Tiled Entry Visitor · 31 stories

Past the Tiled Entry

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

PlaceSeodaemun, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Ewha hair salon 7-step clinic + cut instead of a perm: Eco Revy

Eco Revy Hair Ewha Branch is a scalp and hair care salon on the 2nd floor of a building near Exit 3 of Ewha Womans Univ. Station in Seodaemun, Seoul. The writer came in for a repair heat perm. After a scalp diagnosis and consultation at Eco Revy Hair, she learned her hair had lost so much protein that a perm would not hold, so she switched to a 7-step clinic and a cut. Verdict: hair left untended for a year after dyeing came out calm and soft at Eco Revy Hair Ewha Branch, with no perm needed.

Written Jun 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

Gyodae Chinese dinner after Giselle: jajang and jjamppong, Maeranbang

Maeranbang Gyodae Branch is an upscale Chinese restaurant near Gyodae Station in Seocho, Seoul. Its chef trained at Palsun in the Shilla Hotel, and it serves hand-pulled noodles, handmade dim sum and private rooms for up to 30. After seeing Giselle at the Seoul Arts Center, the writer ate hand-pulled ganjajang (black bean noodles), spicy samseon jjamppong (seafood noodle soup) and old-style tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) at a round table in the main hall, and the rich seafood broth of the jjamppong stood out most. Maeranbang Gyodae Branch charges no room fee, which makes it a good Gyodae Station Chinese restaurant for team dinners and gatherings, and the jjamppong is the dish to remember.

Written Oct 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulBars

Hongdae rooftop bar for kalbaengi and salt chicken BBQ: Kkoko Land

Kkoko Land (꼬꼬랜드) is a large charcoal barbecue bar with a festive outdoor feel, on the second floor down an alley off Hongdae's Red Road in Mapo, Seoul. On a Friday evening at a terrace-side seat, the order at Kkoko Land was Seogyo-dong kalbaengi, charcoal-grilled salt chicken barbecue, a Kirin draft and a slush Terra draft, and the smoky, juicy chicken paired surprisingly well with the sweet-and-sour kalbaengi. Kkoko Land is worth recommending for a weekend date if you want charcoal chicken in a festival-like atmosphere.

Written Oct 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Dangsan Station Korean pub for late-evening gaburisal bossam: Cheongun

Cheongun Bossam Dangsan Branch is a bossam (boiled pork) and kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) Korean pub on Yangpyeong-ro 12-gil near Dangsan Station in Seoul. It is a one-off restaurant, not a chain. Late one evening the writer ordered the limited-quantity small gaburisal (pork shoulder cap) bossam, which came with free clam kalguksu, meljeot (salted anchovy sauce) and a radish salad aged for 48 hours, none of it too salty. For tender gaburisal pork and a refreshing bowl of kalguksu near Dangsan Station, Cheongun Bossam Dangsan Branch is worth a visit.

Written Oct 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Gayang Station Korean BBQ by a Le Cordon Bleu chef: Gamgol Yeontanjip

Gamgol Yeontanjip Gayang Station Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant on Yangcheon-ro near Gayang Station in Gangseo, Seoul, where you grill Korean domestic pork (Handon) over yeontan (coal briquette) fire, reportedly run by a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef. On a late visit the writer ordered coarse-salt pork belly, the Juljuri special pork neck, flat bibim noodles, Im Soyeong Yeosa doenjang stew and plum ade, and got free omija (schisandra berry) and plum slushes. Pork belly that cooks fast over strong briquette fire, a seafood-packed doenjang stew and the basil pesto sauce make Gamgol Yeontanjip a memorable pork belly spot by Gayang Station.

Written Oct 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Magongnaru Italian restaurant, new zucchini blossom fritters: Romaok

Romaok Magok is an Italian restaurant on the 3rd floor of LG Arts Center Seoul, near Magongnaru Station in Gangseo, Seoul. After work, the writer had dinner there and ordered the new mozzarella zucchini blossom fritters with carrot purée, a chicken cordon bleu Caesar salad and abalone innards pasta, and enjoyed everything from the scallion ciabatta served before the meal to the pasta. With high ceilings and a view of Seoul Botanic Park, Romaok Magok is a solid pick for a date or a meal before a show.

