Local places · 13109 stories
Restaurants, cafés and salons across Korea — every story by a blogger who actually went, linked to Google Maps.
Dongbaek is a traditional Chinese restaurant in Gimhae's Hwalcheongogae area, near Handeok intersection. The single-serving Lunch Special Course A (₩20,000), served in a private room, brings abalone porridge, Dongbaek cold salad, yusanseul, tangsuyuk, yurinki, and jjamppong in a steady, well-timed sequence. A solid pick for a parents' outing or a group meal, thanks to the private rooms and the pacing of the dishes.
Olla Poke Munjeong Main Branch is a premium poke and salad restaurant a 3-minute walk from Exit 3 of Munjeong Station in Songpa, Seoul. Visiting on a weekday around noon, the writer ordered the garlic shrimp poke with an avocado add-on alongside the smoked duck poke, and found the rice base made for a much more filling meal than salad alone. For a simple, satisfying healthy meal, Olla Poke Munjeong Main Branch is a solid choice.
Damso Main Branch is a Korean beef charcoal grill restaurant on the 8th floor of a building on Geumo-ro in Dongmyeon, Yangsan, Gyeongnam, where every seat is a private room. The writer ordered Combo A (sirloin plus specialty cuts) for ₩50,000, Combo B (specialty cuts) for ₩55,000, and Korean beef doenjang stew for ₩7,000, grilled smoke-free on a downdraft grill. A private, upscale Yangsan Korean beef restaurant worth recommending for a meeting-of-parents dinner, family meal, or hosting guests.
Orange Bagel is a large bagel café with free parking on Omokcheon-ro in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi. On a return visit around 1pm on a Saturday, the writer paired a Laugen butter bagel and double cream bagel with honey lemon cream cheese and iced americano, then browsed the first-floor goods zone. Buy four bagels and they'll pack them into an orange gift box, making this a great pick for gifting too.
Unlimited Refill Grilled Shellfish Siheung Baegot Branch is an all-you-can-eat shellfish and meat self-bar restaurant on the 2nd floor of Avenuefrance Central Purple A in Siheung, Gyeonggi. After a 10-minute taxi ride from a Wolgot stay and a 4-5 table wait on a weekend evening, the writer steamed the shellfish instead of grilling, worked through the self-bar's beef bacon and corn cheese, and finished with seafood ramyeon and rajuk (rice porridge finish). With no time limit and a decent table turnover, it's a solid pick for a Baegot date or family meal.
Kueodeukkutteu is a two-floor Western restaurant on Sinpung-ro in Haenggung-dong, Suwon, with an outdoor terrace that welcomes dogs. On a date with her boyfriend, the writer tried the carrot duck aglio olio, shrimp rosé pasta, and perilla oil ice cream, and the unusual combinations all worked surprisingly well. It's a solid date spot for going from brunch to dessert in one place before a stroll through Haenggung-dong.
Kkotdwaeji Sikdang Gyeongsan Branch is a beef, pork and jeongol (Korean hot pot) restaurant on Seongam-ro in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk. Craving daechang (grilled beef intestines), the writer ordered the mixed daechang grill plus a medium gopchang jeongol set for two, with staff pre-grilling the meat and a generous self-serve side dish bar. A wide hall and large parking lot make it a solid pick for group dinners or company outings.
Town Sandwich Jamsil Branch is a casual sandwich shop in Songpa, Seoul, a 4-minute walk from Jamsil Station Exit 9, known for its jambon-beurre and bánh mì. Ordering the original Town Sandwich for ₩8,800, grilled chicken bánh mì for ₩8,300, and sweet pumpkin soup for ₩4,800 at the bar seats delivered a sandwich packed with tomato and lettuce, plus chicken breast that wasn't dry at all. Around ₩20,000 was enough for two people, or one very hungry solo diner, to eat well.
Buggies Tangbang is a burger restaurant tucked in a Tanbang-dong alley in Seo-gu, Daejeon. Visiting right at opening time before a Lotte Department Store culture center class with a close mom friend and baby, they shared a Godfather burger, an avocado burger, and pepperoni cheese fries, with a baby chair ready at the table for easy dining. Buggies Tangbang delivers on both vibe and burger quality, and it's a place worth going back to.
Insaeng Geukjang Ssangmun Station Branch is a long-running pork rib and meat restaurant tucked inside the market alley near Ssangmun Station in Dobong, Seoul. The order was seasoned pork ribs and spicy pork ribs together with cheese egg custard, flying fish roe rice balls, and seven side dishes, and the pre-grilled ribs cooked fast and were well seasoned throughout. It works for company dinners, family outings, and even daytime drinks near Ssangmun Station.
Jayeonseureun Nunsseobi (자연스런눈썹) is a semi-permanent eyebrow tattoo studio on Mareuk-ro in Sangmu District, Seo-gu, Gwangju. A visitor whose first eyebrow tattoo two years ago left painful memories and red scarring returned here for a consultation, 25 minutes of numbing cream, and a freehand tattoo finished in under an hour. The scarring was covered, her look softened, and even her family noticed the difference — a low-pain procedure worth recommending.
Susan Jang is a seasonal seafood izakaya in a Gwangdeok-daero alley in Gojan-dong, Ansan. With her parents, the writer had seasonal raw shrimp sashimi (26,000 won), the seasonal seafood platter special (59,000 won), and butter-grilled shrimp heads with an umeshu sake highball, praising the abalone, sea cucumber, belly meat, and fin meat. Susan Jang suits a slow drinking-and-snacking night more than a quick meal.
