Paju Day Picnicker · 10 stories

A Day in Seoul

I write about places to visit and things to do in Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Things to do · Cafés

PlacePaju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Paju Chinese restaurant, dinner for 3: any-size stone jjajang set

Dolpanseok Jjamppong Paju Simhaksan Branch is a newly opened Chinese restaurant on the Simhaksan food alley in Paju, Gyeonggi, specializing in jjajang (black bean noodles) and jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) served on stone plates over nurungji (scorched rice). On a weekday evening, three people shared a level-2 stone jjajang with the dontang & chitang set (sweet-and-sour pork and chicken) and a single-serving mapo tofu. The standouts were unlimited rice refills, the option to order a medium or large size regardless of party size, and the crispy jjajang nurungji under the stone plate. Verdict: Dolpanseok Jjamppong gets both portion size and price right, making it a good-value Chinese restaurant for big families and visitors to Paju.

Written Oct 26, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiCafés

Paju bingsu café in October: whole-mango bingsu, not fig, Fruit Forest

Fruit Forest Paju Direct Store is a fruit bingsu (shaved ice dessert) café in the Simhaksan food alley in Paju, Gyeonggi. The writer visited in mid-October for fig bingsu, found the fig season over, and ordered the fresh mango bingsu instead: the mango came in one connected piece, rich in aroma and sweet, over snowflake shaved ice that melted softly. Thanks to its spot-free mangoes, Fruit Forest is the first place that comes to mind for mango bingsu in Paju.

Written Oct 20, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Korean beef BBQ by Yadang Station, Paju: aged whole-cow set, Hanmaeum

Hanmaeum Jeongyuk Sikdang Paju Yadang Station branch (한마음정육식당 파주야당역점) is a butcher-shop-style Korean BBQ restaurant on the 2nd floor of Uni Tower, near Exit 1 of Yadang Station in Paju. The writer ordered the aged whole-cow beef set (600g, 72,000 won), which came with assorted beef cuts and a basic spread including muksabal (acorn jelly in cold broth) and jjolmyeon (chewy spicy noodles), plus a self-bar stocked with doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) ingredients. With unlimited soju on Fridays, private rooms and a kids' playroom, Hanmaeum Jeongyuk Sikdang is a solid pick for both work dinners and family gatherings.

Written Jul 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Gyukatsu lunch at Seoul Station with no wait at 1:30 PM: Ichigyu

Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch (이치규 서울역점) is a gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) restaurant in Jung-gu, Seoul, about a 2-minute walk from Seoul Station Exit 10. On a weekday at around 1:30 PM, the writer walked into Ichigyu with no wait, ordered the striploin gyukatsu (₩19,000) and a potato croquette, seared the beef on a tabletop brazier with Isigny butter, and compared the sauces one by one. For a clean, friendly Japanese restaurant instead of the crowded eateries inside Seoul Station, Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch is a good choice.

Written Jul 10, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiCafés

Paju bakery sun-dried tomato sandwich, roe salt bread: Boulangerie Tan

Boulangerie Tan Unjeong Main Branch is a bakery known for sandwiches and cornet pies, on the first floor of Farm Tower on Chorongkkot-ro in Unjeong, Paju. The writer visited just after 11am on a weekday and tried the sun-dried tomato sandwich, the ricotta mortadella panuozzo and the myeongran (pollack roe) potato salt bread, noting that prices had gone up slightly since a spring visit. Even with the higher prices, Boulangerie Tan is still Paju's number-one bakery for taste and one the writer keeps going back to.

Written Sep 30, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Paju Garam-maeul BBQ at weekend opening: selected pork neck, Tannae

Tannae Paju Main Branch is a charcoal-grilled pork restaurant on the BBQ restaurant street in Garam-maeul, Paju, Gyeonggi. On this return visit, two servings of selected pork neck and one of selected pork belly were pre-grilled over charcoal briquettes by staff and eaten with honey-garlic sauce, myeolchi-jeot (fermented anchovy sauce) and shiitake wasabi, alongside a complimentary kimchi stew — good enough that another serving of pork belly was ordered. For a quieter meal at Tannae Paju Main Branch, come right at weekend opening time.

Written Sep 20, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Seoul Botanic Park Mexican restaurant: fajita couple set at Taqueros

Taqueros Magok Main Branch is a Mexican family restaurant in Gangseo, Seoul, a 6-minute walk from Magok Station and just below LG Science Park. After looking around Seoul Botanic Park and walking slowly down, the writer ordered the signature couple set with the fajita option plus an apple mango ade, and the 6 sauces and free tortilla refills made it a filling meal. With a 16-person connecting table and sofa seating, Taqueros works well for family meals and group gatherings.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Paju Dolgoji Village ssambap lunch, 8 wrap greens: Simhaksan Deulkkot

Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap is a ssambap (rice and meat wrapped in leaves) Korean set-meal restaurant in Dolgoji Village, Paju, Gyeonggi. Arriving right at opening on a weekday meant no wait for the deul-jeongsik set for two at 20,000 won per person, and the self-serve bar holds 8 kinds of wrap greens including napa cabbage and chili peppers, kept under plastic and misted with water, with refillable gangdoenjang (thick soybean paste) and doenjang stew. For anyone who judges a ssambap restaurant by the state of its greens, Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap is worth a return trip.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Unjeong charcoal lamb skewers and tangy guobaorou: Sannaemaeul Yang

Sannaemaeul Yang Kkochi & Qingdao is a lamb skewer and Chinese restaurant near Homeplus in Sannaemaeul, Unjeong, Paju, Gyeonggi. On a weekend evening family visit, the order was charcoal-grilled yang kkochi (lamb skewers), lamb rib meat skewers, a guobaorou (sweet-and-sour fried pork) set and shrimp egg fried rice, and the tangy, crisp-yet-chewy guobaorou was the standout. Sannaemaeul Yang Kkochi & Qingdao is worth a stop when you want lamb skewers and guobaorou in one meal.

Written Sep 13, 2026Sponsored
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