Areas · 10155 stories
Cafés, restaurants and places in Seoul, written by bloggers who went there.
Sujeoga Daehung Station Branch is a Chinese restaurant on Sungmun-gil near Daeheung Station in Mapo, Seoul. The jjamppong-bap (spicy seafood soup with rice) at Sujeoga comes with flat glass-noodle-like strands mixed in with the rice, and the garlic tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) is piled with minced garlic over a rich sauce. It made a filling solo lunch for a day when only spicy broth over rice would do.
Brivite Seongsu is a Western-style restaurant with a pink facade on Sangwon 6-gil in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, 252m from Exit 4 of Ttukseom Station. The Beet Set for two (₩50,700) brought porcini shrimp gnocchi, the hopping rabbit pasta, a Greek yogurt & tomato salad and two zero-sugar colas; the handmade gnocchi was crisp outside and chewy inside, while the rabbit pasta tasted of familiar tomato sauce. Between the cute plating and the European wood-tone room, Brivite Seongsu is worth adding to a Seongsu-dong date course.
Obeumua Hongdae Branch is a hair salon on Donggyo-ro 23-gil in Mapo-gu, Seoul, a 5-minute walk from Hongik University Station. After a perm left the hair too damaged to comb through, the writer had the two-step Luminous Clinic treatment (moisture and protein) and a cut styled straight with no curl, all within about an hour for the clinic. Both the cut detail and the swingy, smooth hair afterward were worth the visit.
Labiche Foot & Body Dongbu Ichon is a massage and body care shop in Yongsan, Seoul, a short walk from Ichon Station with a bus stop right outside the door. The visit started with a consultation, a foot massage and a foot callus scrub, then moved into the Slimming Focus 60-minute program (98,000 won trial price), which combines Invedum Max equipment with hands-on therapy; the suction was stronger than expected and had to be dialled down partway through. Labiche Foot & Body suits anyone who wants intensive work on problem areas rather than a soft, sleepy relaxation massage.
Hawaii Clam Hongdae Branch is a grilled clam and seafood restaurant on Wausan-ro 21-gil in the heart of Hongdae, Mapo, Seoul. The grilled clam platter costs 53,800 won for two, and two platters brought squid, red scallops, scallops, tteokbokki, spaghetti and corn cheese, paired with Hallasan soju and finished with unlimited refill ramen cooked in mussel broth. Hawaii Clam Hongdae Branch suits a night in Hongdae when you want something other than grilled meat or pasta, or a long outdoor-style drinking session.
Kushino Kitchen is a private-booth izakaya on the B1 level of Donggyo-ro, near Hongik University Station in Mapo, Seoul. After a 10-minute wait on a weekday evening, the order was kushino nabe (hot pot), lemon cream karaage, and orange and green grape highballs — plus a second round of pasta noodles in the nabe broth. Between the partitioned seats and the long highball list, Kushino Kitchen is an easy recommendation for a date night in Hongdae.
Arigyegok Gangnam is a traditional tonic-food bar on Teheran-ro 1-gil near Gangnam Station in Seoul. Arriving for a second round after dinner elsewhere, the writer's drinking group ordered the mud duck jeonbyeong (duck wrapped in dumpling skin) set instead of the signature chicken jeonbyeong, along with the original chicken hot pot and aged-kimchi fried rice to finish. Arigyegok Gangnam is an easy pick near Gangnam Station on a night that calls for hot broth and a shot of soju.
Bosseung Hoegwan Mapo Branch is a 24-hour gukbap (Korean rice-and-soup) restaurant just 30 seconds on foot from Mapo Station in Mapo, Seoul. For lunch on a chilly day, the hangjeong-suyuk gukbap (boiled pork neck soup) cost 13,000 won and was ordered without dadaegi (spicy chili seasoning) for a clear white broth, then topped with chives and salted shrimp, with garlicky, sharply spicy kimchi as the standout side. The broth is rich with no porky off-smell, so even gukbap beginners can finish a bowl easily.
N.G.T is a wine and whiskey dining bar on Samyang-ro near Gireum Station in Seongbuk, Seoul. The meal at N.G.T ran from a tofu ricotta starter salad and a non-alcoholic minari syrup cocktail to a highball poured in a Riedel glass, but the spicy lamb rib stew with mashed potatoes — almost free of the usual lamb gaminess — was the dish worth remembering. N.G.T is the place to keep in mind around Gireum Station when you want proper cooking alongside your drinks.
Recteur Seoul is a hair salon on Jandari-ro in Mapo, Seoul, a 5-minute walk from Hapjeong Station. Hair left dry and badly damaged by a hippie perm got a full color in matte brown with no red tones, together with the Course C clinic made for color and perm services, and the clinic product was mixed into the dye so the tone came out even. For a matte brown without worrying about further damage, Recteur Seoul is a satisfying choice.
Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo is a second-floor bar and restaurant in the food alley by Yeongdeungpo Station in Seoul. The hanwoo beef tripe and chicken stew (한우곱창닭도리탕) costs 36,900 won, and with a 2,000-won jjolmyeon noodle add-on plus one bottle of soju and one beer, two people paid 48,300 won — the stew came loaded with beef tripe, makchang and bone-in chicken. With soju at 3,900 won, draft beer at 2,900 won and wide group tables at the back, Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo works for both a two-person dinner and a company night out.
Hwaro Yangmi is a lamb specialty restaurant near Exit 4 of Ttukseom Station in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. A couple who love lamb booked a table the same day for a Sunday dinner and ordered the 500g lamb assortment (55,000 won) and 200g of lamb skewers (17,000 won), and the chilled, aged meat came out nutty with almost no gamey smell. Hwaro Yangmi is worth a try even for anyone who has held back because of lamb's distinctive aroma.
