After-Lunch Saucer · 47 stories

Saucer After Lunch

I write about cafés and restaurants I visit around Seoul. · Writes about: Cafés · Restaurants · Bars · Shopping · Things to do

PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Pasta & wine bar near Seoulsup Station: crispy octopus at Knot

Knot (낫:knot) is a new pasta and wine bar in a basement off an alley near Seoulsup Station Exit 1 in Seongdong, Seoul. On a weekend evening the writer ordered octopus & baby potatoes (24,000 won), Cheongyang cream pasta made with Cheongyang chili (21,000 won) and an Asahi beer (8,000 won). The crispy octopus with chipotle sauce and the nurungji (scorched rice) cream pasta loaded with scallops and blue crab were the standouts. Knot is a recommended pick for an atmospheric date dinner in Seoulsup and Seongsu.

Written Nov 2, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Seoulsup okonomiyaki with mozzarella and kimchi yakisoba: Oshi Black

Oshi Black Seongsu is an okonomiyaki and yakisoba teppanyaki restaurant on basement level 1 along Seoulsup Atelier-gil in Seongsu, Seoul. At the bar table, the writer ordered the classic oshinomiyaki (18,000 won, with added mozzarella) and kimchi yakisoba (15,000 won), and received a tomato appetizer through a review event. Verdict: the back-to-basics classic okonomiyaki paired with the kimchi yakisoba, which cuts the richness, was the most satisfying combination at Oshi Black Seongsu.

Written Oct 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYangju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Yangju pork galbi, bigger than the Uijeongbu branch: Manpo Galbi

Manpo Galbi Yangju Main Branch is a large galbi (Korean grilled ribs) restaurant on Songnang-ro in Yangju, Gyeonggi. Following an earlier visit to the Uijeongbu branch, the writer arrived for the 11am weekday opening and ordered 2 servings of pork galbi and a pudding-style steamed egg. The meal included two weekday lunch perks: doenjang sulbap (rice in soybean paste stew) and one free bowl of house-made mul naengmyeon (cold noodles) per person. Manpo Galbi Yangju tastes just as good as the Uijeongbu branch with a more upscale interior, making it a good-value pick for a weekday galbi lunch.

Written May 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNowon, SeoulBars

Seokgye Station yakitori izakaya: chicken skin skewers at Toriaezu

Toriaezu Seokgye (토리아에즈 석계점) is a chain yakitori izakaya near Exit 1 of Seokgye Station in Nowon, Seoul. On a weekday evening the writer ordered a lemon highball, tsukune (chicken meatball), negima (chicken and leek), chicken skin and ginkgo skewers plus draft beer; the skewers took a while to arrive, and the grapefruit highball and Tori Hi were unavailable. The highball menu was a letdown, but the crispy, juicy chicken skin skewer alone makes Toriaezu Seokgye worth recommending as a second-round bar in Seokgye.

Written May 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNowon, SeoulRestaurants

Nowon Korean restaurant's mild weekday spring lunch with mom: Sutgarak

Sutgarak Bansang Masil (숟가락반상 마실) is a Korean set-meal restaurant on Nowon-ro in Nowon, Seoul, built around seasonal ingredients, with private rooms for family gatherings and in-law meetings. The writer had the Masil set for 2 with her mom on a weekday lunch, a lightly seasoned spring spread running from Job's tears and cherry blossom porridge and shepherd's purse fritters to mushroom galbijjim (braised short ribs), Masil tteokgalbi, and cherry blossom rice with doenjang stew. Sutgarak Bansang Masil is a good Nowon Korean restaurant to take parents who enjoy mild, healthy food.

Written Jun 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Magongnaru octopus restaurant, pork belly and minari wraps: Songjjujip

Songjjujip Magok is a jjukkumi (spicy webfoot octopus) restaurant on the 2nd floor of Central Tower 2 in Magok, Gangseo, Seoul, a 4-minute walk from Magongnaru Station Exit 1. On a friend's recommendation, the writer walked in without a wait for a late weekend lunch and ordered the octopus + Sari Mongttang set for two (37,600 won) and cheese fried rice (3,500 won). Even the pork belly in the pork belly octopus, which the writer usually avoids because it never tasted good, was delicious. Songjjujip Magok is the kind of place that turns octopus-only diners into Sari Mongttang reorderers.

