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Cafés, restaurants and places in Seoul, written by bloggers who went there.
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.
Loco Loco Steamed Clams Yeongdeungpo Direct Store is a seafood pub near Yeongdeungpo Station in Seoul, a good spot for steamed clams with a drink. The Loco Loco steamed clams were paired with Saero Omija, and the leftover broth was finished with kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) — the plump clam meat and clear, cool broth worked well as a drinking snack. Recommended for a night when you want dinner and drinks in one place.
Geumseong Hoegwan Hapjeong Main Branch is a charcoal-grill Korean BBQ restaurant about 432m from Exit 6 of Hapjeong Station in Mapo, Seoul. The dinner ran through galbi-bon-samgyeop (marinated rib and pork belly) 200g and imperial galbi 150g at 19,000 won each, a free welcome soft tofu stew, hanwoo yukhoe naengmyeon (cold noodles with raw beef) at 12,000 won, plus rice and drinks, for a bill of exactly 60,000 won. No single dish stole the show at Geumseong Hoegwan — the meal kept its rhythm from first cut to last bite.
BAS Burger Euljiro Branch is a handmade burger restaurant on the basement floor of Seer Hotel, about 150m from Exit 10 of Euljiro3-ga Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. One set plus one single item brought a Double Bacon Cheeseburger and a BAS Burger, with the set side swapped from french fries to onion rings and the burger topping changed to grilled onion, alongside unlimited refill potato chips (James Gam) and free mentaiko mayo sauce. BAS Burger Euljiro Branch left the impression of a handmade burger shop that gives you everything.
Sisibibi is a second-floor Korean bar and restaurant in Dongjak, Seoul, a short walk from Sadang Station. The order here was Chinese chili nurungji (crispy rice) eggplant fritters, a barley shrimp minari (water celery) pancake and two draft beers, eaten side by side to compare two very different kinds of crunch. Sisibibi works as a dinner-and-drinks spot even with someone who rarely picks vegetable dishes.
Taqueros Magok Main Branch is a Mexican restaurant on the 2nd floor of Magok GMG Tower in Gangseo, Seoul, a 2-minute walk from Magok Station Exit 3. The dinner couple set brought three kinds of meat, shrimp, and fish and chicken tacos, and the fajita skillet left a layer of crispy scorched rice to scrape off the bottom. With free tortilla refills, two people at Taqueros left full without ordering extra.
Byeoljin Hwarogui is a campsite-themed charcoal grill Korean BBQ restaurant on Hangang-daero 77-gil in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, a short walk from Namyeong Station. A group of six booked a private room through Naver and ordered the 750g premium Korean pork platter, the Korean beef doenjang (soybean paste) hot pot and 550g of smoked dak-galbi (spicy grilled chicken), with staff grilling the meat along with olives and garlic. The atmosphere and the food at Byeoljin Hwarogui were both strong, though the call bell and the dak-galbi sauce were slow during the busy dinner rush.
Sanchaega Hanjeongsik Meokgol Main Branch is a hanjeongsik (Korean set-menu) restaurant on Dongil-ro 157-gil in Jungnang, Seoul, a short walk from Meokgol Station. The gondre cauldron rice special set costs 18,000 won per person with a two-person minimum, and it arrives with 12 banchan (side dishes) plus free refills on the banchan and doenjang jjigae; by around 12:30 on a weekday a line had formed outside. The spread at Sanchaega is mild rather than spicy, so it suits a meal with parents or a group gathering.
Gungmin Hanwoo House Samseong Station branch is a hanwoo grill restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul, a 9-minute walk from Samseong Station Exit 4. Two diners ordered the 400g premium platter (tenderloin, seolhwa sirloin, top sirloin and whole rib finger) plus No.9 yukbi (yukhoe bibimbap), and the water parsley banchan came packed with yukhoe (raw beef). The cuts are thick enough to grill medium rare — charred outside, juicy inside — which made this one of the more satisfying Korean BBQ dinners near Samseong Station.
HYBE Playground is a four-floor café and lounge near Sinyongsan Station in Yongsan, Seoul, set inside a 1970 inn building that was remodeled and standing right across from HYBE headquarters. Working remotely on a weekday, the writer took a 2nd-floor window seat and ordered peach cake, a sandwich and iced drinks by QR code while looking out over Yongsan. Coffee, dessert and the space itself all worked together, making HYBE Playground a café worth returning to with a laptop.
Pict Roastery Magoknaru Branch is a roastery café on the 2nd floor of Castle Park, across from Seoul Botanic Park in Gangseo, Seoul. Arriving just after 1pm with a former coworker once the lunch rush had passed, we ordered matcha basque cheesecake for 7,500 won, an americano for 4,900 won and Marco Polo tea for 6,500 won, then asked for hot water refills to stretch the tea out. Pict Roastery stays calm in the early afternoon, which makes it an easy place to sit and catch up.