Written Oct 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulCafés

Sinnonhyeon café for groups, flat white & financier: Upper and Under

Upper and Under is a large café tucked into an alley near Exit 6 of Sinnonhyeon Station in Gangnam, Seoul, with seating on several floors and a terrace that make it a good place for group meetups. The writer ordered a flat white, a matcha coconut drink, a bonni-bam (candied chestnut) cream cheese financier, a plain financier and a lemon cake, and found prices of about 6,500 won for an Americano reasonable given the spacious seating and atmosphere. Upper and Under was a satisfying Sinnonhyeon Station café with no misses, from coffee to unusual drinks and desserts.

Written Oct 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceDanyang, ChungbukCafés

Danyang market bakery, garlic bread samples and storage tips: Danppang

Danppang Bakery (단빵제빵소) is a garlic bread bakery in Gugyeong Market, Danyang-eup, Danyang, Chungbuk. On the day of the Ondal Festival, the blogger tried free sample bread while waiting in line and got storage instructions, then bought the 4-flavor combo set and sliced it up to share at a pension (guesthouse). Danppang Bakery's garlic bread never got tiresome despite all the different kinds of garlic, making it a worthy stop on a Danyang bakery tour.

Written Oct 9, 2026Sponsored
PlaceDanyang, ChungbukRestaurants

Danyang fried chicken to go: soccer night with black garlic makgeolli

Danyang Heukmaneul Nurungji Dakgangjeong is a fried chicken shop in Gugyeong Market, Danyang, Chungbuk, that glazes its dakgangjeong (sweet-glazed Korean fried chicken) with black garlic, a Danyang specialty. On a family trip, the writer took a number ticket, browsed the market while waiting, and took away the Double Black Garlic dakgangjeong (₩20,000) and black garlic makgeolli to eat at a pension while watching soccer; the chicken stayed tender after cooling and tasted good the next day without reheating. For a late-night snack back at your lodging, Danyang Heukmaneul Nurungji Dakgangjeong's Double Black Garlic chicken with black garlic makgeolli is a combination worth getting.

Written Oct 9, 2026Sponsored
PlaceDanyang, ChungbukCafés

Danyang market bakery during Ondal Festival: Black Garlic Salt Bread

Black Garlic Salt Bread is a salt bread bakery at the entrance of Gugyeong Market in Danyang, Chungbuk. It sells 4-piece salt bread gift sets made with black garlic aged in-store from native Danyang garlic. During the Ondal Festival over an October holiday, our family queued at Black Garlic Salt Bread for Set 1 (4 originals) and Set 4 (2 garlic, 2 black garlic). We shared them as a late-night snack and breakfast at our pension (holiday rental). From the buttery hollow-centred original to the intensely garlicky black garlic salt bread, the whole family loved every piece, making Black Garlic Salt Bread a worthy stop on a Danyang bakery tour.

Written Oct 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceDanyang, ChungbukCafés

Danyang café with limited sneakers and banana garlic bingsu: JB Coffee

JB Coffee (제이비커피) is a café in Byeolgok-ri, Danyang-eup, in Danyang, Chungbuk, known for bingsu shaped like Danyang's specialty garlic and for its One Piece figure collection. After walking around Danyang Gugyeong Market, the writer stopped at JB Coffee for the 10,000 won banana-flavored garlic bingsu 'Maneul Injul Aratdanyang' and an iced americano. The writer then browsed the figures and limited-edition sneakers on the second floor and terrace. JB Coffee suits Danyang travelers who want something fun to eat and plenty to look at.

Written Oct 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Seoul Station gyukatsu before the KTX: jumbo and cold soba, Ichigyu

Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch is a gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) restaurant in the underground arcade of the LG Seoul Station Building, near Seoul Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. Before boarding a KTX train for an October holiday trip, the writer ordered the Ichigyu Gyukatsu Double (Jumbo) and a cold soba and shrimp tempura set, then grilled the gyukatsu on a mini brazier with Isigny salted butter. Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch was busy enough for a wait even at a public-holiday lunch, but it is a good place for an unhurried meal before catching a train at Seoul Station.

Written Oct 5, 2026Sponsored