Weeknight Plate · 18 stories

The Weeknight Meal

I write about restaurant meals I try around Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés

PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Wood-fired pizza place in Hyehwa: margherita & carbonara, Pasta Market

Pasta Market Hyehwa flagship (파스타마켓 혜화 본점) is a pasta, risotto and wood-fired pizza restaurant in an alley off Sonamu-gil in Daehak-ro, Jongno, Seoul. The writer and her husband ordered the Parma margherita pizza (16,900 won), carbonara spaghetti topped with a poached egg (15,900 won) and spicy tomato spaghetti (13,900 won), and the crisp, chewy wood-fired crust and creamy carbonara stood out most. With a cozy, warm interior and fair prices, Pasta Market Hyehwa flagship is an easy pick for a date in Hyehwa.

Written May 31, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeodaemun, SeoulCafés

Yeonnam-dong bakery at weekday noon: pumpkin ciabatta & maple, Mandong

Mandong Jegwa Yeonnam Branch (만동제과 연남점) is a bakery in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul, at 32 Yeonhui-ro, Seodaemun-gu, about 10 minutes from Exit 3 of Hongik Univ. Station. The writer took a half day off work and visited Mandong Jegwa around 12 noon on a weekday, found far more breads on display than after work, and chose a fig campagne, the new pumpkin ciabatta and a maple bread. Verdict: visit Mandong Jegwa at weekday lunchtime to choose from a wide range of breads without queuing.

Written Jun 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Jongno Chinese restaurant: solo lunch with guobaorou, Cheonghwa

Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon is a Chinese restaurant with a home-style feel in the Pimatgol alley of Jongno, Seoul, between Gwanghwamun Station and Jonggak Station. On a solo lunch during a work errand, the writer ordered eohyang yukseul deopbap (fish-fragrant shredded pork rice bowl, ₩10,800) and guobaorou (Chinese sweet and sour pork, ₩19,000): the rice bowl's familiar sweet-spicy sauce emptied a whole bowl of rice, and the guobaorou's chewy batter and clean-tasting pork were hard to stop eating. With meals in the low ₩10,000s and takeout for leftovers, Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon makes ordering a full dish on a solo lunch easy.

Written May 31, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Euljiro 1-ga jokbal team dinner, kept warm on a warmer: Miss Jokbal

Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch is a jokbal (braised pig's trotters) restaurant in a Myeongdong alley, a 5-minute walk from Euljiro 1-ga Station Exit 6 in Jung-gu, Seoul. At a weekday-evening work dinner, the Original jokbal (43,000 won) came with a flying fish roe rice ball and a shrimp steamed egg, and because Miss Jokbal serves the jokbal on a warmer, the skin stayed moist and warm to the last piece. With a spacious dining room and room for groups, Miss Jokbal is a good fit for an office team dinner near Euljiro.

Written Jun 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Seongsu salad spot when pregnant: clean flap steak bowl, Le Vegie Wang

Le Vegie Wang Seongsu Space is a salad bowl and poke restaurant in a Yeonmujang-gil alley between Seongsu Station and Ttukseom Station in Seoul. The pregnant writer, careful about what she eats, visited around 2 pm on a weekend and ordered the flap steak bowl for 12,900 won, enjoying the tender medium-cooked beef with generous oat rice, leafy greens and hummus. At 360g and 490kcal, the Le Vegie Wang Seongsu Space steak bowl is a filling yet light clean meal.

Written Jun 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hapjeong bossam after a show, no wait at 5pm Saturday: Pyeongidambaek

Pyeongidambaek Ppyeo Kalguksu Main Branch is a Korean restaurant serving bone kalguksu (noodle soup) and bossam (boiled pork) on Yanghwa-ro 7-gil in Mapo, Seoul, between Mangwon Station and Hapjeong Station. After seeing a nearby show, the writer arrived at 5pm on a Saturday, right after the break time ended, got a table with no wait and ordered the medium bossam suyuk for ₩42,000: thick-cut pork with a good balance of lean meat and fat, as tender as it gets. The bossam suyuk at Pyeongidambaek Ppyeo Kalguksu Main Branch is worth a trip back to Hapjeong on its own.

Written Jun 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Gimbap shop in Euljiro 3-ga for a team lunch of 4 rolls: 29 Tamago

29 Tamago Euljiro Branch is a gimbap (seaweed rice roll) shop on the 2nd floor near Exit 12 of Euljiro 3-ga Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, selling both keto and regular rolls. For a team lunch with coworkers, we ordered four rolls (keto tuna, cheese veggie whole-egg, spicy fish cake and tuna-packed, ₩9,000–₩10,500). Each roll was packed separately and every sauce had a label sticker, which made sharing easy. 29 Tamago Euljiro Branch is a tidy lunch pick for office workers who all like something different.

Written Jun 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Hyehwa Chinese takeout, guobaorou & ganpunggi at home: Cheonghwawon

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch is a two-floor Chinese restaurant tucked inside Daemyeong Street, near Hyehwa Station Exit 4 in Jongno, Seoul. The writer took home guobaorou (crispy sweet-and-sour pork, 17,000 won) and ganpunggi (sweet-and-spicy fried chicken, 19,800 won) for dinner. Even after the trip home, the guobaorou stayed crispy and the ganpunggi stayed moist. Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch satisfies for a dine-in meal and for a takeout dinner alike.

Written Jun 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Jongno 3-ga dumpling shop: solo bibim kalguksu lunch, Jongga Mandu

Jongga Mandu is a handmade dumpling restaurant in Jongno, Seoul, about a 5-minute walk from Jongno 3-ga Station and best known for its dumpling hot pot. A regular for the hot pot came alone for lunch this time and ordered the new bibim kalguksu (mixed knife-cut noodles, ₩12,000) with 2 extra fried dumplings (₩3,000), plus boiled dumplings (₩9,000). Verdict: Jongga Mandu is easy to walk into alone, easy on the wallet and filling, which makes it a solid solo lunch spot in Jongno 3-ga.

Written Jul 2, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulRestaurants

Konkuk Univ. rice bowl spot: solo scallion katsu curry set, Hekbap

Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch is a Japanese rice bowl restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building on Neungdong-ro, near Exit 3 of Konkuk Univ. Station in Gwangjin, Seoul. On a solo weekday lunch, the writer ordered the pork cutlet curry rice bowl set (₩16,900), with generous curry topped with scallion and onion flakes, plus mini udon, karaage and fried rice cake, and stayed full until dinner. Thanks to its spacious dining room, Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch is a good-value Japanese spot near Konkuk Univ. for eating alone without feeling awkward.

Written Jul 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

City Hall Station ramen, no wait at 12:30: spicy tori paitan, Mentsuru

Mentsuru City Hall Branch is a ramen restaurant in an alley off Seosomun-ro, about 5 minutes from Exit 10 of City Hall Station in Seoul. On a weekday lunch with coworkers, the writer had tori paitan made spicy (₩12,000 plus ₩500) and handmade karaage (₩7,000), and found a line at 12:00 but walked straight in around 12:30. With chicken broth as rich as cream soup and juicy karaage, Mentsuru City Hall Branch is a strong pick for an office lunch or a hangover meal near City Hall.

Written Jul 20, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Korean BBQ lunch while pregnant in Bukchang-dong: Geumseong Hoegwan

Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch (금성회관 서울시청직영점) is a Korean BBQ restaurant on the Bukchang-dong food street in Jung-gu, Seoul, a 5-minute walk from City Hall Station Exit 8. Being pregnant, the writer skipped the yukhoe bibimbap (beef tartare rice bowl) and ordered the Emperor Galbi Set lunch special for two (200g, ₩14,000 per person), and because the party was two or more, a free sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew) came with rice for a filling meal. Geumseong Hoegwan was full even at 1 pm on a weekday, so a Naver reservation is essential for this office-worker lunch spot.

Written Aug 5, 2026Sponsored