Window Seat Keeper · 35 stories

The Window Seat

I write about meals I’ve eaten and restaurants I’ve visited in Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Food & snacks · Bars

PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Pork cutlet at Magok Station after exams: butter bread burger, Tteudon

Tteudon Magok Branch is a handmade pork cutlet restaurant on Gonghang-daero near Magok Station in Gangseo, Seoul. To lift their second child's mood after exams, the writer's family visited on a weekend afternoon, shared four dishes (Tteudon Pork Cutlet, Cheese Cutlet, Sweet Potato Cheese Cutlet and Hot Cheese Buldak Pork Cutlet) and made unlimited trips to the self-serve bar for soup, tteokbokki, bread and ice cream. With a kids' play room and well-spaced tables, Tteudon Magok Branch was a satisfying spot for a family meal with children in Magok.

Written Oct 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Weekday Italian lunch in Magongnaru: seaweed scallop risotto at Romaok

Romaok Magok is an authentic Italian restaurant on the 3rd floor of LG Arts Center Seoul at Magongnaru Station in Gangseo, Seoul. On a weekday lunch visit, the writer ordered the mushroom truffle cream pasta and the maesaengi (fine seaweed) and scallop risotto, and enjoyed the inventive pairings, from the scallion-scented bread to a risotto that weaves in Korean ingredients. For a relaxed weekday Italian lunch that flows into an outing to Seoul Botanic Park or LG Arts Center, Romaok Magok is a great fit.

Written Oct 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeonnam-dong katsudon lunch date: mixed & hirekatsu-don, Jongno

Jongno Donburi Yeonnam (종로돈부리 연남) is a Japanese rice bowl restaurant in a basement on Donggyo-ro 46-gil in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo, Seoul, opened by a donburi shop that started in Jongno in 2010. On a sunlit weekday lunch date, we ordered the mixed katsudon and the hirekatsu-don (pork tenderloin cutlet bowl), and the thick meat, secret soy sauce and soft egg were satisfying. Jongno Donburi Yeonnam suits couples looking for a quiet, filling katsudon lunch in Yeonnam-dong.

Written Oct 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Osaka-style teppanyaki near Hongik Univ. Station: table griddles, Jojo

Jojo Yeonnam Branch (죠죠 연남점) is an Osaka-style teppanyaki restaurant in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo, Seoul, a 5-minute walk from Exit 3 of Hongik Univ. Station. On a weekday lunch visit, the Signature set for 2 brought donpeiyaki, karai yakisoba and Jojo okonomiyaki, and the griddle built into every table at Jojo Yeonnam Branch kept the food hot and crisp to the last bite. Verdict: for a first visit to Jojo Yeonnam Branch, order the Signature set for 2 and add the scallion topping to the okonomiyaki.

Written Oct 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Sangam Korean restaurant: weekday one-person tray pot rice, Solsot

Solsot Sangam Branch (솔솥 상암점) is a Korean pot rice (sotbap) restaurant on basement level 1 of a building near Digital Media City Station in Sangam-dong, Mapo, Seoul. On a weekday lunch at Solsot Sangam Branch, the blogger had sea bream and scallop pot rice, boneless hairtail pot rice and a side of shrimp tempura, each served on a one-person tray. The meal ended with nurungji (scorched rice) softened in warm broth, and everything tasted clean and mild with no fishy smell. For an easy-on-the-stomach Korean lunch or a family meal in Sangam-dong, Solsot Sangam Branch is worth a return visit.

Written Oct 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hongdae Chinese restaurant for clam knife-cut noodles: Seodamheon

Seodamheon Hongdae Main Branch (서담헌 홍대본점) is a knife-cut noodle (dosakmyeon) Chinese restaurant with a modern hanok interior, between Hongik University Station and Yeonnam-dong in Mapo, Seoul. On a weekday daytime visit, the writer ordered the Mountain and Sea Combo samjjamyeon (1.5 servings), mokhwasom tangsuyuk (cotton-soft sweet and sour pork) and stir-fried clam knife-cut noodles, and was struck by food that favors natural ingredient flavors and balance over strong seasoning, and by the calm atmosphere. Seodamheon Hongdae Main Branch suits days when you want a neat, well-made Chinese meal and a quiet conversation.

