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Seoul

Cafés, restaurants and places in Seoul, written by bloggers who went there.

Yongsan, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Hannam-dong scalp clinic for postpartum thinning hair: ONLY FOR YOU

ONLY FOR YOU Hannam Main Branch is a hair clinic salon on the 3rd floor at 70 Doksadang-ro in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, near Hannam Station. The visit was booked for a perm, but designer Youngseo saw how much the hair had thinned after childbirth and advised putting the perm off, so a 3-step scalp clinic followed instead: scalp cleansing, a scalp pack and an ampoule. A simple blow-dry gave the clean style she wanted with no perm at all, and she decided to return to ONLY FOR YOU for a scalp clinic once a month.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hongdae lunch: shiitake tempura and unagi chazuke at Ochaya Yeonnam

Ochaya Yeonnam is a Japanese ochazuke restaurant on the second floor of a building on Donggyo-ro 38-gil, between Hongik Univ. Station and Yeonnam-dong in Seoul. On a weekday lunch visit with no wait, the order was unagi chazuke (eel over rice), shiitake tempura and a zero-sugar cider, eaten the proper way: half the bowl plain, then broth poured over and seaweed piled on top. With a whole eel, nutritious rice and free refills of rice, seaweed, side dishes and broth, Ochaya Yeonnam is an easy pick for a solo lunch or a meal with coworkers.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Jongno, SeoulRestaurants

Jongno sushi restaurant with cooked sushi options: Choe Uyeong

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch is an aged-fish sushi and sashimi restaurant in a basement space on Jongno 5-gil, near Jongak Station in Seoul. Unable to eat raw food that day, the writer ordered 5 pieces of egg sushi, beef brisket fire sushi, tempura and udon, while her companion had the 17-piece premium deluxe sushi, where the fish was cut thick rather than thin. With a separate cooked sushi menu and in-building parking, Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch works well for a Jongno sushi meal with someone who can't eat anything raw.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Yeongdeungpo, SeoulCafés

Two ube lattes and Hong Kong egg tarts: Yeongdeungpo café BYWAY BAKERS

BYWAY BAKERS Yeongdeungpo Branch is a bakery café on Dangsan-ro 27-gil near Yeongdeungpogu Office Station in Seoul, run only as directly operated branches. We ordered an ube latte and an a-shot-chu (iced tea with an espresso shot) with a peach yogurt wakppu salt bread and a Hong Kong Tai Cheong-style egg tart, and my boyfriend went back for a second ube latte. With baby chairs, small goods and gift sets, BYWAY BAKERS is saved as a date spot we will return to.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Jongno, SeoulRestaurants

Jongno beef and lamb rack grill: sirloin added to the set, Yukrab

Yukrab Jongno (육랩 종로점) is a charcoal-grill beef and lamb rack restaurant on the 3rd floor of a building on the Street of Youth by Jonggak Station in Jongno, Seoul. Celebrating a friend's new job, we ordered the 2-person set — galbisal (boneless short rib), tosisal (hanger steak) and lamb rack with grilled cheese and doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) — then added beef sirloin, and the lamb had no gamy smell while the sirloin was the juiciest bite of the night. Yukrab Jongno is a solid pick when you want to eat good beef until you're full without overspending.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Seocho, SeoulCafés

Seocho pie shop: fig, blueberry and aurora pie boxed at Saison de Pie

Saison de Pie is a pie-focused dessert café on Seocho-daero 40-gil in Seocho, Seoul. Three pies were chosen from the showcase — fig pie, blueberry pie at 9,300 won and aurora pie at 9,300 won — packed with an ice pack for the trip home. Saison de Pie keeps both fruit-piled pies and soft cream pies on the counter, so there is an easy pick for either taste.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Songpa, SeoulBars

Bangi-dong izakaya serving mille-feuille nabe with udon: Sangkai

Sangkai Izakaya Bangi Branch is an izakaya on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Bangi-dong restaurant alley in Songpa, Seoul. At an open 2nd-floor seat with the folding doors pushed back, the order was mille-feuille nabe, raw salmon baguette salad and two Earl Grey highballs, and the nabe arrived with its own burner so udon noodles could be added at the end. Sangkai Izakaya Bangi Branch stays quiet enough for easy conversation, making it a good pick for drinks with a friend or a date.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulCafés

Yeonnam-dong group café with choose-your-bean americano: Noknok

Noknok is a large two-floor bakery café on Seongmisan-ro in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul. The first floor is built around big sofas for talking with friends, while the quiet second floor is better for getting work done, and the order here was a fig mugwort chiffon sando, a Noknok matcha latte and an iced americano with a choice of coffee beans. Group meetups, dates and study sessions all fit in one space at Noknok.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulRestaurants

Peking duck skin dipped in sugar at Panda Dim Sum, Yeonnam-dong

Panda Dim Sum is a dim sum and Peking duck restaurant on the second floor of a side street in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. The order was xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), flying fish roe shumai, half a Peking duck and a dongpo pork rice bowl, and dipping the crispy duck skin on its own into sugar was the most memorable bite of the day. Panda Dim Sum was meant to be a light dim sum stop, but sharing several dishes turned out to be the better call.

Written Sep 15, 2026Sponsored
Gangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Seolleung curry restaurant with spinach curry and vindaloo: CURRY146

CURRY146 Gangnam Branch is a British-style Indian curry restaurant on the basement level of a building near Exit 2 of Seolleung Station in Gangnam, Seoul. A couple ordered spinach curry, vindaloo curry and a falafel salad, with free turmeric rice and the naan that comes standard with each curry: the spinach curry tasted buttery and nutty, while the vindaloo started sour before the heat rose. CURRY146 was good enough that they ordered it again by delivery at home two days later.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Songpa, SeoulRestaurants

Seoul Korean BBQ in Bangi-dong: extra gopchang for three at Jinseong

Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Bangi Direct Branch is a hanwoo beef gopchang, daechang and makchang restaurant in the Bangi food alley in Songpa, Seoul. On a weekday evening three of us ordered one portion each of gopchang, daechang and makchang at 19,000 won apiece, added a second round of gopchang and finished with kkakdugi yangbap, with the staff grilling everything at the table. Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang has queues even on weekdays, so a Naver reservation, available until 6pm, is the way to go.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored
Yeongdeungpo, SeoulBars

Wang mandu dumplings at a Yeongdeungpo pojangmacha bar: Yeokjeon

Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo is a retro pojangmacha bar on the second floor of a building in the Yeongdeungpo restaurant alley, right by Yeongdeungpo Station in Seoul. Three former coworkers came by for a second round after dinner and ordered boneless dakdoritang (spicy chicken stew) with jjolmyeon noodles and wang mandu (giant dumplings), along with Chamisul, Chum Churum and Cass. With walls papered in old ads and magazines, long group tables, soju at 3,900 won and draft beer at 2,900 won, Yeokjeon Pojangmacha suited a loud, easygoing second round perfectly.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored