round (seoldo++) and a futomaki roll, then finished with the included kimchi fried rice topped with egg and cheese for an extra 3,000 won. With neat plating, tablet refills and staff who cook at the table, Okso Ban Magok Main Branch is a solid choice for group meals and company dinners.

Written May 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwanak, SeoulRestaurants

Sillim gukbap restaurant for two with a ₩3,800 suyuk add-on: Sinjuokmi

Sinjuokmi Sillim Station branch (신주옥미 신림역점) is a newly opened 24-hour sundaeguk (Korean blood sausage soup) and gukbap (rice soup) restaurant on Sillim-ro 65-gil in Gwanak, Seoul. At Sinjuokmi, two people shared a spicy fern sundaeguk (₩11,000) and a glutinous rice nurungji pork gukbap (₩10,000), plus a ₩3,800 value suyuk (boiled pork) set. Plenty of fern and meat and moist, tasty liver left them so full they kept offering each other the last bites. Sinjuokmi is a great-value gukbap spot that makes even people who think all gukbap tastes the same want to come back.

Written May 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGuro, SeoulRestaurants

Guro Chinese restaurant 24,000 won three-dish set: Junghwa Yori Hyeon

Junghwa Yori Hyeon (중화요리현) is a Chinese restaurant in the basement food court of Ace Twin Tower 1 in Guro Digital Complex (Gudi), Guro, Seoul. The writer ordered the jjajangmyeon + jjamppong + tangsuyuk set for 24,000 won and added fried dumplings for 5,000 won. The glossy jjajang sauce, the refreshing bean sprout jjamppong and the generous tangsuyuk were all satisfying. Junghwa Yori Hyeon's set suits Gudi office workers who want all three classics at lunch or with an after-work drink.

Written Nov 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGeumcheon, SeoulRestaurants

Gasan family Korean BBQ for 4, under ₩100,000: Choi Woo-young Gogiya

Choi Woo-young Gogiya (최우영고기야) is a Korean BBQ restaurant near Gasan Digital Complex Station in Geumcheon, Seoul, where the staff grill the meat and bring it to the table. A family of four arrived just after the break time, ordered 2 servings each of Eonyang-style beef bulgogi, galbisal (beef short rib meat) and pork belly, and ate their fill of self-bar sides, a free doenjang (soybean paste) stew and beef bulgogi bibimbap, yet the bill still came to under ₩100,000. Choi Woo-young Gogiya is a good-value pick for anyone looking for a family meal or company dinner spot near Gasan Digital Complex Station.

Written May 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGuro, SeoulRestaurants

Renewed dakgalbi buffet in Guro with a fried chicken bar: Bak Jeongmi

Bak Jeongmi Dakgalbi (사계진미숯불닭갈비) Guro Digital branch is a long-running all-you-can-eat charcoal dakgalbi (grilled chicken) restaurant on Kkalkkal Street by Guro Digital Complex Station in Guro, Seoul. A local resident and two other adults went after the renewal added thin-sliced pork belly. They tried four dakgalbi types (chicken neck, plain, soy and spicy), the pork belly, and the self-bar's bone-in fried and soy chicken and dakgomtang (chicken soup). Verdict: with chicken-shop-quality bone-in chicken and pork belly added, Bak Jeongmi Dakgalbi is an even better neighborhood favorite at ₩20,500 per adult.

Written May 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Weekday lunch Korean BBQ in Myeongdong: black pork neck, Yuktongnyeong

Yuktongnyeong Myeongdong Main Branch is a long-running black pork and charcoal-grill Korean BBQ restaurant on Myeongdong 8na-gil in Jung-gu, Seoul. After visiting the Gyodae branch, the writer came to the main branch for a weekday lunch and ordered one serving each of omija-aged Gwanggaeto pork belly (16,000 won), black pork neck (17,000 won) and handmade pork galbi (18,000 won), all thick cuts grilled at the table by staff. Verdict: even as a self-confessed pork belly fan, the writer would return to Yuktongnyeong just for the black pork neck.

Written May 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

Gyodae Station Korean BBQ: frozen pork in Buldak noodles, Gyodaepae

Gyodaepae (교대패) is a Korean BBQ restaurant near Gyodae Station in Seocho, Seoul, serving both chilled and frozen thin-sliced pork belly. At lunch the writer skipped the lunch special for the 43,000 won Gyodaepae Set of chilled thin pork belly, thin pork neck and frozen thin pork belly, plus a complimentary ugeoji soup and a side of sweet Buldak noodles. The banchan and sauces were all good, and wrapping Gyodaepae's frozen thin pork belly in the Buldak noodles was the standout.

Written May 20, 2026Sponsored