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Seoul

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

Mapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hongdae jjimdak restaurant with private group rooms: Ongdarae Jjimdak

Ongdarae Jjimdak is a jjimdak (braised chicken) restaurant on Yanghwa-ro, right by Hongdae Station in Mapo, Seoul. Two diners ordered the boneless L size at regular spice for 37,000 won with both a plain rice bowl and ongbap (seasoned mixed rice), and plain white rice stirred into the soy sauce tasted far better than the ongbap. With two private group rooms, Ongdarae Jjimdak also works well for a Hongdae work dinner or a lunch gathering.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Jongno, SeoulCafés

Seochon salt bread café for a 1pm business-trip lunch: Respire

Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon is a salt bread and brunch café near Cheong Wa Dae Sarangchae in Seochon, Seoul. Arriving at 1pm at the tail end of a business-trip lunch break, I took a first-floor seat and ordered the omelette sandwich, the last chocolate salt bread of the day and an Americano — the salt bread was crisp and the egg stayed moist. Basic salt bread is 3,000 won (two for 5,000 won) at this pet-friendly café near Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Written Sep 13, 2026Sponsored
Gangdong, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Cheonho-dong hair salon 20-minute thinning cut for dry ends: Juno Hair

Juno Hair Cheonho Rodeo is a franchise hair salon in Cheonho-dong, Gangdong, Seoul, a 3-minute walk from Exit 5 of Cheonho Station. A month and a half after the last visit, long layered hair had turned straw-dry with messy, uneven ends, so designer Yeondu trimmed the ends, thinned out the weight and finished with a blow-dry in about 20 minutes. The length came out even, light and neat, proving a cut alone can change the whole look.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Nowon, SeoulRestaurants

Nowon shabu-shabu restaurant à la carte: brisket, sirloin, yuzu ponzu

Hana Shabu Shabu Junggye Main Branch is a shabu-shabu and cypress-steamed (pyeonbaek-jjim) restaurant in Junggye-dong, Nowon, Seoul, a 10-minute walk from either Junggye or Hagye Station. On the owner's advice, the writer skipped the course and ordered only the à la carte shabu-shabu brisket and sirloin, dipping the black angus beef in yuzu ponzu mixed with cheongyang chili, then finished with udon noodles and a tadaki served free for a photo review. One à la carte order was filling enough on its own, and Hana Shabu Shabu works just as well for a solo meal at the bar as for dinner with parents.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Gangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Gangnam Station Western restaurant with self-serve zone: Eulji Darak

Eulji Darak Gangnam Station is a white-toned Western restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building on Gangnam-daero 96-gil in Gangnam, Seoul. A visit here brought corn gnocchi at 19,000 won, katsu sando at 12,000 won and the signature Darak omelet rice at 17,000 won, with creamy gnocchi, a thick pork loin cutlet and egg that spilled open over the rice. Group tables and a self-serve zone stocked with water, paper cups, napkins and aprons make Eulji Darak an easy choice for a group meetup, date or blind date near Gangnam Station.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Yongsan, SeoulRestaurants

Onion ring side swap at a Yongsan burger restaurant: Bass Burger

Bass Burger Sinyongsan is a handmade burger restaurant at the entrance to Yongridan-gil on Hangang-daero 46-gil in Yongsan, Seoul. The Bass Chicken Burger set came with onion rings instead of the standard side and the Wasabi Mayo Shrimp Burger set was swapped for crunchy chicken, alongside a chili mozza cheese bar, a Big Wave beer and free unlimited potato chips. Bass Burger Sinyongsan does both burgers and fried chicken well, so it works for a Yongridan-gil date or a beer-and-burger night.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulCafés

Hapjeong brunch café for a grilled shrimp plate: Seowon Angil

Seowon Angil Hapjeong is a two-floor brunch café in Seogyo-dong, Mapo, Seoul, within walking distance of Exit 3 at Hapjeong Station. The order was the soup of the day (mushroom on this visit), a grilled shrimp and herb oil plate, and an iced vanilla bean latte, with the toppings piled onto sourdough and the generous bowl of soup proving very filling. Seowon Angil Hapjeong works well for brunch and dessert in one stop, and suits a date or a group get-together.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Jongno, SeoulRestaurants

Gwanghwamun Korean BBQ: 7-course beef on personal grills at Hwarodam

Hwarodam is a beef course-meal restaurant on the second floor near Exit 8 of Gwanghwamun Station in Jongno, Seoul. Two diners shared the 60,000-won Hwarodam course, served in order as salad, chohoe (vinegared raw squid), a grill platter of sirloin, galbi-sal, chuck flap, chicken neck and scallops, fish cake soup, fried shrimp, flying fish roe maki and mini buckwheat noodles. Because each guest grills small pieces on a personal grill, the beef stays tender, making Hwarodam a solid candidate for a beef course near Gwanghwamun.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Gwangjin, SeoulRestaurants

Konkuk Univ. noodle restaurant for buckwheat soba at lunch: Kosi

Kosi Konkuk University Branch is an udon and aged pork katsu restaurant on Achasan-ro near Konkuk Univ. Station in Gwangjin, Seoul, where the udon noodles are made in-house over 48 hours. At lunch the writer ordered all three at once — buckwheat soba (memil soba) for 10,500 won, mazesoba udon for 11,000 won and half-half katsu for 13,000 won — to compare the chewy noodles with the cheese katsu and the plain katsu. Not one dish disappointed at Kosi, and the springy bounce of the noodles was the most memorable part of the meal.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Jung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Shio vs shoyu broth at a Euljiro3(sam)-ga ramen restaurant: Mentsuru

Mentsuru Euljiro Branch is a chicken-broth ramen restaurant in an alley 247m from Euljiro3(sam)-ga Station Exit 9 in Jung-gu, Seoul. On a weekday evening date, the writer and her husband compared salt-seasoned shio ramen with shoyu ramen made from clam and chicken broth, added a boiled egg, and shared handmade karaage fried to order. The shio was excellent, but the clear, umami-packed shoyu ramen was the better bowl for her.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Gangnam, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Cheongdam hair salon premium clinic with 20-min nano steam: Beorn Hair

Beorn Hair Cheongdam is a hair salon in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam, Seoul, a 100m walk from Exit 4 of Gangnam-gu Office Station. The writer booked a premium hair clinic for his girlfriend, whose hair had turned dry and limp, and after a consultation with Head Manager Hanna the treatment ran through a dedicated shampoo cleanse, high-polymer keratin protein, ripping and heat treatment, 20 minutes of nano steam and a scalp massage in the spa room. Her hair came back with body and shine, making a very satisfying first clinic at Beorn Hair Cheongdam.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Yangcheon, SeoulRestaurants

Sauce-on-the-side tangsuyuk at Mokdong Chinese restaurant Yugwanjang

Yugwanjang Banjeom Omokgyo Station Branch is a Chinese restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building on Mokdongdong-ro in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. Two diners shared the signature steamed bone-broth seafood jjampong (spicy seafood noodle soup) at 11,000 won, the signature jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles) at 8,000 won and the mini tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) at 13,000 won, with the tangsuyuk sauce served on the side for dipping. The verdict on Yugwanjang Banjeom: the first genuinely good Chinese meal in a long while.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored