Local places · 24388 stories

All places

Restaurants, cafés and salons across Korea — every story by a blogger who actually went, linked to Google Maps.

Gangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Gangnam Korean BBQ with seats for 100 groups: Bongu Hwarro

Bongu Hwarro is a 20-year-old charcoal-grill Korean BBQ restaurant near Gangnam Station in Seoul, a 5-minute walk from Exit 11 and close to CGV Gangnam. At Bongu Hwarro the meal covered woo-samgyeop (thin-sliced beef belly) at 14,000 won and domestic pork belly, 150g for 15,000 won, grilled over charcoal, plus a woobap set (beef rice) for 7,000 won, naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) and Jorippong cereal ice cream for dessert. With 150 seats and reservations for groups of up to 100, Bongu Hwarro is an easy pick for a company dinner in Gangnam.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulBars

Hongdae izakaya with clam sake steam and pasta: Midosawa Sangsu

Midosawa Hongdae Sangsu Branch is a Japanese izakaya right in front of Sangsu Station in Mapo, Seoul, built around seafood dishes to go with drinks. At Midosawa the order was squid tempura and giant clams steamed in sake with pasta noodles added, and the noodles soaking up the butter-garlic broth were the best part. Sashimi and fish dishes are the real mains here, so book ahead if you want one of the better bars in Hongdae for both atmosphere and food.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulRestaurants

Seoul Korean BBQ near Hapjeong Station, à la carte pork jowl: Ijjok

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal is a Korean BBQ restaurant on the dining street by Hapjeong Station in Mapo, Seoul, where the owner grills every cut at your table. On a weekday visit at 6pm the wait was about 10 minutes, and the seat was down a half-floor, where one serving of fresh pork belly, one serving of whole pork jowl, doenjang sool-bap (soybean-paste rice) and fried rice were all ordered à la carte. The whole pork jowl and the grilled kimchi beat expectations, and the wide gaps between tables at Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal made for a quiet meal.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored
Jongno, SeoulRestaurants

Jongno dumpling restaurant with a 15-minute lunch wait: Jongga Mandu

Jongga Mandu is a handmade dumpling restaurant on Supyo-ro near Jongno 3-ga Station in Jongno, Seoul, where the dumplings are folded fresh every day. After a 15-minute lunch wait, the writer ordered mandu jeongol (dumpling hot pot, ₩13,000 per person) and fried dumplings, eating through crisp fried dumplings, shabu-style beef, meltingly soft hot pot dumplings and a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle) finish. The broth at Jongga Mandu stayed clean and savory, making it a solid lunch or hangover cure on a cold changing-season day.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored
Gangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Hwagok-dong Seoul Korean BBQ: ₩67,600 pork platter, Gwangseonjip

Gwangseonjip Kkachisan Station Main Branch is a charcoal-grilled pork specialty restaurant on Gomdallae-ro in Hwagok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul. The popular combo platter (₩67,600) arrives 100% grilled with ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly), kkodeulsal (chewy pork jowl) and bbolsal (cheek meat), served with pa-kimchi (spring onion kimchi) and shiitake-wasabi sauce, and the staff also bring a welcome drink, heotgae sticks and non-alcoholic beer. Gwangseonjip earned a 100% intent to return and a voluntary receipt review.

Written Sep 13, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulRestaurants

Gongdeok Korean restaurant birthday dinner with lettering dessert: Usu

Usu Gongdeok is an all-private-room Korean fine-dining restaurant in Gongdeok, Mapo, Seoul, serving hanwoo beef and seasonal ingredients as a set course. For a birthday dinner with her younger sibling, the writer ordered the Dinner B Course 90g and worked through beef-and-crab porridge, four bite-sized dishes, hanwoo yukhoe with sea lettuce, Jeju tilefish, 1++ hanwoo grilled on a personal charcoal brazier, and a seasonal fish pot rice spread. With a birthday lettering dessert and photos from the meal printed out, Usu Gongdeok made an easy choice for a celebration dinner.