Written Oct 27, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Paju Korean restaurant: my first bori gulbi set at Simhaksan Tteurak

Simhaksan Tteurak Paju Main Branch is a Korean set-meal (hanjeongsik) restaurant on Dolgoji-gil at the foot of Simhaksan in Paju, Gyeonggi, known for bori gulbi (barley-aged dried yellow croaker) and soy-marinated crab. Trying bori gulbi for the first time, the writer ordered the bori gulbi set on a weekday lunch, eating it with cauldron rice, kimchi pancake and doenjang (soybean paste) stew, then rice soaked in green tea water. Verdict: with generous fish, great flavor and excellent cauldron rice, Simhaksan Tteurak is a Paju Korean set-meal restaurant with nothing lacking.

Written Jun 3, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Korean BBQ near Balsan Station for year-end parties of 130: Ihwajeong

Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga Magok-Balsan Branch is a charcoal-grill Korean BBQ restaurant of about 200 pyeong, a 6-minute walk from Exit 4 of Balsan Station in Gangseo, Seoul. Two diners ordered 2 servings of marinated pork (₩23,000 per 300g), liked it enough to add 1 more serving, and finished with rice, mul naengmyeon (cold noodles) and pear sherbet. With parking for 77 cars and private hire for up to 130 people, Ihwajeong Galbi Myeongga is a strong pick for a year-end company dinner or a family meal.

Written Oct 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYangju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Pork galbi restaurant in Yangju: weekday lunch & floss, Manpo Garden

Manpo Garden (만포가든) is a Korean BBQ restaurant specializing in handmade galbi and hanwoo (Korean beef) on Godeok-ro 355beon-gil in Yangju, Gyeonggi. The writer first visited Manpo Garden with their parents and returned on a weekday, booking ahead for the pork galbi lunch special. The meal came with about 10 side dishes, doenjang rice (rice simmered in soybean paste stew) and a free bowl of house-made mul naengmyeon (cold noodles in broth) for each person. For a family meal in Yangju with a large parking lot and private rooms, Manpo Garden is a safe choice.

Written Jun 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongsan, SeoulBars

Weeknight izakaya for three in Samgakji: karaage, yuzu sawa, Hatpiendo

Hatpiendo is an izakaya on Yongridan-gil in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 2nd and 3rd floors near Samgakji Station Exit 3. Three friends went to Hatpiendo on a weeknight evening for a second round and, on the 3rd floor with its floor-to-ceiling windows, ordered abalone guts pasta, chicken thigh karaage, a grapefruit highball and yuzu sawa. The karaage and yuzu sawa were the standouts, though the once-a-day bar sushi was already sold out.

Written Jun 9, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYangju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Izakaya near Deokgye Station, Yangju: 13-kind aged sashimi at Dungchi

Dungchi (둥치) is a one-person izakaya near Deokgye Station in Yangju, Gyeonggi, serving aged sashimi, charcoal-grilled dishes and nabe (Japanese hot pot). On a weekend evening the writer ordered Dungchi's 13-kind assorted sashimi platter and seseri yaki (grilled chicken neck) with draft beer and a non-alcoholic lemon sour, and was especially pleased by the nutty, savory depth of the aged fish. Food at Dungchi comes out slowly and it gets busy enough to need a reservation, but for aged sashimi near Deokgye Station it is worth going back.

Written Jun 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNowon, SeoulRestaurants

Nowon Korean BBQ, Chujado anchovy sauce & pork skirt: Junggye Gogi

Junggye Gogi Party Nowon Branch is a charcoal-grill Korean BBQ restaurant serving Iberico pork and beef in Junggye-dong, Nowon, Seoul, right in front of Suam Elementary School. On a weekend afternoon at an in-between hour, a group of friends walked into Junggye Gogi Party without a wait and ordered the Iberico platter (49,000 won), seasoned pork skirt (18,000 won), beef brisket doenjang stew (8,000 won) and mul naengmyeon cold noodles (6,000 won), trying many combinations with Chujado salted anchovy sauce (maeljeot) and three kinds of wasabi. Verdict: thanks to quality meat, a strong charcoal aroma and a wide range of sauces, Junggye Gogi Party is a genuinely fun Korean BBQ spot in Nowon.

Written Oct 19, 2026Sponsored