Written Oct 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Seonyudo sundaeguk spot run by a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef: Deundeun

Deundeun Haejanggukbap Seonyudo Station Branch (든든해장국밥 선유도역점) is a 24-hour sundaeguk (blood sausage soup) restaurant between Seonyudo and Dangsan stations in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, reportedly run by an owner-chef trained at Le Cordon Bleu. On a weekend afternoon the blogger ordered the sundae gukbap and the bibim makguksu (spicy buckwheat noodles) with warm boiled pork set, and found the broth rich yet clean with no gamey smell, plus unlimited cypress-steamed sundae on the side. For a filling bowl of sundaeguk in a tidy space, Deundeun Haejanggukbap Seonyudo Station Branch is a good fit.

Written Oct 3, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hapjeong Korean eatery for after-work drinks and bossam: Haejeongjip

Haejeongjip is a Korean restaurant on Yanghwa-ro 6-gil near Hapjeong Station in Mapo, Seoul. The writer went after work on a weekday evening for pollack sashimi bossam (boiled pork wraps with seasoned raw pollack) and Hamhung bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles), and especially loved the rich broth of the free haejang-guk (hangover soup) served with the bossam. For a hearty dinner with drinks after work in Hapjeong, Haejeongjip is a good fit.

Written Sep 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeonnam-dong fusion Korean lunch: perilla cream sujebi at Susu Yeonnam

Susu Yeonnam is a fusion Korean restaurant on Donggyo-ro 38an-gil in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. On a weekday lunch with her husband, the writer ordered the beef brisket perilla cream potato sujebi (hand-torn dough soup), a minari (water dropwort) and marinated blood cockle rice bowl, and black sesame perilla oil ice cream. She found the sujebi nutty without being greasy and the ice cream an all-time standout treat. Susu Yeonnam suits couples who want a quiet Korean lunch date in Yeonnam-dong away from the weekend crowds.

Written Sep 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBucheon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Bucheon Korean restaurant, one main dish per 4 diners: Gim Myeongju

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Bucheon Main Branch is a Korean set-meal restaurant (hanjeongsik) on Gilju-ro 560beon-gil in Bucheon, known for stone-pot rice and cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew). A couple visited on a weekday evening, ordered 2 servings of tteuranchae-bap (the house rice set) and added grilled mackerel as a single dish, and got 12 side dishes plus unlimited cheonggukjang refills. Because Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang has you order one tteuranchae-bap per person and pick one single main dish per 4 people, planning a family gathering or work dinner is easy.

Written Sep 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Fusion pasta in Hongdae, Seoul on a quiet weekday: Omil Hongdae

Omil Hongdae is a fusion Western restaurant right beside Hongik University Station and AK Plaza in Mapo, Seoul. On a quiet weekday afternoon the writer ordered three signature dishes — gochujang butter pasta (K-butter pasta), sizzling cheese cutlet on a hot plate, and whole corn fritters — and ate at an unhurried pace with no crowd. Prices are easy on the wallet for Western food, so Omil Hongdae suits a Hongdae date or brunch, though arriving at opening is wise because waits are normal.

Written Sep 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBucheon, GyeonggiCafés

Sosa-gu bakery sold out of grain barley loaf by 11am: Chamsae Bori

Chamsae Bori Sikppang, Bucheon main branch is a barley bread bakery on Gyeongin-ro near the Simgok overpass intersection by Bucheon Station in Sosa-gu, Bucheon. Arriving at 11am on a weekend, the writer found the popular grain barley loaf already sold out and bought two daesang barley loaves and two rye barley loaves instead, plus the mascarpone milk cream tried at the tasting table. To pick from the full lineup at Chamsae Bori Sikppang, come for the 10am opening.

Written Aug 11, 2026Sponsored