Written Sep 12, 2026Sponsored
Seongnam, GyeonggiRestaurants

Jeongja-dong Korean restaurant for eel pot rice: Morang Haemul Sotbap

Morang Haemul Sotbap Jungja Station branch is a sotbap (Korean claypot rice) restaurant on the 2nd floor of Prugio City 2 on Jeongja-il-ro in Seongnam, Gyeonggi. On an early weekday evening the writer ordered the octopus seafood sotbap at 16,000 won and the eel sotbap at 23,000 won, and eel topped with a little pickled ginger was the best bite of the meal. With 3 hours of free parking in the building and group seating, Morang Haemul Sotbap works well for family gatherings and team dinners.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored
Naju, GwangjuRestaurants

Naju shabu-shabu restaurant with two broths in one pot: Yuyu Shabu

Yuyu Shabu Naju Innovation City branch is an all-you-can-eat vegetable and mushroom shabu-shabu restaurant on Baemet 1-gil in Naju, Gwangju. On this family visit the half-and-half shabu, 19,000 won per person, brought spicy broth and beef bone broth in one pot, with fish cake skewers, shrimp and rice cake sticks added and porridge at the end. With as many vegetables as you want from the self-serve bar, Yuyu Shabu made for a filling meal for the price.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored
Haeundae, BusanRestaurants

Chicken rice-crust pho lunch in Cheongsapo: Cheongsapo Rice Noodles

Cheongsapo Rice Noodles Main Branch (Cheongsapo Ssal Guksu Bonjeom) is an Asian noodle restaurant on the Cheongsapo waterfront in Haeundae, Busan, where you eat pho with an ocean view. Three of us had lunch with beef pho and chicken rice-crust pho, plus the complimentary banh xeo and a side of fried rice, and the rice-crust broth with a whole chicken leg was the most filling bowl. Cheongsapo Rice Noodles sits close to Blue Line Park's Cheongsapo Station, so it works well as a lunch stop on a Cheongsapo trip.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored
Seo-gu, DaejeonRestaurants

Dunsan-dong fish hotpot, new mala garlic kaoyu: Bantiannyao Daejeon

Bantiannyao Kaoyu Daejeon Branch is a fish hotpot (kaoyu) restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building behind Galleria Department Store in Dunsan-dong, Daejeon. The new mala garlic kaoyu was ordered with ningbo fish: a hot plate covered in whole garlic cloves and red chilies simmered for 5 minutes before a staff member separated the bones from the flesh, and the self bar at 2,000 won per person allowed a custom mix of peanut sauce and spicy sauce. Bantiannyao Kaoyu Daejeon Branch is a good pick in Dunsan-dong when you want a sharp, tongue-numbing broth.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored
Gijang, BusanRestaurants

Gijang restaurant with fresh pasta and limited ragu pizza: Riverside

Riverside is an ocean-view Western restaurant on the beachfront in Ilgwang, Gijang, Busan. On a weekend visit, Riverside served gimmyeongran pasta (seaweed and pollock roe) made with fresh noodles for 19,500 won, the signature ragu pizza for 22,000 won, and abalone risotto for 22,000 won, and the ragu pizza dough is kneaded in-house so only a set number is made each day. With floor-to-ceiling windows, an outdoor terrace and a large private parking lot, Riverside is worth another stop on a Gijang coastal drive.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored
Gwangju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Taejeon-dong lamb skewer restaurant in Gwangju, Gyeonggi: Sinbaegok

Sinbaegok Lamb Skewers Taejeon Branch is a lamb skewer (yangkkochi) restaurant on the 2nd floor of Woori Building at 8-4 Taebong-ro in Taejeon-dong, Gwangju, Gyeonggi. The budget couple set brings original and seasoned lamb skewers, and swapping the cucumber salad for egg fried rice worked well; the original skewers came marbled with fat between the lean meat, soft and with no gamey smell at all. With partitioned seats and a self-serve cumin bar, Sinbaegok Lamb Skewers Taejeon Branch is the one lamb skewer spot in Gwangju worth returning to.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored