Wet Umbrella · 15 stories

Wet Umbrella, Seoul, Gyeonggi and Gangwon Bars, Cafes and Beauty

Writes about bars, restaurants, cafes and beauty spots found while moving between Seoul, Gyeonggi and Gangwon. · Writes about: Bars · Restaurants · Cafés · Hair & beauty salons

PlaceGangneung, GangwonRestaurants

Gangneung tofu restaurant, hangover crab hot pot for 6: Jeong Eunsuk

Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu (정은숙초당순두부) is a Chodang tofu restaurant near Gangmun Beach and Chodang Sundubu Village in Gangneung, Gangwon. On day two of a family trip, six of us booked ahead for a hangover meal and ordered the Chodang Premium Table for 4 plus the Chodang tofu hot pot for 2. The sundubu hot pot, tofu samhap, spicy grilled kodari and refreshing crab tofu hot pot were all satisfying. Jeong Eunsuk Chodang Sundubu is a local Gangneung spot worth recommending for a morning-after family meal.

Written Jun 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangneung, GangwonCafés

Gangneung dessert shop: not-too-sweet sand Mom loved—Gangneung Sand

Gangneung Sand Main Branch is a dessert shop in Gangneung, Gangwon, that fills floors 1 to 3 of a building on Seonggokgoyang-gil and sells Gangneung Sand cookies and breakwater bread (bangpaje-ppang). On a family trip, the writer and a younger sibling climbed the Santorini-style stairs and ordered coffee and dried persimmon Gangneung Sand at the kiosk to go; the cookies were less sweet than expected, so even their mom, who dislikes sweets, enjoyed them with coffee the next morning. Gangneung Sand keeps 14 days at room temperature, which makes it an easy snack to bring home as a Gangneung gift.

Written Jun 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulBars

Mullae Station sake bar: garlic cream butter shrimp at Akai Teppan

Akai Teppan is a Hiroshima-style teppanyaki bar in Mullae Arts Village, Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. Three women stopped by for sake after a first round of wine and finished two bottles of junmai sake with Akai okonomiyaki (18,000 won) and garlic cream butter shrimp (15,000 won). The sake they wanted was sold out, so only junmai was available. With reasonable prices and a varied menu, Akai Teppan is worth recommending as a second-round bar near Mullae Station.

Written Jun 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Korean BBQ for four friends in Yeongdeungpo: Choryang Saenggalbi

Choryang Saenggalbi (초량생갈비) is a Korean BBQ restaurant near Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station in Seoul where staff grill the meat on cast-iron grills. Four camping friends booked for 7pm and ordered Set B (₩55,000) plus 2 portions of hwangjesal (a premium pork cut). The aged-kimchi stew (mukeunji kimchi jjigae), cheesy steamed egg and green onion kimchi were the highlights. Apart from slightly salty marinated galbi, Choryang Saenggalbi is a solid pick for group dinners.

Written Jun 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwanak, SeoulBars

Sharosu-gil bar: spicy tomato pot with crab and cutlet, Hwarong Jujeom

Hwarong Jujeom (화룡주점) is a fusion bar on Sharosu-gil (Gwanak-ro 14-gil), near Seoul National University Station in Gwanak, Seoul. After a first round of grilled meat, the writer and their younger sibling's couple stopped by Hwarong Jujeom for a second round and ordered the Hwarong Nabe (25,900 won), a tomato-sauce hot pot generously loaded with pasta, pork cutlet, crab and shrimp that turned out spicier than expected. Even the companions who said they were full scraped up the last of the broth, making Hwarong Jujeom a satisfying second-round spot.

Written Jun 17, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulCafés

Wangsimni Station café before gopchang: churros financier, Eojil In

Eojil In (어질 인) is a two-floor bakery café right in front of Exit 6 of Wangsimni Station in Seongdong, Seoul. Around 3 p.m. on a hot afternoon, two friends coming from Hanam and Dangsan met halfway in Wangsimni and ordered 2 iced Americanos, a churros financier, a chocolate financier and a matcha Basque cheesecake at Eojil In. Eojil In is the kind of café where a quick coffee before gopchang (grilled beef intestines) turns into a full dessert order.

Written Jun 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulBars

Haengdang-dong bar in Seoul: early-evening highballs at Rainbow Pocha

Rainbow Pocha is a 120-seat Korean gastropub on the 2nd floor of a Haengdang-dong alley near Wangsimni Station Exit 10 in Seongdong, Seoul. The blogger dropped in around 5 p.m. for some daytime-style drinking, working through Suntory, rum, Earl Grey, Jim Beam and Bacardi highballs alongside tofu kimchi (12,900 won) and gambas (14,900 won). Rainbow Pocha has a wide highball selection at fair prices, plus a big screen, mics and a smoking room, which make it a good fit for group nights out.

Written Jun 20, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Tuesday offal BBQ and kimchi noodles at Dangsan Station: Chodaechang

Chodaechang Dangsan Station is a hanwoo (Korean beef) daechang and specialty-cut BBQ restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building between Exits 11 and 12 of Dangsan Station in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. On a last-minute Tuesday evening with a friend, the writer ordered the Mixed Grill A set (66,000 won) and kimchi mari guksu (cold kimchi noodle soup, 6,000 won); staff grilled the heart, daechang, teukyang and makchang in that order, and near the end moved the remaining meat to a small grill to keep it warm. Chodaechang Dangsan Station is a good spot to hand off the grilling and relax over drinks and conversation.

Written Jun 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Seoul Korean BBQ in Sinnonhyeon: Tuesday meetup over LA ribs at Sojei

Sojei Seoul Flagship Store (소제이 서울본점) is a Korean BBQ restaurant near the Sinnonhyeon Station food alley in Gangnam, Seoul, specializing in raw LA-style short ribs and braised oxtail. On a last-minute Tuesday meetup after work, the writer and a friend ordered 500g of raw LA ribs (60,000 won) and a tasting portion of braised oxtail with chives (33,000 won), and the staff grilled the ribs at the table and showed four different ways to eat them. With generous side dishes and tender oxtail that isn't too salty, Sojei Seoul Flagship Store is a solid pick for after-work drinks or a team dinner near Sinnonhyeon Station.

Written Jun 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Saenae hair salon hippie perm removal + shortest-ever tassel cut: Anew

Anew Hair Songpa Jamsil Branch is a hair salon on the 3rd floor of a building near Exit 4 of Jamsil Saenae Station in Songpa, Seoul. At Anew Hair, the writer had an awkward-length leftover hippie perm straightened out with magic straightening, then got the shortest tassel cut of her life, cut carefully in two rounds over almost 2 hours. The makeover was so dramatic that friends didn't recognize her, and 5 days later the cut is still easy to manage, so Anew Hair Songpa Jamsil Branch is worth recommending if you're considering a bob.

Written Jun 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwanak, SeoulRestaurants

Korean BBQ in Sharosu-gil, Seoul: pre-baby feast of 6 servings

Gogigupneunsaramdeul Sharosu-gil (고기굽는사람들 샤로수길본점) is a charcoal-grilled, cross-aged pork BBQ restaurant on Sharosu-gil near Seoul National University Station in Gwanak, Seoul, offering both unlimited meat and set menus. The writer went around 9 pm on a weekday with her sister, a week before the sister's due date, and her brother-in-law; they ordered the 61,500-won family set plus 2 extra servings of meat (6 in total), then finished with a charcoal-grilled rice ball and Cheongyu mul naengmyeon (cold noodles in broth). The generous, high-quality meat, more than 7 side dishes and a spacious dining room make Gogigupneunsaramdeul worth recommending for group dinners.

Written Jul 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeodaemun, SeoulRestaurants

Sinchon soup spot: mild yukgaejang breakfast with Mom, Pyeongando

Pyeongando Sikdang Sinchon Branch is a 24-hour sundae-guk (Korean blood sausage soup) and haejangguk (hangover soup) restaurant near Exits 3 and 4 of Sinchon Station in Seodaemun, Seoul, open every day of the year. On a Monday around 9 a.m., the writer, Mom and a younger sibling each had a bowl: Pyeongando special sundae-guk (13,000 won), spicy boneless gukbap (14,000 won) and traditional yukgaejang (11,000 won). The special sundae-guk at Pyeongando Sikdang was big enough for three to share with some left over, and the traditional yukgaejang was mild enough for anyone who can't handle spice.

Written Jul 12, 2026Sponsored