Gangnam Table Traveler · 161 stories

Tables of Seoul and Gangwon

I write about restaurants I visit in Seoul and Gangwon. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Bars · Shopping · Things to do · Hair & beauty salons

PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hongdae Korean restaurant: solo smoky bulgogi & ramen, Bap Jangin

Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch is a Korean rice restaurant in an alley near Hongik Univ. Station in Mapo, Seoul. The writer ordered the one-person bulgogi set with regular-spice soft tofu jjageuli (a thick, spicy Korean stew) and added ramen noodles. The strongly smoky bulgogi and the noodles soaked in the sharp, spicy jjageuli broth were the highlights. Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch is a good pick when you want a proper solo meal of rice, soup and side dishes.

Written May 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulCafés

Seochon salt bread café under the eaves: lychee chamomile tea, Respire

Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon is a bakery café on Hyoja-ro in Seochon, Jongno, Seoul, near Gyeongbokgung Station, known for its salt bread. On an early-summer weekend outing, the writer ate warmed salt bread with an oat milk decaf caramel cream latte and lychee chamomile tea at an outdoor seat under the eaves, then took more salt bread home. Respire Bakery's buttery, crisp-outside, soft-inside salt bread was delicious both in the café and at home, making it a strongly recommended salt bread spot in Seochon.

Written May 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeodaemun, SeoulRestaurants

Sinchon 24-hour Korean soup spot: juicy galbi mandu add-on, Pyeongando

Pyeongando Sikdang Sinchon Branch (평안도식당 신촌점) is a 24-hour sundae-guk (Korean blood sausage soup) and hangover soup restaurant about a 5-minute walk from Sinchon Station in Seodaemun, Seoul. The writer ordered a sundae-guk set and a pork bone hangover soup set with an add-on of galbi mandu (rib-meat dumplings), and found the sundae-guk broth rich but not heavy, the bones loaded with meat and the dumplings bursting with juice. At any hour, Pyeongando Sikdang Sinchon Branch is a good choice for a solo meal or a hangover fix in Sinchon.

Written May 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Jonggak gyukatsu restaurant: Set 2 cuts & beef snowflake fry, Ichigyu

Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch is a gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) restaurant on the B1 floor of Le Meilleur Jongno Town in Jongno, Seoul, between Gwanghwamun Station and Jonggak Station. The writer, who had always ordered striploin, tried Ichigyu's Set 2 with both tenderloin and striploin gyukatsu, plus yukiage (beef snowflake fry), and compared the two cuts on thickness, sauce and texture. Verdict: choose striploin if you like fat and chew, tenderloin if you prefer a lean, melt-in-the-mouth bite.

Written May 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Gangnam Station pasta revisit, gnocchi, carbonara & bread: Eulji Darak

Eulji Darak Gangnam Station (을지다락 강남) is a Western-style restaurant with a cozy atmosphere on the 2nd floor of 22 Gangnam-daero 96-gil in Gangnam, Seoul, about a 10-minute walk from Gangnam Station. After enjoying the omurice and pork neck steak on a first visit, the writer returned and ordered corn gnocchi, flat carbonara, extra bread and an Eulji Ade Lemon, using the bread to mop up the chewy gnocchi's and thick carbonara's sauce. Verdict: two cream dishes with bread and a tangy lemon ade made the return visit to Eulji Darak Gangnam just as satisfying.

Written Nov 2, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulCafés

Jongno 3-ga bakery a YouTuber raved about: garlic bread, Munhwa Bakery

Munhwa Bakery (문화제빵) is a bakery near the Ikseon-dong hanok street in Jongno 3-ga, Seoul. The writer went to Munhwa Bakery for the garlic bread a favorite YouTuber raved about and took home garlic bread and coffee bread; garlic coats even the cut sides, and it was the best garlic bread the writer has ever had. Verdict: on a first visit to Munhwa Bakery, pick the garlic bread without a second thought.

Written May 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Gangnam Chinese spot: Sichuan beef noodles & cream shrimp, Namsogwan

Namsogwan U Yuk Dosakmyeon is a knife-cut noodle and dim sum Chinese restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul, about a 5-minute walk from Gangnam Station Exit 11. Having enjoyed the beef knife-cut noodles on an earlier visit, the writer returned and ordered spicy Sichuan beef noodles with silky cream shrimp, alternating between the fiery broth and the rich, nutty shrimp. When a bowl of noodles alone doesn't feel like enough, adding one main dish such as the cream shrimp at Namsogwan is well worth it.

Written Nov 2, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Yeoksam eel restaurant: Friday after-work hitsumabushi, Yangsando

Yangsando Yeoksam is a Japanese restaurant near Yeoksam Station in Gangnam, Seoul, specializing in hitsumabushi (grilled eel over rice). After a tough week, the writer rewarded themselves on the way home from work on Friday with the special hitsumabushi. They ate it four ways (eel and rice, with scallions, with wasabi, then with broth poured over) and finished with a sweet drink served as dessert. Verdict: Yangsando Yeoksam is a place worth returning to for a solo meal or a filling after-work dinner.

Written Nov 2, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNowon, SeoulRestaurants

Conveyor sushi after 8 p.m. in Nowon: Catch Table wait, Sushi Ianen

Sushi Ianen Nowon Station is a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant in Nowon, Seoul, near Exit 2 of Nowon Station (Line 4), where every plate costs ₩1,990. On a weekday after 8 p.m., the writer waited about 10 minutes through Catch Table, then ate yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) sushi, egg shrimp sushi, torched sushi and melon at Sushi Ianen Nowon Station. Verdict: Sushi Ianen is a good-value sushi spot near Nowon Station where you can eat fresh sushi freely without checking plate colors.

Written May 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Seongsu eel BBQ buffet with plump eel and pork belly: Songnim Bok

Songnim Bok Jangeo Unlimited Freshwater Eel Seongsu Branch is an all-you-can-eat charcoal grill restaurant for freshwater eel, pork belly and chicken neck, between Seongsu Station and Konkuk Univ. Station in Seongdong, Seoul. At Songnim Bok Jangeo, adults pay 29,900 won each plus a 3,000 won table setting fee for 2 hours; the eel is grilled skin-side first over charcoal and eaten with green onion kimchi, shredded ginger, aged kimchi and lettuce wraps, followed by pork belly and chicken neck. Verdict: the eel at Songnim Bok Jangeo Seongsu Branch is plump for a buffet and the pork belly beats expectations, making it a satisfying value eel meal.

Written Oct 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Solo sushi at Seolleung Station: aged kimchi live-fish set, Sushi Maiu

Sushi Maiu Seolleung Station Branch is a conveyor-belt and plate sushi restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul, about a 5-minute walk from Exit 5 of Seolleung Station. At the counter, the writer ordered the live-fish set: live-fish sushi topped with aged kimchi, salmon and white fish sushi, plus mini udon. The writer then took a smoky, torch-flavored egg shrimp sushi off the belt. With the fish's fat and freshness clear at a glance, Sushi Maiu proved a satisfying spot for eating sushi alone near Seolleung Station.

Written May 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJungnang, SeoulRestaurants

Sagajeong market chicken shop where you order by the cut: Pyeongjeong

Pyeongjeong Dakgangjeong (평정닭강정) is a market chicken shop selling dakgangjeong (sweet, crispy fried chicken bites) and old-style whole fried chicken at the entrance of Myeonmok Market, near Exit 3 of Sagajeong Station in Jungnang, Seoul. Pyeongjeong Dakgangjeong also lets you order drumsticks, wings, drumettes and gizzards by the cut, so the writer took home only drumsticks and gizzards for a chicken party at home: the drumsticks were crispy outside and juicy inside, the gizzards chewy and crunchy, and both portions were generous. If you want plenty of just your favorite cuts at a friendly price, Pyeongjeong Dakgangjeong in Sagajeong is the place.

Written May 27, 2026Sponsored