This is not a regular food guide. In this article, I’ll take you through our entire culinary experience in Seoul, South Korea. From all the research we did before finalising our itinerary, to why we picked the restaurants and cafes we did, and what our experience was at each of them.
I’ll also share what we would do differently if we visited South Korea again, along with our recommendations for you.
This is going to be a slightly longer article, but you can easily jump to different sections using the table of contents.
Where to Eat in Seoul: Seoul Food Guide, Every Place We Ate At, and What We’d Do Differently
- 7-Eleven / GS25
- Namdaemun Market
- Jusik Itaewon
- Born and Bred, Seoul
- Chaeum Korean Traditional Restaurant, Myeongdong
- Sulbing, Myeongdong
- Artist Bakery, Anguk
- Anam, Bukchon
- Neungra Bapsang, Jongno
- BBQ Chicken & Beer, DDP, Dongdaemun
- Beton, Seongsu
- Dior Cafe, Seongsu
- Nudake, Gangnam
- Jungsik, Gangnam
- Ddobagi Chicken, Dakgangjeong
- Mangwon Market
- Hwahaedang in Yeouido
- Gwangjang market
- Final Words
In my opinion, there are three pillars of travel: people, places and food. If all three satisfy you, you will enjoy your trip to the fullest. You cannot choose the people you meet, and there are only so many places you can visit, but when it comes to food, you have a limited number of meals and hundreds of dishes and places to try. That makes deciding where to eat and what to eat an important part of planning your itinerary.
I remember one night when we had not decided where we were going to eat. We ended up wasting a lot of time trying to find a good place for dinner. On a vacation, time is currency, so please don’t waste it so casually.
In the following sections, I’ll take you through all the food places we tried in Seoul and everything about our experience at each of them.
7-Eleven / GS25
We reached our hotel around 3 PM and were very hungry. There was a 7-Eleven near our hotel, and we had already decided to eat some snacks from there before heading to Namdaemun Market.
From 7-Eleven, we picked up kimbap and cup ramyeon, and both were quite good. During our vacation, we ended up eating at 7-Eleven on multiple occasions whenever we needed a quick snack, and I absolutely loved their selection of kimbap. If there was one thing I could have eaten every day for breakfast, it had to be kimbap from 7-Eleven (or GS25).
Namdaemun Market
Initially, our visit to Namdaemun Market was mainly to try the famous hotteok from Namdaemun Vegetables Sugar-Filled Pancake (translated name shown on the Naver app). But we ended up visiting Namdaemun Market three times during our stay in Seoul. It is a very nice market for both shopping and food.
We tried the red bean hotteok and the vegetable hotteok. The vegetable hotteok was filled with glass noodles and vegetables, while the red bean hotteok had a sweet red bean paste filling. I personally liked the red bean hotteok more, but both were equally delicious and are definitely worth trying if you visit Namdaemun Market.
Jusik Itaewon
Our itinerary for the evening was N Seoul Tower, so we needed to pick a place for dinner in Itaewon. After some research, we narrowed it down to two places for our first dinner in Korea: Jusik and Mr. Ahn’s Craft Makgeolli, Korean Mak House.
After looking both places in more detail, we felt that Mr. Ahn’s Craft Makgeolli looked more like a fine-dining experience, while Jusik had more of a local pub kind of vibe. Since we were already planning to have fine-dining experiences at Jungsik and Born & Bred during the trip, we decided to go with Jusik for our first dinner in South Korea.
When we reached Jusik, it was already quite late by Korean dinner timings, but they still accommodated us at a cozy little table.
We ordered Paradise Pickled Plum, beef brisket soybean paste stew with rice, octopus rice balls with seaweed, and skin-on pork belly with kimchi pancake.
Paradise Pickled Plum was part of the banchan (side dishes), and we had no idea what to expect. It was exactly as the name suggests, a cold, pickled plum served in a small whiskey glass. It was quite interesting to try, but not something I would recommend you as a must try.
The octopus rice balls with seaweed looked quite small in the pictures, but they were actually about the size of a tennis ball. We were served six rice balls, each with a good amount of octopus and were coated in seaweed. The dish itself was good, but the portion was simply too large for us to finish.
The beef brisket soybean paste stew with rice was full of vegetables and protein, and it tasted good as well. But once again, the portion was more than we could finish.
Of all the dishes we ordered, the skin-on pork belly with kimchi pancake was my favourite. It was really tasty, but by that point, our appetite simply couldn’t keep up with the portions, and we couldn’t finish this one either.
You might have noticed that I am talking more about the portion sizes than the taste of the dishes. That’s because we were genuinely overwhelmed by how much food we were served. The food was not bad, but the portions were simply too large for us, and we couldn’t enjoy the dishes as much as we would have if we had been served portions we could comfortably finish. I think this place would be better suited for a bigger group.
If I were given a chance to reconsider our choice, I would probably choose Mr. Ahn’s Craft Makgeolli, Korean Mak House over Jusik. However, if you are travelling in a bigger group, Jusik could actually be a good option for you.
Born and Bred, Seoul
During my research for Michelin-starred restaurants, one place kept showing up even though it has not earned a Michelin star yet. It was being recommended over a lot of Michelin-starred restaurants, and that place was Born & Bred, which is currently featured in the Michelin Guide selection and Asia’s 50 Best. Born & Bred is hugely celebrated as one of the best steak places in the world. And spoiler alert, it is the place that has completely spoilt my taste buds. Born & Bred deserved a separate post of its own, you can read my detailed post on Born & Bred here.
Chaeum Korean Traditional Restaurant, Myeongdong
This is a hidden gem and probably the best restaurant in Myeongdong. While finalising places to eat in Myeongdong, we looked at a lot of options and finally decided to go with Chaeum to experience their signature traditional set menu. The restaurant is located in the second basement and is completely hidden. We are so glad that we found this gem because the dinner was completely worth the effort.
They have set menus where each person has to order one set, but the presentation is done in a way that all sets are served together. So, you can choose two different main dishes and get around 18 side dishes along with them. And these are not “side dishes” by any means. Most of them are substantial enough to be a main dish on their own. We ordered the Galbijjim set meal and the Korean set meal, and you can see from the video how beautifully everything was presented.
All the dishes were very delicious, and the entire dining experience was completely worth it. The restaurant takes its last order at 9 PM and, like many other Korean restaurants, they are quite strict about timings. So, make sure you reach before the last order. We saw a few people arriving after 9 PM and being turned away.
Sulbing, Myeongdong
We included Sulbing in our itinerary to try their bingsu. We reached just after they had stopped taking orders, but upon our request, they agreed to take our order for takeaway. We ordered their Apple Mango Cheese Bingsu and Strawberry Bingsu. Both were good, but neither was something I would recommend as a must-try. The portion size is very big, and because of the cheese the bingsu is quite heavy as well.
Artist Bakery, Anguk
Artist Bakery is one of those popular Instagram recommendations that we simply could not afford to miss. Of course, we had to experience the cafe culture in Seoul, and after quite a lot of research, we finalised Artist Bakery in Anguk. This place attracts a lot of crowds, and getting a table here is almost impossible. Fortunately, Catchtable allows you to reserve their outside tables, which face the street. It is still better than standing and waiting in a queue.
Here, we ordered their Earl Grey Milk Jam Salt Bread, Milk Cream Salt Bread, Red Bean Salt Bread and Truffle Butter Salt Bread. After trying the Earl Grey Salt Bread, I realised that I am not a fan of the Earl Grey flavour at all. Apart from the Earl Grey, the others were decent. But honestly speaking, I was expecting much more from Artist Bakery. It just felt like a regular cafe experience, and nothing special.
Possibly, the hype around it had increased my expectations, and that made the experience feel average. I would not say that this is a must-visit cafe by any means. In fact, I liked the other cafes we tried in Seoul and Busan more than Artist Bakery.
For the beverage, we tried their vanilla latte, and it was also just okay and not something I would recommend.
Anam, Bukchon
Anam was on our wishlist, but because we already had plenty of places planned for the day, we were not sure if we would actually get a chance to visit. However, on our way to Bukchon Hanok Village, we happened to pass by Anam just as the shop opened, and there was already a waiting list. We casually added our names to the list just to keep it as an option in case we decided to dine there later.
And I am so glad we did. We were 30th on the waiting list, and it took about 90 minutes for our turn to arrive. Anam is a Michelin Bib Gourmand chef’s counter restaurant with around 8-10 seats. They have only one main dish, Gukbap (pork rice soup), along with two side dishes, Jeyuk (lime pork) and Fried Rocks.
We ordered all three, and everything was absolutely delicious. The rice soup was very refreshing and showcased traditional Korean flavours beautifully. The sides were also really good, and I particularly liked the Fried Rocks. The green chutney that came with it was also excellent.
All in all, the entire experience of getting to try traditional Korean flavours through such lovely dishes was really exceptional. I cannot recommend this place enough to anyone visiting Seoul.
Neungra Bapsang, Jongno
We got to know about Neungra through Somebody Feed Phil. We wanted to try North Korean cuisine and decided to finalise this place after seeing that Phil Rosenthal had dined there. At Neungra, we saw a wall full of messages from ambassadors from different countries and a lot of VIPs, which further cemented our belief that this was really the place to visit if you are looking for North Korean cuisine. Neungra is located in a different part of the city that is rarely visited by tourists. Reaching here required quite a lot of uphill walking as well, but in the end, it was all worth it.
We had already booked our reservation through Catchtable, and upon reaching, we were immediately taken to the seating area. It was late in the afternoon, and there were hardly any other diners at that time. We ordered naengmyeon (Pyongyang cold noodles), ChapSsalSoonDae (rice sausage), and potato sliced dumplings.
Everything was very delicious and full of traditional Korean flavours. There are not many places that can offer an experience like Neungra, and for that alone, it is worth travelling to this less touristy part of the city. I highly recommend visiting Neungra and trying North Korean cuisine.
BBQ Chicken & Beer, DDP, Dongdaemun
This was the only dinner for which we had not finalised a place to dine. As I mentioned in the introduction, we ended up spending quite a lot of time figuring out where to eat. With so much confusion and many places already closing for the day, we eventually had to settle for a fried chicken chain near our hotel called BBQ.
Here, we ordered their bestseller Golden Olive Chicken and Crunch Butter Chicken. Both tasted average and were slightly on the sweeter side. The portion size was huge, and we could hardly finish it.
We already had a different place finalised for our Chimaek experience, and as you read further, I would recommend you skip these chains and try that place instead for what I think was the best Korean fried chicken experience of our trip.
Beton, Seongsu
Beton was another cafe we wanted to try during our South Korea trip. Beton is also very popular among both locals and tourists and does not offer any pre-reservations. When we reached, there was already a long queue, which kept getting longer and longer. It took us about 45-50 minutes of waiting in the queue, but unlike Artist Bakery, the wait was worth it.
The cafes in Korea have a very cool concept where you pick the food yourself and take it to the payment counter. The beverages can be ordered from the counter, but for food, you actually get to see and choose what you want before paying.
Here, we ordered Chive Cream Cheese Salt Bread, Ham and Butter Salt Bread, Maple Pecan Cheese Salt Bread, and Blueberry Salt Bread. All of the salt breads we tried were quite good, and I found all of them much, much better than the ones we tried at Artist Bakery. If you want to experience Korean cafe culture, I highly recommend checking out this place.
Dior Cafe, Seongsu
This was totally unexpected. While roaming the streets of Seongsu, we came across a Dior boutique and decided to go inside to have a look at their bags. The staff informed us that they also have an in-house cafe, and we just had to try it. They have a really big boutique with a huge collection, and their cafe is also really nice with a good ambience and a good selection of beverages.
We ordered their signature latte with the Dior star and one more beverage, the name of which I am unable to recall. Both of them were quite good, and the experience of getting to try the Dior cafe was pretty cool in itself.
Nudake, Gangnam
Nudake is a very famous futuristic cafe in Gangnam. Due to the limited time we had, we had planned to get takeaway from here before going to Jungsik. When we reached, some of the items were already sold out, while some were not available for takeaway. So, we took their Nu Brulee (creme brulee) for dine-in and their signature Peak Cake for takeaway.
The peak cake became our breakfast for the next morning and we enjoyed it quite a lot. Both of the desserts we tried were good, and I wish we had some more time and more options available so that we could have tried more of what Nudake has to offer.
Jungsik, Gangnam
Jungsik was one of the highlights of our South Korea trip. It was the first Michelin-starred restaurant we ever visited, and I have written a dedicated post about our experience. You can check out the Jungsik post here.
Ddobagi Chicken, Dakgangjeong
This is the place we had finalised for our chimaek experience. We got to know about this place from Somebody Feed Phil. In the Seoul episode of Somebody Feed Phil, Phil Rosenthal had dined here, and we had to do the same. They are famous for their signature preparation, where the chicken is brined for 24 hours, coated in a spiced powder, and fried to a thin crispy finish.
Here, they have an option to take two different chicken options in a half-and-half combination. We went with their Dobbagi Chicken and Seasoned Spicy Chicken in the half-and-half option. Both were really really good, and this is the place I would recommend if you want to experience chimaek during your South Korea trip.
Mangwon Market
Mangwon Market is the most local market we visited in Seoul. It is relatively smaller than the other markets we visited, but it also felt much more local and less influenced by tourism. If you want to see what a more authentic Korean market feels away from the tourists, this is a great place to experience it.
We tried a few snacks here, and the overall market experience is something I would recommend if you happen to visit this part of the city. Everything is also reasonably priced, and I found the prices to be much lower than what we saw in the markets that were crowded with tourists.
Hwahaedang in Yeouido
Surprisingly, almost every oxbone soup and raw marinated crab place I came across was either featured in the Michelin Guide selection or listed as a Michelin Bib Gourmand. For raw marinated crab, we had first finalised Jinmi Sikdang, but we reached about 10-15 minutes after their last order, so we had to turn back. Later, we found another crab place near the Yeouido park, called Hwahaedang in Yeouido, and it was also a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant.
They serve only one dish, soy sauce-marinated crab with hot stone pot rice. The only condition is that you cannot share the meal and have to order one set separately for each person. The crabs were served fresh, and I could taste the freshness in both the crab roe and the raw crab meat. However, I personally did not like the texture very much. Being an adventurous eater, I did finish it, but it is not something I would want to try again.
Interestingly, we also found raw marinated crab at one of the restaurants we visited in Busan. The crabs there were smaller and did not have any roe, but I found them much sweeter and more appetising. I liked them quite a bit more than the raw marinated crabs we had here.
If you are an adventurous eater and want to try raw marinated crab, make sure you do it at a place that knows what it is doing rather than somewhere that could land you in a hospital with food poisoning. Hwahaedang is one good place, and I do recommend it if you are up for the adventure.
Gwangjang market
Gwangjang Market needs no introduction. People recommend it in almost every Seoul video and every blog post, and for the right reasons. It is generally very crowded, and we were prepared to stand in queues, but since we went in the morning, it was not very crowded at that time.
We first went to the Netflix-famous hand-cut noodle stall called Gohyang Kalguksu, run by Cho Yonsoon. There, we tried the famous kalguksu. It was really good, and we completely understood the hype around it. Sitting by the stall and having the noodles while the entire market is happening in the background is an experience in itself, and it is definitely something I would recommend you to try.
Next we tried mung bean pancakes and san-nakji (moving octopus tentacles). The mung bean pancakes were very delicious. Although I initially wanted to avoid eating too much of it because of all the frying and oil, but I simply could not stop eating it because it was really good.
The raw octopus was served with yukhoe (beef tartare) and egg yolk, and was seasoned with sesame seeds and sesame oil. The sesame oil really enhanced the flavour, and while eating moving octopus was an experience in itself, the yukhoe was quite delicious and I genuinely enjoyed eating it.
We also tried some other snacks from the market, and everything was quite delicious. There was one place called Doughnut Twists, where we tried the sweet rice twisted doughnut and sweet potato glutinous doughnut. Both were quite good. I definitely recommend keeping Gwangjang Market in your itinerary, and if you are planning to visit, I would recommend going around 10–11 AM.
Final Words
South Korea is a food paradise. After visiting South Korea, I think if I were given a choice to stay there, food would be the biggest reason for me to accept the offer. Seoul completely impressed me with the food and the quality of it. The meat quality we experienced in South Korea was just sooo good that even the raw meat was flavourful on its own.
If you are planning to visit South Korea, make sure you come out of your comfort zone and try as many dishes as you can. Trust me, you will thank yourself for trying, and I don’t think there is anything that will make you regret.
