Weekday Sip Notes · 22 stories

Weekday Small Orders

I write about restaurant meals I try around Seoul on ordinary weekdays. · Writes about: Restaurants · Bars · Cafés

Hapjeong Korean BBQ, half-grill kimchi and bibim naengmyeon: Ijjok

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal is a staff-grilled kimchi pork belly restaurant on basement level 1, down a side street from Hapjeong Station toward Hongdae in Mapo, Seoul. Thick raw pork belly, aged kimchi filling half the grill, potato, onion and king oyster mushroom all cook on one grill, with steamed egg, doenjang (soybean paste) stew and bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles) on the side. Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal suits anyone who loves kimchi with pork belly and would rather leave the grilling to the staff.

Written Jul 13, 2026Sponsored

PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Dangsan Korean BBQ team dinner with kudzu naengmyeon: Gochang Galbi

Gochang Galbi is a Korean BBQ restaurant near Dangsan Station in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, where bokbunja (Korean black raspberry) galbi is grilled over charcoal, at 20,000 won for 300g. For a team dinner, the bokbunja galbi came with Gochang barley bibimbap, barley ssamjang, doenjang stew, yeolmu chik naengmyeon (cold kudzu noodles with young radish kimchi) and somaek (soju mixed with beer). With meat, meal dishes and drinks all covered at one table, Gochang Galbi is a solid choice for a group dinner near Dangsan Station.

Written Jul 17, 2026Sponsored

PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Sangsu Indian restaurant for date night: mutton palak, Deli India

Deli India is an Indian restaurant on the second floor of a building on a side street between Sangsu and Hapjeong in Mapo, Seoul. Two of us started with a 2-piece samosa order, then shared butter chicken and mutton palak with both naan and rice: the creamy butter chicken went best with naan, while the spinach-rich mutton palak also paired well with rice. For a different kind of date-night dinner in Sangsu or Hapjeong, Deli India's two curries plus naan and rice is a great choice.

Written Oct 9, 2026Sponsored

PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulBars

Yeongdeungpo retro bar: BBQ chicken gangjeong and beer at Ho Samchon

Ho Samchon Yeongdeungpo Main Branch is a retro-style pub on the 2nd floor of a building near Yeongdeungpo Station in Seoul, entered by pushing through a red telephone booth. On a night out with friends, the writer ordered cold draft beer and BBQ chicken gangjeong (sweet, sticky fried chicken bites) on the Table Order tablet, then had free snack crackers, ice cream topped with chocolate balls for dessert, and joined in the birthday cheer from another table. Ho Samchon Yeongdeungpo Main Branch is a good fit for anyone looking for a bar in Yeongdeungpo for group gatherings, work dinners, birthday parties or a second round.

Written Jul 31, 2026Sponsored

PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeonnam-dong vintage pasta spot, green walls and Snoopy art: Hey Joji

Hey Joji (HEY GEORGE) is a vintage pasta and risotto restaurant with an American home-cooking concept, tucked into an alley in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo, Seoul. In a dining room with green walls, Snoopy pictures and a ceiling fan, the writer shared a white ragu truffle cream pasta topped with an egg yolk (16,000 won) and a jambalaya rosé risotto with sausage arranged like a flower (17,000 won). Hey Joji is worth recommending as a Yeonnam-dong date spot for both atmosphere and rich, thick pasta.

Written Oct 6, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGwangmyeong, GyeonggiRestaurants

Gwangmyeong Sageori aged kimchi chicken stew restaurant: Sindaebakjip

Sindaebakjip Gwangmyeong Sageori Branch is a dakbokkeumtang (spicy braised chicken stew) restaurant at Gwangmyeong Sageori in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, where chicken and aged kimchi simmer together on a large pot lid. With fish cake skewers added (1,000 won each), the aged kimchi pot-lid chicken stew tasted better at the end than at the start, as the broth reduced and the seasoning soaked deep into the kimchi and chicken. For aged kimchi lovers who want a thick, rich broth, the aged kimchi pot-lid chicken stew at Sindaebakjip Gwangmyeong Sageori Branch is a great fit.

Written Oct 6, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGuro, SeoulBars

Guro izakaya bar seat by the grill: whole Spanish mackerel at Sodam

Robatayaki Sodam Guro Digital Complex Branch is a robatayaki-style izakaya on the second floor of the food alley near Guro Digital Complex Station in Guro, Seoul, where you pick fish and skewers from a display on ice and the cooks grill them right away over the fire in front of the bar table. On this visit at the bar table, the order was a whole grilled Spanish mackerel, a small sashimi platter and Chungha (Korean rice wine), and Robatayaki Sodam added a hot-plate fried egg on the house. If you want the fun of watching your food being grilled, the bar table is the seat to book at Robatayaki Sodam.

Written Oct 5, 2026Sponsored

PlaceMapo, SeoulCafés

Decaf café near Mangwon Station with a misty pond: Naemyeonui Balgyeon

Naemyeonui Balgyeon (내면의 발견) is a large café near Mangwon Station and Hongdae in Mapo, Seoul, decorated throughout with stone, wood, water and moss. The writer explored the stone-wall entrance, pebble garden, mist-filled water space and upstairs window seats overlooking trees, and had two iced decaf americanos and a corn pudding. Naemyeonui Balgyeon is a quiet café to linger in, where the memory of slowly walking through the space lasts longer than the coffee.

Written Oct 1, 2026Sponsored

PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hapjeong Station Korean BBQ revisit for pork-fat grilled kimchi: Ijjok

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal is a Korean BBQ restaurant in the basement level near Hapjeong Station in Mapo, Seoul. On a second visit, the writer ordered the 2–3 person set for 55,000 won (2 servings of fresh pork belly, 1 serving of whole pork jowl, fluffy steamed egg, doenjang jjigae) and finished with kimchi fried rice, finding the kimchi grilled in pork fat just as good as the first visit. If you love pork belly grilled with kimchi, a repeat visit here won't disappoint.

Written Sep 7, 2026Sponsored

PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hongdae Korean restaurant for a bowl of clear pork broth: Anok

Anok is a hanok-style Korean restaurant in a Hongdae alley in Mapo, Seoul, fronted by a tiled roof and a wooden gate. The order was Pyongyang naengmyeon at 14,000 won, clear gomtang (clear beef-style broth soup) at 13,000 won and braised pork tail at 29,000 won, and the clear gomtang stood out most — its clear pork broth recalled the pork gomtang once eaten at Okdongsik. For clear-broth Korean food in Hongdae, Anok's clear gomtang is the dish to order first.

Written Sep 6, 2026Sponsored

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