Local places · 18869 stories
Restaurants in Korea, told firsthand by local bloggers — with photos and Google Maps.
Mapo Gui Madang Seogyo Direct Branch is a frozen pork belly (naengsam) restaurant on World Cup Buk-ro in Seogyo-dong, Mapo, Seoul. Frozen pork belly is ₩9,900 for 200g, and two people ate 4 servings, refilled the scallion kimchi twice, and finished with jjolmyeon (spicy chewy noodles). The scallion kimchi alone carried a full bowl of rice, so Mapo Gui Madang is worth a return trip whenever a frozen pork belly craving hits.
Narae Susan is a sashimi shop at Garak Market in Songpa, Seoul, located in Unit 48 on the first floor of the Garak Mall sales building. A premium live mixed sashimi platter (70,000 won) was reserved ahead and packed for takeout with name tags on each cut, a free serving of abalone sashimi and a yellow cooler bag. The thick-cut slices and the careful packing both satisfied, so Narae Susan is the pick for sashimi takeout at Garak Market.
Jeongseong Katsu, Cheomdan Branch is a katsu (breaded pork cutlet) restaurant on the 1st floor of the CMC parking tower in Ssangam-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, a 3-minute walk from Cheomdan General Hospital. On a weekday visit after the lunch rush, the order was the triple mixed katsu at 14,900 won plus pocha ttangcho udon (spicy udon), Jeongseong homemade curry and an extra bowl of rice, and the fiery udon broth worked as a hangover cure after the night before. Parking behind the building is free for up to 2 hours, so Jeongseong Katsu is an easy stop by car in Cheomdan.
Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu Bucheon Main Branch is a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle) restaurant with its own house-made noodles, sitting below a hill in Jakdong, Bucheon for more than 10 years. Two servings of clam kalguksu came to 11,000 won, the noodles go into the boiling broth at the table and are ready after two turns of the hourglass, and the side kimchi was good enough to take home at 1.5kg for 20,000 won. The noodles and seafood broth were solid, but the real kick at Jakdong Hongdukkkae was the kimchi and the jorippong rice-puff brittle at the end.
Myeongin Dwaeji Gukbap is a pork soup (gukbap) restaurant near Bukmyeon Hot Spring in Changwon, Gyeongnam. Lunch here came to 27,000 won in total: mixed gukbap for 10,000 won, an extra-large mixed gukbap for 11,000 won and dumplings for 6,000 won, along with dressed chives, a self-serve side dish corner and an icy cold coffee for dessert. If you want a hearty, filling meal, the extra-large bowl at Myeongin Dwaeji Gukbap is the one to order.
Andamiro is a seafood restaurant in Dusan-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu, right by the Deuran-gil restaurant strip. The small seafood banquet set costs 59,000 won and arrives as a basket of pre-cleaned red snow crab, flounder sashimi, whelk and boiled sliced octopus, abalone and scallops, with seafood ramyeon ordered on the side. For this price, Andamiro delivers an impressive number of genuinely fresh seafood dishes.
Sumine Gukbap is a sundae gukbap (blood sausage soup) and pork gukbap restaurant on Baesan-ro in Mohyeon-dong, Iksan. Ordering both bowls and stirring in dadaegi (chili paste) from the self-bar made the broth pleasantly spicy, and the house-made kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) and unusually wide glass noodles stood out most at Sumine Gukbap. With roomy tables and baby chairs on hand, it is an easy pick for a family lunch.
Kkankkanhan Jokbal Yongbong Branch is a charcoal-grilled jokbal (pig's trotter) restaurant on Yongbong-taekji-ro in Buk-gu, Gwangju. Arriving for an early dinner with a child just after the dining hall opened at 16:00, the writer ordered charcoal-grilled jokbal and makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles), and steamed egg and fish cake soup came free with the meal. The chewy jokbal carries a gentle charcoal aroma, and with the tangy, spicy noodles alongside it made a filling dinner the child ate happily too.
Concasse Anguk is a Korean-Western fusion restaurant in an alley across from the Constitutional Court, near Anguk Station in Jongno, Seoul. Arriving alone just after the lunch rush, the writer ordered lajanya (rolled fresh-pasta lasagna, 23,000 won) and omija ade (Korean schisandra berry soda, 5,000 won); the fresh pasta was rolled into coils, with ragu, bechamel and cheese melting together. The heavy lajanya and the deep, tart omija ade made a refreshing pair.
Mukho Sotbokkeumtang is a pot-cooked dakbokkeumtang (spicy braised chicken stew) restaurant on the second floor of a building facing the sea near Kkamakbawi in Mukho, Donghae, Gangwon. A family of three, including a 4th-grade daughter, arrived late in the evening and ordered the small bone-in dakbokkeumtang at spice level 1, adding long rice cakes, fish cake and potatoes before finishing with fried rice. Since Mukho Sotbokkeumtang serves until 11pm, it works well for families whose dinner runs late on a trip.
Bomseol Songdo International City is a hanjeongsik (Korean set-menu) restaurant on Cheomdan-daero in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon. On a weekday evening the writer and his wife ordered the Bomseol Han-sang set, which brought seasonal side dishes, stone pot rice, doenjang stew, bossam and grilled mackerel, plus a salad bar that even includes tteokbokki. With wood-toned interiors and wide gaps between tables, Bomseol is a calm Songdo Korean restaurant for couples and family meals.
Sushi Ryeo is an omakase restaurant on the 2nd floor of the Yeongin MC Building by Exit 5 of Seoul National University Station in Gwanak, Seoul. The ₩100,000 dinner course ran from chawanmushi through five tsumami, eleven pieces of sushi, kaisendon, tempura and inaniwa udon, and rather than swapping out the horse mackerel sushi, the chef suggested trying it as it came. Between the course and the detailed parking guidance, Sushi Ryeo is worth booking for dinner at least once.
