Spoon Rest Stroller · 25 stories

The Chopstick Rest

I write about meals and impressions from restaurants I visit in Gyeonggi. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Food & snacks

PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Myeongdong burger pub: Philly cheesesteak & cheese fries, Daily Fix

Daily Fix Euljiro is a pub-style handmade burger restaurant on the ground floor of the FastFive building near Euljiro 1-ga Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, a short walk from Myeongdong. After a game pop-up at Lotte Department Store in Myeongdong, the writer ordered a bacon cheeseburger, a Philly cheesesteak sandwich, bacon cheese fries and coleslaw at Daily Fix Euljiro. With Hanwoo (Korean beef) patty burgers and beer-friendly sides, Daily Fix Euljiro is a solid pick for an evening date.

Written May 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

West Suwon mackerel restaurant, first icy mackerel mulhoe: Godeungeo

Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch is a mackerel restaurant on Seobu-ro in Gwonseon-gu, West Suwon. The writer came for grilled mackerel but also ordered a first-ever mackerel mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), served with abalone and seaweed in a slushy iced broth for 20,000 won, plus fresh raw mackerel sushi. With a spacious dining room, a parking lot, fast service and baby chairs, Godeungeo Myeongpumi Doeda Suwon Branch is an easy choice for a family meal.

Written May 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongin, GyeonggiRestaurants

Yongin pufferfish-broth kalguksu for one with iced americano: Yubok

Yubok Kalguksu Yongin Korean Folk Village Branch (유복칼국수 용인민속촌점) is a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) restaurant specialising in pufferfish broth in Bora-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin, on the way to the Korean Folk Village. The writer ordered two kalguksu and jjukkumi (small octopus) sets at ₩15,000 each and a jjukkumi seafood chive pancake. The pufferfish broth with warty sea squirts, clams and oysters was clean and refreshing, and the spicy stir-fried jjukkumi was great mixed into rice. Yubok Kalguksu lets even solo diners have kalguksu and jjukkumi in one meal, with iced americano for dessert, making it a generous meal.

Written May 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Myeongdong Cathedral restaurant with a kid: yuzu salad, Seventy Four

Seventy Four Myeongdong Cathedral Main Branch is a Western restaurant with a pretty terrace on the 1st floor of Familia Chapel at Myeongdong Cathedral in Jung-gu, Seoul. The writer visited with a child around 3 PM on a Sunday, wandered for a while looking for the entrance, then had pollock roe rosé pasta and a yuzu ricotta cheese salad, and was happy enough to scrape the plates clean. Seventy Four Myeongdong Cathedral Main Branch is tricky to find, but with no break time it works for both a meal and a café stop, making it a hidden gem at Myeongdong Cathedral.

Written May 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongin, GyeonggiRestaurants

Giheung butcher BBQ lunch, no table fee: 600g emperor cut, Hanokjip

Dongbaek Hanokjip Charcoal Grill Butcher Restaurant is a standalone charcoal-grill barbecue restaurant near Eojeong Station in Giheung-gu, Yongin, recently renovated into a butcher restaurant. The writer returned for lunch with her husband, ordered 600g of marinated beef emperor cut, hanwoo soybean paste stew and Suhyangmi rice, and confirmed that Dongbaek Hanokjip still charges no table setting fee after the renovation. Dongbaek Hanokjip is a no-table-fee charcoal butcher BBQ in Giheung where you can either buy meat at the butcher counter or order at the table.

Written May 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHwaseong, GyeonggiRestaurants

Tendon and soba shop in Bansong-dong, Dongtan for a solo lunch: Onsen

Onsen Dongtan is a tendon (tempura rice bowl) and soba restaurant in Bansong-dong, Dongtan, Hwaseong. For a summer lunch the blogger ordered anago tendon (conger eel tempura bowl) and Onsen soba with extra karaage, and the shrimp, conger eel, lotus root, eggplant, seaweed, shishito pepper, soft-boiled egg and oyster mushroom tempura were all crisp, with a well-seasoned soba broth. Onsen Dongtan is a good pick for a solo or two-person meal when you crave crunchy tempura.

Written Jun 2, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongnam, GyeonggiCafés

Tree-lined Jeongja terrace café: glacé butter cookie, Butter & Shelter

Butter & Shelter Bundang Jeongja is a dessert café in Jeongja-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, known for butter cookies, butter tteok (butter rice cake) and cakes. The writer visited around lunchtime with her husband and ordered the original butter cookie, the glacé butter cookie, butter tteok, Basque cheesecake and an iced americano, and enjoyed the butter cookies, which weren't greasy, and the large Basque cheesecake, which had a hint of roasted sweet potato. With a terrace shaded by street trees and gift-boxed cookies, Butter & Shelter Bundang Jeongja is a great Jeongja café for dessert and a long chat.

Written May 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceOsan, GyeonggiRestaurants

Osan pollack stew restaurant: election-day family lunch, Dami Sik

Dami Sik is a restaurant in Nueup-dong, Osan, near Mulhyanggi Arboretum, known for pollack stew (dongtaetang) and stone-plate jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles). On election day, a family with a child who wanted jjajangmyeon and a husband who wanted pollack stew booked lunch on Naver, ordered stone jjajang and pollack innard hot pot, and took the leftover hot pot home. Verdict: Dami Sik is a family spot where pollack-stew-loving adults and jjajangmyeon-loving kids both leave happy.

Written Jun 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Burger bar-seat lunch in Suwon: avocado & chicken fries at Downtowner

Downtowner Gwanggyojungang Station is a handmade burger shop on the ground floor of Hillstate, facing the main road near the Gyeonggi Provincial Government in Suwon, Gyeonggi. The writer ate lunch at a Downtowner bar seat, ordering the signature avocado burger set with the side swapped for chicken fries, plus a double cheeseburger to take home for their child. With shopping-complex parking, drink refills and Gwanggyo Lake Park right in front, Downtowner Gwanggyojungang Station is a reliable burger spot for a solo lunch or a date.

Written Jun 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Mangpo, Suwon barley rice buffet: doenjang bibimbap, iced tea, Boriook

Boriook Main Branch (보리옥 본점) is an all-you-can-eat barley rice restaurant on the hill behind Fantasium in Mangpo, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon. The writer ordered the basic barley rice set and the grilled mackerel set, filled up on namul (seasoned greens), japchae (glass noodles) and vegetable fritters from the self-serve bar, and mixed everything with sesame oil said to be pressed in-house and doenjang stew. After the meal, iced tea and barley snacks on the terrace next door followed. Verdict: Boriook Main Branch is a solid pick when you want to eat as much namul and vegetables as you like.

Written Jun 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Hangover soup spot, Euljiro 3-ga: lunch with à la carte shank, Paldal

Paldal Neoguri Haejang Euljiro 3-ga Station branch is a haejangguk (hangover soup) restaurant in Jung-gu, Seoul, right outside Euljiro 3-ga Station Exit 8. It serves gukbap (rice soup) at lunch and jeongol (hot pot) at dinner. At lunch, the writer had neoguri udon gukbap (udon only) with the Kkan-yang Michim Set, Salsal boneless gukbap (spicy) and a stand-alone Naengkkeum Arong Suyuk, and was happy with both the soups and the sides. Verdict: at Paldal Neoguri Haejang, adding sides à la carte beats ordering a set.

Written Jun 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Korean BBQ open till 3 a.m. in Mangpo: crab ramyeon, Olheun Gogi

Olheun Gogi Suwon Main Branch (옳은고기 수원본점) is a Korean BBQ restaurant in the food alley behind Exit 6 of Mangpo Station in Suwon, open until 3 a.m. Monday to Saturday. For a weekend family dinner we ordered the Pork Hansang Set (₩118,000), which staff grilled for us, with Hanwoo yukhoe (Korean beef tartare), grilling cheese and steamed egg, then finished with a crab ramyeon (₩10,000) the size of two ramyeon packs. Olheun Gogi Suwon Main Branch is a solid Mangpo Station pick for a family meal with kids or late-night drinks with friends.

Written Jun 16, 2026Sponsored