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

Yeonsu, IncheonRestaurants

Shio fried rice dinner at Jojo, an iron-griddle restaurant in Songdo

Jojo Triple Street Branch is a yakisoba, okonomiyaki and monjayaki iron-griddle restaurant on the first floor of Building B at Triple Street in Songdo, Incheon. After a 15-minute wait booked through Catch Table, the writer ordered donpei-yaki at 9,000 won, shio fried rice and Jojo yakisoba at 14,000 won, with oolong tea and zero-sugar cola instead of alcohol. The shio fried rice, packed with big shrimp and squid, and the savoury donpei-yaki were the highlights, and the karai soba is next on the list.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Gangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Gangnam Station restaurant for a four-dish group table: Eulji Darak

Eulji Darak Gangnam Station is a Western restaurant on the second floor of a building about 269m from Gangnam Station Exit 11 in Gangnam, Seoul. After a first visit for a friend's wedding invitation gathering, the writer returned and filled the table with Darak omelet rice at 17,000 won, Darak rose pasta at 19,000 won, katsu sando at 12,000 won and corn gnocchi at 19,000 won. Eulji Darak Gangnam Station works well for groups with different tastes, since everyone can pick their own plate.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Seongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Seongsu popup-day restaurant for puttanesca pasta: Billadeubeulleu

Billadeubeulleu Seongsu is a Mediterranean-style Italian restaurant in blue and white tones, right by the entrance to Seoul Forest in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. After a day of Seongsu-dong popups, the order was aligot cheese lasagna, Sicilian puttanesca pasta and gnocchi fritti — an unusual menu lineup, with the tableside cheese-pouring performance the highlight. Billadeubeulleu Seongsu is a Seoul Forest pasta spot worth returning to for the terrace on a fine day.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Gyeongju, GyeongbukRestaurants

Gyeongju restaurant with herring roe yukhoe, heart egg rice: Hwangnam

Hwangnam Dukkebi Restaurant is a Korean restaurant on Hwangnidan-gil in Gyeongju serving aged-kimchi pork rib stew and hanwoo yukhoe (Korean beef tartare). There was still a wait on a weekday off, so booking through Naver is worth it; the order was two portions of aged kimchi rib stew, hanwoo yukhoe topped with herring roe at 13,000 won, and furikake heart egg rice at 5,000 won. The rib meat slid off the bone and the yukhoe was seasoned just right — a filling meal with a glass of soju.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Jung-gu, DaeguRestaurants

Early lunch gukbap spot by Daegu Station before Gyeongju: Hanwoojang

Hanwoojang is a 24-hour gukbap (rice and soup) restaurant on Gukchaebosang-ro in Jung-gu, Daegu, right in front of Daegu Station. Before setting off for Gyeongju, an early lunch at Hanwoojang meant teuk ttaro-gukbap (deluxe spicy beef soup served with rice on the side) at 12,000 won and kkori-gomtang (oxtail soup) at 17,000 won, with huge pieces of seonji (ox blood curd), plenty of beef and a deeply savory oxtail broth. For anyone after a Korean soup with truly rich broth near Daegu Station, Hanwoojang is the answer.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Jongno, SeoulRestaurants

Mother's birthday at a Gwanghwamun Korean restaurant: Modam Dining

Modam Dining Gwanghwamun is a Korean set-meal (hanjeongsik) restaurant on the first basement floor of Deoksugung D Palace in Jongno, Seoul. For a mother's birthday, the family took hall seating and ordered three different sets — hanwoo bulgogi hot pot, bori-gulbi (dried yellow corvina), and deodeok (mountain root) charcoal-grilled pork — eaten as a course from seasonal porridge to plum tea, with the same side dishes served regardless of the main. Modam Dining Gwanghwamun is a quiet, satisfying choice for a meal out with parents.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored
Jongno, SeoulRestaurants

Jongno 3-ga soybean kalguksu with fried and boiled mandu: Jongga Mandu

Jongga Mandu is a handmade dumpling restaurant in Jongno, Seoul, standing between Jongno 3-ga and Euljiro 3-ga stations. On a solo Friday visit at 6:30pm, the order was the soybean kalguksu (noodle soup in chilled soybean broth) with fried mandu set plus a plate of boiled mandu: the Korean-grown soybean broth tasted nutty even with thick noodles, the fried dumplings were crisp outside and juicy inside, and the boiled dumplings came out soft and moist. Ordering both the fried and the boiled dumplings is the way to eat at Jongga Mandu.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored
Yangju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Spicy seafood udon set at Himawari, a Yangju Okjeong tonkatsu spot

Himawari Yangju Okjeong Main Branch is a premium tonkatsu restaurant in Okjeong-dong, Yangju, Gyeonggi. The order was hire katsu at 14,000 won and the spicy seafood udon set at 15,000 won: a cutlet crisp outside and juicy inside, a seafood broth as deep as the fish-head soup served at a raw fish restaurant, and udon noodles as chewy as rice cake. The twist at Himawari is that this tonkatsu specialist's udon is the dish worth ordering first.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Cheonan, ChungnamRestaurants

Cheonan jjamppong hotter than the Asan original: Bultina level 4

Bultina Kkomak Jjamppong Sinbang Branch is a cockle jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) restaurant in Sinbang-dong, Cheonan, near the E-mart in Ssangyong-dong. The order was cockle jjamppong at spice level 2 and level 4 plus a small sweet and sour pork, and the level 4 came out far hotter than the same bowl at the original Asan location. Anyone who likes real heat should take on level 4 at Bultina Kkomak Jjamppong.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Songpa, SeoulBars

Date-night izakaya in Songpa, Seoul: mentaiko pasta at Motokurashi

Motokurashi is a quiet Japanese-style izakaya on the second floor of an alley off Songni-dan-gil, near Seokchon Station in Songpa, Seoul. The motoku moriawase sashimi platter (39,000 won) and the mentaiko flying fish roe pasta (18,500 won) covered drinks and dinner in one calm sitting. On a night when you want to talk instead of shouting over a crowded bar, Motokurashi works well for a first date or date night.

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

Lash salon in Seolleung: skip the morning curler, On The Boutique

On The Boutique is a lash salon in Gangnam, Seoul, about a 2-minute walk from Seonjeongneung Station Exit 4. After a design consultation on eye shape and lash condition with director Rahee, the writer got the On The Ddolmang Perm, a Korean lash lift that curls each lash cleanly upward instead of bending it sharply. The next morning no eyelash curler was needed, which made On The Boutique a win even for someone who had never settled on a lash salon before.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
Busanjin, BusanHair & beauty salons

Beomil-dong lash salon in Busan: JC-curl 9–10mm, Almond Eyelashes

Almond Eyelashes is a lash extension salon on the second floor of a building on the jewelry street in Beomil-dong, Busanjin, Busan. After a consultation asking for a natural look, Almond Eyelashes recommended JC-curl lashes in 9–10mm and attached two fine lashes to each natural lash, finishing in under 50 minutes. The lashes looked full with no heavy, foreign-body feeling, which erased any lingering wariness about lash extensions.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored