Areas · 6025 stories
Cafés, restaurants and places in Seoul, written by bloggers who went there.
Le Bon Goûter is a French-style brunch café near Apgujeong Rodeo and Dosan Park in Gangnam, Seoul, open from 9am with outdoor terrace seating for early breakfast. The jambon mushroom galette, mushroom soup, and lemon pasta were the order, with the galette piled high with a fried egg, cheese, and mushrooms. A great spot for a relaxed weekday morning brunch at a wooden table under a Monet water lily painting.
Central Site Hapjeong is a roastery café in Mapo, Seoul, one minute from Exit 2 of Hapjeong Station. After filling up on tonkatsu, the writer stopped by alone for a Guatemala Entre Volcanes washed drip coffee (₩8,000) and classic tiramisu (₩8,500), reading the bean info card in quiet solitude. A Hapjeong café that works well for post-meal dessert or sitting alone.
Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch is a Thai restaurant on the basement floor of Mecenatpolis near Hapjeong Station in Mapo, Seoul. The writer ordered the top 3 popular menu items together — giant prawn pad thai, beef pho, and nasi goreng — alternating between the sweet pad thai and the clean beef pho, with the first-time nasi goreng, loaded with seafood and egg, standing out the most. A good pick for Thai food beginners who want to try the crowd favorites first.
Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo is a bar on the 2nd floor near Yeongdeungpo Station in Seoul, offering soju for ₩3,900 and beer for ₩2,900 with plenty of seating for group dinners. It serves shareable dishes like dakdoritang (spicy braised chicken stew) alongside playfully named drinks such as 'garo,' 'sero,' and 'geokkuro,' with quick, easy service from a foreign staff member. A budget-friendly bar comfortable for either a first or second round.
Ilpum Gangnam Branch is a premium kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) and eel rice bowl specialist tucked in the basement of Seocho Town Trapalace near Gangnam Station in Seoul. Dining solo, the writer paired the Premium Kaisendon (₩37,000) with an umeshu highball (₩10,000) and finished with cold udon and mango panna cotta for dessert. With uni, ikura, abalone and ankimo all piled into one bowl, plus one hour of free parking, it works equally well for solo lunch or a wedding-invitation catch-up.
Bas Burger Samseong Station Branch is a burger restaurant near Samseong Station in Gangnam, Seoul. Sitting on the terrace in the autumn breeze, the writer tried The Bas Burger set and the Bas Burger set, and during the opening-period event the drink was upgraded free to the craft Bas Lager, making it a proper afternoon-drinking lunch. With free James Gam chips and burgers that aren't too heavy, it's a solid lunch spot for office workers in Samseong-dong.
Dangsan Odol Bangi Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant near Bangi Station and Olympic Park in Songpa, Seoul, with a spacious dining hall that feels more like a proper meat restaurant than a pojangmacha. Grilled over charcoal were 200g of lamb ribs, silk mango raw pork neck, and scored pork belly (kkaljip kkeopdegi), with the deeply scored belly standing out for its soft, chewy texture. With excellent charcoal and generous parking, it's a solid pick for enjoying multiple cuts at once.
Toni&Guy Seongsu is a hair salon in Seongdong, Seoul, five minutes on foot from Dukseom Station Exit 7, on the 2nd and 3rd floors of an ivory-colored building. After a year, the writer got a volume magic straightening treatment and a mid-length layered cut from bob specialist designer Taeri, with everything from shampoo and clinic treatment to flat-iron finishing handled carefully. Frizzy, half-wavy hair came out light and neat — a fully satisfying visit.
Ilpum Yeouido Branch is a Japanese restaurant in a basement space behind the Korea Development Bank in Yeouido, Seoul, six minutes on foot from Gukhoeuisadang Station. On a third visit, the writer ordered unagi don (eel rice bowl) and premium kaisendon, finding the eel boneless and tender and the sashimi thickly cut, with the basic side dishes of steamed egg and cold udon just as satisfying. With banks all around, it's a solid pick for a business meeting or a first date.
Jjuksami Cheonho Main Branch is a spicy octopus and pork belly restaurant at the entrance of the Seongnae-dong octopus alley, a 5-minute walk from Exit 6 of Cheonho Station in Gangdong, Seoul. A regular of 8 years ordered the octopus + pork belly for two, paired with the restaurant's signature Rich Gold cheese and bean sprouts, plus the standard corn cheese, nurungji (crispy rice), steamed egg sides and a complimentary spaghetti finish. It's the first place that comes to mind whenever octopus cravings hit, thanks to a familiar taste that never gets old.
Mano di Chef Myeongdong Branch is an Italian restaurant on the 11th floor of the Unesco Building in Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul, certified by the Blue Ribbon Survey. Two of us shared the shrimp and crab cream pasta and the squid-ink dough steak pizza, and the thick cream sauce and generous steak topping stood out. With private, room-like seating and a table for six, it works equally well for a Myeongdong date or a group gathering.
Irow is an izakaya in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, near Gunja Station, focused on aged sashimi. Visiting on a Sunday evening for two, the writer ordered a sashimi platter (₩39,000) and beef brisket bean sprout stir-fry (₩23,000), plus Hanmac draft beer and Saero soju, with complimentary fried tofu and potato salad crackers on top. The chewy texture of the aged flounder sashimi and the friendly staff made it a spot worth returning to for a date.
