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Seoul

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

Jungnang, SeoulBars

Junghwa Station bar with private rooms and fugu nabe: Gappo Ganbariya

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.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulRestaurants

Sangam-dong katsu lunch: salt, kosho and truffle sauce at Kitto

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.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Yeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Jeon pub for a second round in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul: Halmae Gireumjip

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.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Gangbuk, SeoulThings to do

Miasageori karaoke room with free weekday extra time: Su Noraebang

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.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulRestaurants

Daeheung Station Chinese restaurant for solo jjamppong-bap: Sujeoga

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.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Seongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Porcini shrimp gnocchi at Seongsu Western restaurant Brivite Seongsu

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.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Hongdae hair salon for perm-damaged hair: 2-step clinic and cut

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.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Yongsan, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Slimming Focus 60-min at Labiche Foot & Body, a Yongsan massage shop

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.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hongdae seafood restaurant, Hallasan soju and clam ramen: Hawaii Clam

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.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulBars

Private-booth bar in Hongdae, Seoul: kushino nabe at Kushino Kitchen

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.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Gangnam, SeoulBars

Korean bar in Gangnam, Seoul for chicken hot pot and soju: Arigyegok

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.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulRestaurants

24-hour gukbap near Mapo Station: pork neck suyuk, Bosseung Hoegwan

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.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored