Local places · 18809 stories
Restaurants in Korea, told firsthand by local bloggers — with photos and Google Maps.
Thanon55 is a Thai curry and rice-noodle restaurant on Ttukseom-ro 9-gil near Seongsu Station in Seoul. The bestselling mu thod curry (S ₩16,000) arrives with fried pork jowl and white rice, and the pad thai came with plump, fresh shrimp. At Thanon55 the pork jowl is crisp outside and juicy inside, and paired with the creamy curry it hits a golden balance.
52 Degree Kalguksu Oido Main Branch is a seafood shabu-shabu style kalguksu (knife-cut noodle) restaurant on Oido-ro in Siheung, Gyeonggi. On a Saturday evening visit, the seafood hot pot kalguksu for two cost 42,000 won and came loaded with octopus, abalone, yellow crab, shrimp and clams, with noodles added at the end. The kimchi was good enough to refill twice, and the small lot behind 52 Degree Kalguksu was full in the evening, so a nearby public lot worked instead.
Bada Super Haemul Cheonha Jogaegui, Geobukseom Oido Branch is a clam grill and steamed clam restaurant on the 3rd floor of a building at 116 Geobukseom-ro in Siheung, Gyeonggi. On a return visit with my parents, we ordered the broth steamed clams for two plus seafood ramyeon, parked on basement levels 1–2 of the building's Ibita parking tower and rode the elevator straight up to the 3rd floor. Staff trimmed the octopus and squid at the table, which made Bada Super an easy choice for a meal with older family members.
Dough Rider Pizza is an aged-dough pizza restaurant and pizza-and-beer bar on Inda 8-gil in Jeju City, near Jeju Airport, open until 22:00. On the last night of the trip the writer ordered the Cowboy Shrimp Kick L (29,500 won), and the cilantro sauce the owner made on the spot balanced out the spicy chili flavor. It was the best meal of a three-day trip to Jeju, and Dough Rider Pizza is worth a return visit.
Cheongujeong Beef Sinwolseong Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant in Wolseong-dong, Dalseo-gu, Daegu, specialising in fresh beef short rib and skirt steak. On a visit with two young children, the writer ordered 300g each of LA-cut garlic-heavy raw short rib, fresh skirt steak and LA-cut flower short rib, then finished with a spicy soybean paste stew, and found the baby chairs and the restaurant's own parking lot made eating out with kids easy. Even the 31-month-old daughter, who eats only tender cuts, cleared a full bowl of rice at Cheongujeong Beef.
Eopija is a late-night pizza bar in Yangcheon, Seoul, right by Yeomchang Station and the Wolchon public parking lot in Mok 2-dong, open until 2am. Arriving after 10pm, we ordered Set A (29,900 won) — half an arugula and cheese pizza with cheese tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), salad and nachos on one tray — plus a non-alcoholic mojito, and the portion was plenty for two. If you want somewhere to keep talking into the small hours, Eopija is the answer.
Ddeum Sukseong Hanwoo No.9 is a 1++ No.9 grade aged hanwoo (Korean beef) restaurant near Geumcheon-gu Office Station in Geumcheon, Seoul. The Hanwoo Special Set 500g costs 145,000 won and comes semi-omakase style, with a staff member grilling every cut over the brazier from start to finish; dinner visits also include three complimentary dishes, plain sushi rice, ankimo and seasoned cockles. Between the juicy beef and the generous extras, Ddeum Sukseong Hanwoo No.9 is worth a return trip.
Mount Sunday is a brunch café on Hwahap 3-gil in Mulgeum-eup, Yangsan, Gyeongnam, known for generous portions of gnocchi and pasta. On a weekday lunch with her mom, the writer waited about 10 minutes and shared pumpkin cream gnocchi (17,000 won), eggplant ragu pasta (15,000 won) and a jambon-beurre sandwich (12,500 won). The pumpkin cream sauce was thick and the gnocchi pleasantly chewy, making Mount Sunday an easy recommendation for a relaxed brunch in Yangsan.
Sijang Dakbokkeum is a shishito pepper chicken stir-fry (dakbokkeum) restaurant inside Yesan Permanent Market in Yesan, Chungnam. On a weekday afternoon there was no wait at all, and one order of boneless shishito pepper dakbokkeum came to 25,000 won plus 3,000 won for cheese, served with market noodles instead of rice at the market plaza tables. Because Sijang Dakbokkeum uses a soy sauce base with almost no heat, it suits spice-shy adults and children alike.
Ttasijia Yeonnam is a Singaporean shrimp noodle restaurant in a Yeonnam-dong alley near Exit 3 of Hongik Univ. Station in Mapo, Seoul, and the first official Korean location of Singapore's shrimp house Da Shi Jia (대식가). Two of us shared the signature shrimp noodles with thin noodles, the shrimp broth fried noodles and a small black vinegar guobaorou, then finished with 100% fresh-pressed apple juice. With its patio tables outside, Ttasijia Yeonnam works well as a Yeonnam-dong evening date stop.
Misikga-ui Udon Daeyeon Direct Branch is an udon and tonkatsu restaurant right in front of Exit 6 of Daeyeon Station in Nam-gu, Busan. On this second visit, the combo set (udon), cold soba with tonkatsu and a fried egg (fully cooked) covered the table with warm broth, cold soba noodles and crisp tonkatsu at once. With a parking lot behind the building that opens straight into the restaurant and 1 hour of parking covered, Misikga-ui Udon is an easy stop by car and with a child.
Samsol Gamjatang Main Branch is a newly opened gamjatang (pork bone soup) and haejangguk (hangover soup) restaurant on Sanghwa-ro in Dalseo-gu, Daegu, near Daedong Market. On a chilly evening after work, the writer and her husband ordered ugeoji haejangguk for 10,000 won and yangji seolleongtang for 10,000 won, tasting the spicy pork bone broth and the milky beef broth side by side. Samsol Gamjatang Main Branch makes a filling meal for two people with different tastes, since each can pick their own bowl.
