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Cafés, restaurants and places in Seoul, written by bloggers who went there.
Hannam Tatsu is an izakaya with an open kitchen on Hannam-daero 20-gil in Hannam-dong, Yongsan, Seoul. At Hannam Tatsu the order was assorted sashimi tartare, eaten wrapped in gim tae (dried seaweed sheets), and an eel rice bowl topped with four thick cuts of eel, with sake pairings to match. Between the bar seats and the table seats, Hannam Tatsu works well for group dinners, dates, or a first meeting.
Lashdol Gangnam Station is a lash extension studio near Exit 4 of Gangnam Station on the Sinbundang Line in Seoul. At Lashdol the writer had human-hair CC-curl lashes with LED extensions plus a volume add-on, which gave fuller eyes without looking overdone, and found a 10% first-visit discount along with 2-week and 3-week retouch deals. It is a good combination for anyone who finds dramatic extensions too much but wants to fill in sparse lashes.
Hantiok Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport (한티옥 롯데몰 김포공항점) is a Korean restaurant in the B2 dining floor of Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport in Gangseo, Seoul. Ordering the bossam set for 3 with an elementary-school child, the meal courses were picked separately as two gukbap (rice soup) and one guksi (noodle soup), and tofu and mandu (dumplings) filled out the table. Hantiok seated the group with no wait even at dinnertime, making it an easy choice for a family meal.
Sese Coffee is a roastery café on Songni-dan-gil in Songpa, Seoul, a short walk from Songpanaru Station. With time to spare before a weekday lunch, the writer took a laptop in, ordered hazelnut vanilla pound cake, orange pound cake and a coffee as big as a bowl, and finished editing a YouTube video thanks to an outlet at every seat. Quiet, with single seats and a bar table, Sese Coffee is one of the better Seoul coffee shops for working alone.
Bitters is a speakeasy cocktail bar in Mapo, Seoul, a 440-meter walk from Hongik University Station Exit 9, where you push open a bookshelf door in the basement. Of the 12 book-inspired signature cocktails at Bitters, the Valheim with dill, lemon, honey and pickle brine costs 22,000 won, alongside a melon jamón plate at 23,000 won and a Balvenie 14-year on the rocks. With 3.5-meter ceilings, jazz playing and bartenders who ask what you like, Bitters works just as well for a date as for a drink alone.
Bogumjip Yongsan Main Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant near Samgakji Station in Yongsan, Seoul, that serves a Japanese-style curry simmered for more than 6 hours as its lunch special. On the way to Yongsan I-Park Mall, the writer ordered the kaburi katsu (pork collar cutlet) curry, the shrimp cutlet curry and steamed egg, which came with sorbet-chilled radish salad and kimchi jjigae included. The rich curry with tender pork collar cutlet makes Bogumjip an easy lunch pick around Samgakji.
Yukrab Jongno is a charcoal-grill restaurant for beef and lamb on the third floor of a building on Youth Street in Jongno, Seoul, a 2-3 minute walk from Jonggak Station Exit 4. Two servings of jingalbisal (beef rib finger meat, 120g each) cost 56,000 won and a steamed egg 3,900 won, and the thick-cut meat grilled over charcoal came with sauces including wasabi and whole grain mustard. With a black-toned interior and private rooms for 5 to 18 people, Yukrab Jongno works just as well for a date as for a group dinner near Jonggak.
Teolbone Taco (털보네 타코) is a Mexican restaurant that has reopened in Jayang-dong on Dukseom-ro 23-gil, near Konkuk University Station in Gwangjin, Seoul. The writer ordered pork tacos, fried fish tacos, a chimichanga, chili fries, a quesadilla and loaded Doritos, and the fried fish taco was the clear winner of the night. With corkage free if you ask ahead, Teolbone Taco is an easy pick for tacos with whatever you want to drink.
Namhae Fish Jamsilsaenae Branch is an aged sashimi (hoe) restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building inside the Jamsilsaenae dining alley, a 5-minute walk from Exit 4 of Jamsilsaenae Station in Songpa, Seoul. The sashimi omakase course starts with pre-meal porridge and mulhoe (chilled raw fish soup), then runs through a spread of aged sashimi, sushi and futomaki, fried food and pasta, and a hot soup at the end — so generous that we could not finish it. With a spacious hall and comfortable seating, Namhae Fish Jamsilsaenae Branch works well for group dinners and larger gatherings in Jamsilsaenae.
Stack Bakery is a French-style pastry bakery café in Jayang-dong, Gwangjin, Seoul, 609m from Exit 5 of Konkuk University Station. At Stack Bakery the order was four pastries — croissant, sausage pastry, pain au chocolat and hazelnut kouign-amann — eaten upstairs on the second floor with a café latte and a coconut latte. The croissant arrived warmed and its butter flavor was good enough to call a lifetime-best croissant, so Stack Bakery is saved for a repeat visit.
Kkamuri Sangbong Station Main Branch is a skewer izakaya near Exit 3 of Sangbong Station in Jungnang, Seoul. The Owner's Home Run Set (52,000 won) brought 10 skewers, Kansai fish cake soup and a random side dish of matcha sweet potato cake, and mixed fries and draft beer rounded out a generous spread. With tablet ordering at every table and good ventilation, Kkamuri is an easy pick for a date or a night out with friends.
Bonghyejane Jubang (봉혜자네주방) Jongno Tower branch is a Korean bossam and pork restaurant on basement level 2 of Jongno Tower in Jongno, Seoul. Ordering the pork stir-fry set (donbokkeum jeongsik) together with the tasting bossam (boiled pork with wrappers) let the writer alternate between the punchy stir-fry sauce and the mild boiled pork, settling rice and meat in one meal. Bonghyejane Jubang is an easy stop in Jongno for an office-worker lunch or a solo meal.
