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Cafés, restaurants and places in Seoul, written by bloggers who went there.
Charom Makeup & Hair is a makeup and hair salon on Dangsan-ro 54-gil in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, near Dangsan Station. The writer booked hair and makeup at Charom Makeup & Hair for birthday photos, and the most impressive parts were the skin coverage built up in several thin layers and the lashes that kept their curl all day. Even after a long, sweaty walk at Hangang Park, the face looked the same from morning until night.
Today Makeup is a hair and makeup salon a 5-minute walk from Exit 1 of Hongik University Station in Mapo, Seoul. Showing reference photos suited to bob-length hair, the writer booked the ₩120,000 "natural and clean hair & makeup" set at Today Makeup, which covered everything from eyebrow grooming to bangs swept back. It was a first visit to a makeup salon, and the eyebrow tidy-up and the thin, gradually layered base left the strongest impression.
Jindoken Seongsu Branch is an izakaya on the second floor of a building on Wangsimni-ro 4ga-gil in Seongdong, Seoul. On a weekend evening, two friends ordered cream jjamppong (creamy spicy noodle soup), shrimp lemon mayo and mochi ridofu (soft tofu with mochi) with soju by the glass, and the chili-oil cream broth was an especially good match for the poured soju. With single seats, counter (dachi) seats and group seats split across two zones, Jindoken Seongsu Branch suits solo drinks and bigger gatherings alike.
Mellang is a brunch restaurant in Dongbuichon-dong, Yongsan, Seoul, run as a neighborhood spot for more than 8 years. After a trip to the Children's Museum at the National Museum of Korea with a 17-month-old, the writer took a window seat at Mellang for Caesar salad at 16,000 won, garlic scape pasta at 18,000 won and a flat white at 5,000 won. With stroller access and a baby chair, Mellang works well as a lunch stop on a museum day.
Hwakkeunne Ojingyang is a squid specialty restaurant in Yonggang-dong near Mapo Station in Seoul. Over dinner with a child, the bossam combo set arrived as one plate of boiled pork bossam, tangy squid muchim (spicy-sour squid salad) and stir-fried squid, and the set came with a complimentary soft-fried egg. Hwakkeunne Ojingyang settles the menu argument when meat lovers and seafood lovers eat together, though the mood suits a night out among adults better.
Wystab Diet Gwanghwamun is a build-your-own protein salad and poke restaurant on the basement floor between Jongak and Gwanghwamun stations in Jongno, Seoul. Ordered as a solo lunch, the beef came out warm and chewy, and even the tofu noodles added on the side got finished off. Wystab Diet Gwanghwamun suits anyone tired of cold salads for a diet lunch.
Gappo Ganbariya Cooking Bar Junghwa Branch is a Japanese cooking bar and izakaya within walking distance of Junghwa Station in Jungnang, Seoul, with a wide menu spanning sashimi, nabe hot pots, sushi, grilled dishes and pasta. This visit paired fugu nabe (blowfish hot pot) at 34,000 won, which comes with a separate plate of seasoned fugu skin, and abalone intestine pasta at 28,000 won with Chum-Churum soju. Seating at Gappo Ganbariya runs from bar seats facing the open kitchen to a private room with a door that closes, so it works for solo drinking and small group dinners alike.
Kitto is a Japanese-style katsu restaurant in the Sangam-dong food alley across from DDMC in Mapo, Seoul. For lunch, Kitto's sirloin katsu (15,000 won) and tenderloin katsu (16,000 won) came with curry and fried shrimp at 4,000 won each, tasted the way the menu suggests: plain first, then with natural Maldon salt, then with kosho, wasabi and truffle tonkatsu sauce. Even my husband, a die-hard old-school donkatsu fan, said we should come back to Kitto.
Halmae Gireumjip Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Branch is a pub serving jeon (Korean savory pancakes) and Korean bar snacks on the restaurant-and-bar street by Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station in Seoul. Stopping in for a second round after dinner, the writer ordered minari (water celery) shrimp jeon and tofu kimchi, and the crunch of minari inside the generously oil-fried pancake was the part that stuck. On a cool evening with the doors flung wide open, Halmae Gireumjip is an easy place for one jeon and a drink.
Su Noraebang Mia Branch is a room karaoke spot on the second basement floor of a building near Exit 2 of Miasageori Station in Gangbuk, Seoul. A Gold Room at Su Noraebang Mia Branch costs 35,000 won, and on a weekday visit the screen first showed "30 minutes added" and then kept adding more service time until every voice in the room gave out. With well-managed sound and clean, odor-free rooms, Su Noraebang Mia Branch is worth recommending when you are looking for karaoke around Miasageori.
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.
