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

Goyang, GyeonggiRestaurants

Early lunch bibim makguksu and mandu in Wondang: Bongpyeong Gohyang

Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu is a makguksu (cold buckwheat noodle) and buckwheat kalguksu restaurant on Hoguk-ro in the Wondang area of Goyang, Gyeonggi. On an early lunch visit, the order was bibim makguksu at 11,000 won, perilla seed buckwheat kalguksu at 11,000 won and mandu (dumplings) at 9,000 won, pairing spicy-tangy sauced noodles with a nutty perilla broth and chewy meat dumplings. It made a filling lunch that never turned too salty.

Written Sep 20, 2026Sponsored
Uijeongbu, GyeonggiRestaurants

Uijeongbu charcoal pork galbi lunch with 2 naengmyeon bowls: Manpo

Manpo Galbi Uijeongbu Main Branch is a handmade charcoal galbi and Hamhung-style naengmyeon (cold noodles) restaurant on Beomgol-ro 145beon-gil in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi. The writer and her husband booked through Naver for lunch, grilled 3 servings of handmade marinated galbi over charcoal, ate yukhoe (raw beef) with the basic side dishes, and finished with one water naengmyeon and one bibim naengmyeon. The marinade at Manpo Galbi is mild rather than heavy, making it an easy, clean lunch from the meat right through to the noodles.

Written Sep 19, 2026Sponsored
Gangnam, SeoulCafés

Caramel fig pound cake at a Gangnam Station café: Something About

Something About Coffee is a large dessert café between Sinnonhyeon Station and Gangnam Station in Seoul, spread over the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors plus a terrace. After a sandwich brunch nearby, this visit to Something About Coffee covered Mont Blanc cheesecake, caramel fig pound cake, an egg cookie and hojicha choux milk tea. With so many seasonal handmade desserts in the case, choosing was half the fun at this Gangnam Station café.

Written Sep 20, 2026Sponsored
Gwangju, GyeonggiCafés

Evening date café in Gonjiam: decaf latte and mocha roll, La Cuesta

La Cuesta is a large bakery café on Gyeongchung-daero in Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju, Gyeonggi. A married couple visited on a Wednesday at 8pm and ordered a decaf Americano, a decaf La Cuesta latte, the signature mocha roll and a choco cookie, then took the leftover bread home to eat with milk. La Cuesta stayed quiet even at night and was easy to talk in, and the couple left wanting to return by day for a terrace seat.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
Gwacheon, GyeonggiCafés

Gwacheon bakery café: 3 pastries ranked and Helsinki Latte, Minimale

Minimale Coffee Roaster Gwacheon Knowledge Information Town Branch is a roastery bakery café on the first floor of Gwacheon E-Tower in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi. On a late weekend afternoon the order was the signature Helsinki Latte with three bakery items — o'chocolat babka, caramel pecan baton financier and a Portuguese egg tart — for 17,800 won by menu price. The taste ranking came out financier > egg tart > babka, and since Minimale is busy at both weekday lunch and weekend afternoon, it is worth timing the visit.

Written Sep 20, 2026Sponsored
Haeundae, BusanRestaurants

Haeundae restaurant date with my child: two cream dishes at Bueokgan

Bueokgan Haeundae Branch is a second-floor Western restaurant on Dalmaji-gil hill in Haeundae, Busan. On a one-on-one outing with her child, the blogger ordered the carbonara and the truffle mushroom cream gnocchi, and although both are cream-based, the flavors and textures were different enough that the two took turns with each plate. With on-site parking and soft dishes that are easy to share, Bueokgan Haeundae Branch made for a simple parent-and-child date.

Written Sep 20, 2026Sponsored
Jongno, SeoulCafés

Jongno bakery Udo peanut choco pie as a filling breakfast: Ssuk's

Ssuk's Choco Pie Seoul is a mugwort choco pie bakery at the entrance to Gwangjang Market in Jongno, Seoul, a short walk from Jongno 5-ga Station. Picking a six-piece set as a gift for the writer's parents, the pies at Ssuk's Choco Pie Seoul — including the Udo peanut flavor — were generously sized with fresh cream instead of marshmallow and not too sweet, filling enough to stand in for breakfast with coffee. A dessert worth packing up while browsing Gwangjang Market.

Written Sep 19, 2026Sponsored
Jeju, JejuRestaurants

Aewol solo pork noodles right after break time: Handam Guksu, Jeju

Handam Guksu Gwakji Aewol Branch is a Korean noodle restaurant on Jeju's Aewol café street, where gogi guksu (pork noodle soup) comes with a full-window ocean view. Arriving alone right after break time ended, the writer took a window seat and ate one bowl of gogi guksu — half plain, half with pepper — while the sunset came in over the water. Crunchy bean sprouts, springy thin noodles and a milky broth made Handam Guksu worth a visit, with one regret: not ordering the large bowl.

Written Sep 19, 2026Sponsored
Yeongdeungpo, SeoulCafés

Yeongdeungpo terrace café with strawberry latte: Mela Times Square

Mela Times Square is an Italian home-style brunch café on the 1st floor of Times Square in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. Booked ahead during a shopping trip, Mela served minari (water parsley) vongole pasta and ragu tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) with a cappuccino and a strawberry latte — the oil pasta was fragrant without any heaviness, and the ragu sauce was rich enough to scrape clean. For a sunlit terrace moment of calm inside the busy Times Square mall, Mela is a solid pick.

Written Sep 19, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulRestaurants

Mapo Korean set-course lunch with soy-braised abalone: Moyeon Mapo

Moyeon Mapo is a hanjeongsik (Korean set-course) restaurant on Tojeong-ro in Yonggang-dong, Mapo District, Seoul, where every seat is inside a private room. Three of us ordered the hanwoo charcoal-grilled marinated beef and pot rice lunch course, and the soy-braised abalone served one per person plus the beef grilled tableside by staff were the highlights. Soundproofing between rooms is weak, but Moyeon Mapo is still an easy recommendation in Mapo for family gatherings or first meetings between in-laws.

Written Sep 19, 2026Sponsored
Jung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Chinese restaurant near MMCA Deoksugung for cumin lamb ribs: Huhugwan

Huhugwan is a Chinese restaurant on Seosomun-ro 11-gil in Jung-gu, Seoul, near City Hall Station and the Deoksugung stone wall path. After walking through Deoksugung Palace and the MMCA Deoksugung branch, the writer ordered the eggplant rice bowl (13,000 won) and cumin lamb ribs (36,000 won) at Huhugwan, added free spring rolls and fried dumplings with a Naver coupon, and got a Tsingtao draft beer for a receipt review. For clean plating and a calm room instead of the usual heavy, greasy Chinese food, Huhugwan is worth the stop.

Written Sep 19, 2026Sponsored
Cheongju, ChungbukCafés

Cheongju rice cake shop with mosi songpyeon: Tteokmama Gaesin-dong

Tteokmama Cheongju Gaesin Branch is a café-style rice cake shop in Gaesin-dong, Seowon-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, where songpyeon (stuffed rice cake dumplings), injeolmi and pizza seolgi (steamed rice cake) are sold by the piece. Five-color sesame songpyeon costs 8,000 won, mosi songpyeon 5,000 won, pizza seolgi 2,500 won and mini chocolate injeolmi 4,000 won, and the pizza seolgi was made the same day, so it tasted good without reheating. The chewy songpyeon and the not-too-sweet chocolate injeolmi were the pieces worth going back for.

Written Sep 19, 2026Sponsored