Afternoon Rice Eater · 21 stories

Rice After Three

I write about restaurant meals I find around Seoul, often in the quieter hours of the afternoon. · Writes about: Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons · Cafés · Shopping

PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Burger restaurant near Olympic Park with eggplant fries: Daily Fix

Daily Fix Jangmi Sangga is a burger restaurant on the B1 floor of Building B, Jangmi Sangga, in Jamsil, Songpa, Seoul. A Hawaiian BBQ burger and a truffle mushroom burger were each split in half and served with eggplant fries that are crisp outside and soft inside, and the sweet-salty and nutty-savory flavors were distinct enough that neither burger got tiring. If you want a proper hand-made burger instead of a chain near Jamsil Station or Olympic Park, Daily Fix Jangmi Sangga is worth a spot on the list.

Written Aug 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNamyangju, GyeonggiCafés

Sweet corn wakppu salt bread at a Byeollae bakery: Byway Bakers

Byway Bakers Byeollae Branch is a bakery near Byeollae Byeolgaram Station in Namyangju, Gyeonggi, with a wide lineup of salt breads. Ham cheese salt bread, fresh blueberry yogurt wakppu salt bread and sweet corn wakppu salt bread were tasted, and the couple split cleanly: sweet corn wakppu salt bread was the writer's top pick, ham cheese salt bread her fiancé's. The wakppu salt breads come wrapped one by one in fruit-style netting, which makes them look good as a gift.

Written Aug 17, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulRestaurants

Guui Seoul Korean BBQ: cheese egg custard and grilled fern — Sanggu's

Sanggu's Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal Guui Branch is a cast-iron lid pork belly restaurant on Achasan-ro between Guui and Gangbyeon stations in Gwangjin, Seoul. Pork belly is grilled on the lid together with kimchi, bean sprouts and gosari (fern), and the meal continues with cheese egg custard, fried rice and spicy soft tofu ramyeon. The fern, grilled in the pork fat until sweet and tender, was the most memorable bite of the night at Sanggu's.

Written Aug 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNamyangju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Rainy-day fried rice finish in Byeollae, Namyangju: Onjeongban

Onjeongban Shabu Kalguksu Namyangju Byeollae Main Branch is a Korean restaurant in Byeollae, Namyangju, Gyeonggi, where a 7-dish set runs from shabu-shabu to kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) and ends with fried rice. On a rainy day for two, the visit added half-and-half rolled dumplings and extra noodles to the 7-dish Onjeongban shabu kalguksu set, with unlimited gondeure (Korean thistle) rice and kimchi said to be made fresh three times a day. The most memorable part at Onjeongban was the final fried rice, scraped down to the crisp bits stuck to the pan.

Written Aug 17, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulCafés

Ogeum Station bakery café for quatre cheese ciabatta: Grid Cafe

Grid Cafe is a bakery café at 146 Macheon-ro in Songpa, Seoul, a short walk from Ogeum Station. We ate the quatre cheese ciabatta, corn tart, Grid cream shot and vanilla cream cold brew in store, then took home gamtae myeongnan salt bread (seaweed and pollack roe) and fig ciabatta — the cheese-oozing ciabatta was my fiancé's number one and the fig ciabatta was mom's. If you like ciabatta and salt bread, Grid Cafe is a place where stopping at coffee alone would be a waste.

Written Aug 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulCafés

Gwangjang Market choco pie shop where a couple's picks split: Ssuk's

Ssuk's Choco Pie Seoul is a handmade choco pie dessert shop decorated in green inside Gwangjang Market in Jongno, Seoul. The 6-piece gift set covers Geomundo sea-breeze mugwort, Gwangju real choco, Udo peanut, Nonsan strawberry, sea-breeze mugwort with whole red bean, and sea-breeze mugwort injeolmi (chewy rice cake), and the couple's favorites split completely between the mugwort and the real choco. On a first visit, comparing all six flavors to find your own pick is the fun part.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Bangi-dong Italian 3 courses: amatriciana and sous vide pork, Allegro

Allegro is an Italian restaurant with live jazz in Bangi-dong, Songpa, Seoul. The prosciutto potato salad, amatriciana, and sous-vide pork shoulder steak worked well together as an appetizer-to-main lineup, with the tomato-based pasta pairing nicely with the steak. Allegro suits dates or anniversaries where atmosphere matters more than a casual meal with friends.

Written Sep 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Apgujeong BBQ restaurant with MT stew and lunchbox: Yeontan Gongjang

Yeontan Gongjang (연탄공장) is a charcoal-grill barbecue restaurant with outdoor tables on Apgujeong-ro 48-gil, a short walk from Apgujeong Rodeo Station in Gangnam, Seoul. The order was pork king galbi (thick-cut pork ribs) with MT jjigae (camping-style stew), kimchi mari guksu (chilled kimchi noodles) and a retro lunchbox, all eaten outdoors while staff swapped the grill plate without being asked. Valet parking costs 5,000 won, so driving to Yeontan Gongjang is easy too.

Written Sep 6, 2026Sponsored
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