Areas · 10418 stories

Seoul

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

Jongno, SeoulRestaurants

Jongno 3-ga Seoul Korean BBQ: 61-team wait screen, pork neck: Tapgol

Tapgol Gongwon Jongno 3-ga Branch is an outdoor Korean BBQ restaurant with tables lining the Tapgol Park stone wall on Supyo-ro, near Jongno 3-ga Station in Seoul. On this visit the waiting screen showed 61 teams ahead, and the order was two servings of quick-frozen pork belly (18,000 won), one serving of quick-frozen pork neck (19,000 won), kimchi fried rice (6,000 won) and soju-and-beer shots. If you want the buzzing Jongno outdoor BBQ atmosphere, Tapgol Gongwon is worth it — just count on a wait at peak hours.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Songpa, SeoulRestaurants

Spicy hanwoo jjapaguri and sirloin at Jamsil BBQ Sutbul Seonghwa

Sutbul Seonghwa (숯불성화) Jamsil is an upscale hanwoo charcoal-grill restaurant on Songpa-daero 48-gil, near Seokchon Station in Seoul. The writer ordered two servings of seonghwa sirloin and spicy hanwoo jjapaguri (stir-fried instant noodles), ate the sirloin grilled at the table by staff with salt and wasabi, and finished with an Excellent ice cream bar. With private rooms, Sutbul Seonghwa suits occasions that need care: meals with parents, anniversary dates, or handing out wedding invitations.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Gwangjin, SeoulRestaurants

Gueui pork belly restaurant: cheonggukjang stew and fried rice finish

Sanggu's Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal Gueui Branch is a cauldron-lid pork belly restaurant on Achasan-ro in Gwangjin, Seoul. The order was two servings of fresh Korean-raised pork belly with cheonggukjang doenjang stew (fermented soybean stew), a bowl of rice and a finishing fried rice, and the staff grilled everything at the table alongside minari (water dropwort) that soaked up the pork fat. The minari and fried rice combination was the most memorable part of a meal that left two people completely full.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulRestaurants

Carrot duck aglio olio at a Yeonnam-dong restaurant: Hôtel de Couture

Hôtel de Couture is a Western-style restaurant on the 1.5th floor of a brick building in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul, a 10-minute walk from Hongik University Station Exit 3. On a Friday at 2pm there was no wait, and two people shared carrot duck aglio olio (18,000 won) and egg in hell (18,000 won) — the duck had no gamey smell, and the crisp sweetness of the carrot was the real kick. Two dishes were generous enough to leave two people completely full, making Hôtel de Couture an easy pick for a date or a meal with friends.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Gangbuk, SeoulThings to do

Shoes-off date karaoke room with maracas in Mia, Seoul: Su Noraebang

Su Noraebang Mia Branch is a 24-hour karaoke room in the basement right outside Exit 2 of Miasageori Station in Gangbuk, Seoul. Guests take their shoes off at the spotless lobby, and the Gold Room (35,000 won), used as a drama filming location, came stocked with maracas instead of the usual tambourine. The one-hour booking kept getting free service time added, so it felt like 2-3 extra hours of singing.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Jongno, SeoulRestaurants

Lettuce-wrapped pork belly at a Jongno 3-ga BBQ alley spot: Chowon

Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant in Jongno, Seoul, where thin flash-frozen pork belly is grilled at outdoor tables set up along the alley. Arriving at 6pm on a weekend meant an expected wait of over an hour for an outdoor table, so the meal happened at an indoor seat right beside the terrace: two servings of flash-frozen pork belly at 18,000 won each, kimchi jjigae at 9,000 won and steamed egg at 5,000 won. The thin pork belly wrapped in fresh lettuce and the Jongno alley atmosphere are what made the night at Chowon Restaurant worth it.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Jongno, SeoulRestaurants

Jongno Tower basement Korean restaurant: octopus set, Bonghyejane

Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch is a Korean restaurant on basement level 2 of Jongno Tower in Jongno, Seoul, directly connected to Jonggak Station on Line 1. The signature nakji-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried octopus) set came with a side of zucchini pancake, sweet pumpkin porridge, mushroom perilla soup and perilla dumpling soup, and the octopus had a real open-flame char with heat roughly on par with Shin Ramyun. With its retro dining room and many tables, Bonghyejane handles family lunches with older relatives and larger group meals near Jonggak.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Yeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Mullae clam kalguksu restaurant with a private room at dinner: Palmi

Palmi Jogae Kalguksu Mullae is a Korean restaurant near Mullae Station in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, where clam shabu-shabu is followed by kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) and then porridge. Arriving at 8pm on a weekday, every table was full, so Palmi seated us in a private room, and we ordered the spicy-broth clam shabu-kalguksu dinner for two at 18,900 won plus a crispy seafood and scallion fritter at 9,900 won, which arrived loaded with mussels, scallops, hard clams, abalone and two kinds of meat. A filling, hearty stop in Mullae whenever a hot soup dish sounds good.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Gwangjin, SeoulRestaurants

Jambon mushroom cream pasta at Konkuk pizza spot Pizza E Michida

Pizza E Michida Konkuk University Branch is an Italian-fusion pizza and pasta restaurant in the Konkuk food alley, a 5-minute walk from Exit 1 of Konkuk University Station in Gwangjin, Seoul. After work the writer took an outdoor yajang (patio) table and ordered a half-and-half pizza with pepperoni and combination (17,900 won), jambon mushroom pasta (15,900 won) and a zero-sugar cider, filling up on the complimentary nacho chips too. Even for someone who does not drink, Pizza E Michida Konkuk satisfies on the pizza-and-pasta combination alone.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulRestaurants

Gongdeok in-law meeting restaurant with sea bream pot rice: Usu

Usu is a hanwoo (Korean beef) dining restaurant in Gongdeok, Mapo, Seoul, connected directly to Gongdeok Station Exit 2. The Dinner B course runs from ugyejinjuk porridge and four bite-sized dishes through Jeju tilefish and 1++ hanwoo tteokgalbi to sea bream pot rice with a personal tabletop grill, ending with a corn ice cream dessert that even a corn-averse companion finished in seconds. For occasions where the room and the mood matter as much as the food, such as meeting the in-laws or an anniversary, Usu is an easy recommendation.

Written Sep 13, 2026Sponsored
Jung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Seoul dakgalbi restaurant with wasabi mayo: Yaksu Chamsutbul Dakgalbi

Yaksu Chamsutbul Dakgalbi is a long-running charcoal dakgalbi (grilled chicken) restaurant a 1-minute walk from Exit 10 of Yaksu Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. Arriving on a weekday at 4pm meant no wait, so the order was one serving each of charcoal dakgalbi in handmade soy sauce and herbal marinade plus salt-and-pepper chicken neck meat, washed down with soju-and-beer daytime drinks. The meat arrives pre-grilled, and the wasabi mayo sauce and complimentary doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) make Yaksu Chamsutbul Dakgalbi an easy recommendation in Yaksu-dong.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Yeongdeungpo, SeoulBars

Dangsan pub for after-work pepperoni pizza: Long Time No See

Long Time No See Dangsan Branch is a pizza and beer pub one minute's walk from Exit 12 of Dangsan Station in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. After work I ordered the Long Time Peach Set chicken and a pepperoni pizza with cheese crust added to the rim, then added hot sauce and parmesan from the self-bar. With several draft beers on self-tap that you pour by the amount you want, Long Time No See handles pizza and beer plus chicken and beer in one sitting.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored