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Restaurants

Restaurants in Korea, told firsthand by local bloggers — with photos and Google Maps.

Gangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Morning Korean BBQ in Nonhyeon: 3mm flower pork belly, Daepae Market

Daepae Market Gangnam Nonhyeon Branch is a 24-hour thin-sliced pork belly grill and outdoor drinking spot on Hakdong-ro 2-gil near Sinnonhyeon Station in Gangnam, Seoul. On a morning visit the writer ordered three servings of 3mm flower pork belly and three of 1mm shaved pork shoulder, plus spicy pork stew and soy sauce fried rice, with unlimited wrap vegetables from the self-serve bar. Thin-sliced pork belly for around 4,900 won in the middle of Gangnam makes Daepae Market worth considering when nothing else is open at dawn or early morning.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored
Suwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Sweet potato mousse cheese katsu and cold soba at Gohobi Katsu, Suwon

Gohobi Katsu is a Japanese tonkatsu (pork cutlet) restaurant on Maesan-ro near Suwon Station, with counter seats throughout. The writer ordered the sweet potato mousse cheese katsu for 16,000 won and the icy cold soba for 10,000 won, and got four big cutlet pieces plus buckwheat noodles in a clear broth. The cold soba cut the richness of the fried cutlet, making Gohobi Katsu a filling choice even for a solo meal.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored
Hanam, GyeonggiRestaurants

Hanam Misa Chinese restaurant for sauce-poured and dipped tangsuyuk

O Hyeongje Hwangje Nurungjitang Hanam Misa Main Branch is a Chinese restaurant on Misa-daero in Hanam, Gyeonggi, specialising in nurungjitang (scorched rice soup). From a floor-to-ceiling window seat we ordered the seafood nurungjitang at 18,000 won and the mini fresh tenderloin tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) at 20,000 won, eating half the tangsuyuk with the sauce poured over and half dipped, and spooning self-serve bar pa-kimchi (green onion kimchi) into the soup for just the right seasoning. Nothing was heavy or spicy, so O Hyeongje Hwangje Nurungjitang worked well for a Hanam family meal with older relatives.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored
Suwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Barley rice restaurant in Suwon with endless vegetable sides: Boriook

Boriook Main Branch is a barley rice (boribap) restaurant on Yeongtong-ro 200beon-gil in Yeongtong, Suwon, with a self-serve bar of more than 8 namul (seasoned vegetable) side dishes, wrap greens, sungnyung (toasted rice tea) and dessert snacks, all refillable. Two of us shared the barley rice mackerel set for 15,000 won and the barley rice gochujang pork set for 16,000 won, piling on eight kinds of namul to mix into the rice. For anyone living alone who rarely cooks vegetables at home, Boriook Main Branch is a filling, well-balanced meal.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored
Gangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Yeoksam eel rice bowl for a late weekday lunch, Naver booking: Unagiwa

Unagiwa is a hitsumabushi (grilled eel rice bowl) restaurant in Yeoksam, Gangnam, Seoul, a 10-minute walk from Yeoksam Station Exit 7 in the alley behind GS Art Center. On a late weekday lunch visit with a Naver reservation, two Hitsumabushi Sang sets (one whole eel each) were each divided into four portions and eaten plain first, then with scallion and wasabi, then as ochazuke. The eel was finished to the last piece and the rice was generous enough to leave some behind, and the plum (umeboshi) sauce kept the meal from feeling heavy right to the end.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hongdae hanok restaurant with foreign diners at weekday lunch: Anok

Anok is a hanok Korean restaurant in a quiet alley 7 minutes' walk from Hongik University Station in Hongdae, Mapo, Seoul. At a weekday lunch a married couple shared clear pork gomtang (pork bone broth) for 13,000 won, Pyongyang naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles in chilled broth) for 14,000 won and steamed pork tail for 29,000 won, in a calm room that mixed solo diners, couples and foreign guests despite the middle of Hongdae. Anok is worth returning to on a day you want a quiet lunch.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored
Yeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeouido gyukatsu restaurant that refills your grill charcoal: Izawa

Izawa Yeouido Direct Store is the original gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) restaurant on the 2nd floor of Yeouido Jonghap Sangga, right in front of Exit 5 of Yeouido Station in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. After a weekend shopping tour of IFC Mall and The Hyundai Seoul, the writer escaped the crowds here and ordered the gyukatsu set (sirloin), sharing one tabletop grill between two people; when the charcoal burned low, Izawa topped it up as soon as they asked. For a weekend date in Yeouido, Izawa is a quiet spot for a proper meal.

Written Sep 14, 2026Sponsored
Gwangsan, GwangjuRestaurants

Gwangju Suwan pizza restaurant, crust dipped in cream cheese: Bueokgan

Bueokgan Suwan Branch is a pasta and wood-fired pizza restaurant in the Suwan district of Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. The house signature, Pemanong Jambon pizza, brings together salty jambon, sweet honey and fresh chives, and the leftover crust ends taste best dipped generously in cream cheese. With its red-brick exterior and widely spaced tables, Bueokgan Suwan Branch works just as well for a date as for a group get-together.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored
Seongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Seongsu restaurant for a steak dinner with friends: Omil Seongsu

Omil Seongsu is a Western-style pasta and omurice restaurant on the ground floor of a brick building on Achasan-ro 5-gil, near Seongsu Station in Seoul. On a weekday evening, three friends ordered the 2-person set menu plus extra dishes — rubber duck omurice, soba maki roll, bacon mushroom cream pasta and Omil steak — and the Omil steak, finished with a cheese-pouring performance at the table, was the best of the night. Clean your plates and Omil Seongsu hands over a rubber duck plush, which makes it a Seongsu dinner spot worth coming back to.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeonnam-dong okonomiyaki restaurant, Friday date with draft beer: Jojo

Jojo Yeonnam Branch is a teppanyaki-style Japanese restaurant on Donggyo-ro in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo, Seoul. On a Friday date after work, the writer waited behind 3 parties, then ordered the signature set for two at 39,000 won — Jojo okonomiyaki, karai yakisoba and donpeyaki — with a Jojo draft beer at 6,600 won. For couples who cannot pick just one dish, the signature set for two at Jojo Yeonnam Branch is the easy answer.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored
Jeju, JejuRestaurants

Jeju Yongdam fish restaurant, dad's set with yuzu sauce: Naneun Jigeum

Naneun Jigeum Saengseoni Meokgo Sipda Yongdam Airport Branch is a grilled and braised fish restaurant on Yongmun-ro near Jeju Airport. Arriving on the first day of the trip, the writer ordered the dad's set (grilled mackerel, braised cutlassfish, soft tofu stew) with a side of steamed egg, and the fish were large, with the grilled mackerel especially good dipped in yuzu sauce. If you want grilled and braised fish in one sitting at Naneun Jigeum Saengseoni Meokgo Sipda, the dad's set is the answer.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored
Mapo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeonnam-dong tonkatsu, ₩31,000 half-and-half lunch: Katsu Monster

Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch is a tonkatsu restaurant on Dongyo-ro 38-gil in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul. On a day off, the writer arrived with her boyfriend just before the weekday lunch rush and ordered loin katsu and cheese katsu for ₩31,000 total, splitting both half and half to compare the lean, savory loin katsu with the rich cheese katsu. She preferred the cheese katsu, and the thick miso soup with pieces of meat in it was a standout too.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored