Seoul, Korea: The Food Tour
This is a guide for those looking for amazing food to eat in Seoul.
My recommendations are based on my experiences traveling to the city 5 times, spending about a month there in total, and using Korean and Japanese travel information. I’ve realized they’re a lot better than English information since Seoul hasn’t been a major tourist destination for Westerners until more recently.
There are restaurant and cafe recommendations in this list.
Feel free to follow my food and drink account on Instagram @bitesandgrinds, and check out my Google Map of Seoul. I’m a Level 7 Local Guide :)
Restaurants
Jikang / 지강한식당 압구정본점
My rating: ★★★★★
Jikang (Apgujeong, Main Branch) is a must-visit. Their nakgopsae, a stewed hot pot of octopus, beef small intestines, and shrimp and more is insanely tasty.
The dish, which is from Busan, is packed with spicy, garlicky flavor. Scoop it out and eat it on a bowl of white rice, it’s perfect.
The restaurant has a slightly upscale feel, which fits the area, and your order everything on a touchscreen. If you’re in the mood, their yukhoe (beef tartare) is also amazing. I get cravings for this place and I’ll probably be back every time I’m in Seoul.
Area: Apgujeong
dong myeonok house / 성북동면옥집
My rating: ★★★★☆
Legit Korean kalbi. You know it has to be when the only other non-Koreans there were American students… with their Korean host family.
Dong Myeonok House is located up a hill in the seemingly upscale residential area of Seongbuk. There’s no major businesses or subway stations around it, so we took a taxi and went for lunch.
We ordered a small order of kalbi and 6-pieces of colorful mandu. The kalbi was melt-off-the-bone tender, tasty with a little hint of sweet, and I couldn’t get enough of the mandu. Thanks to my friend Daniel for the rec, I definitely recommend this place as well.
Area: Seongbuk
Wolhwa Meat / 월화고기 문래점
My rating: ★★★★★
Amazing samgyeopsal, or grilled pork belly. Wolhwa Meat specializes in award-winning pork that’s been aged for 10-15 days. They also use sesame oil from the Wolhwa Village, and serve seasonal ingredients and vegetables from a farm called Muju Farm.
The pork seemed to be really high quality, with quite an exceptional flavor just on its own. There’s a small self-serve bar where you can serve your vegetables, which is all-you-can-eat.
The restaurant has a local feel to it. In fact, our server seemed really intrigued that we were there because he said foreigners don’t really go there, but he was really nice. Such a good dinner - I highly recommend this place and would love to go again.
http://www.wolhwa.co.kr [K]
Area: Mullae
BHC
My rating: ★★★★★
Fried chicken and beer are a thing in Korea, and they do it so well. BHC became my go-to restaurant in Korea, and I’ve managed to go there more than 3 times during my trips and layovers.
There’s so much flavor in each bite, especially their spicy ones. Some locations like Myeongdong’s let people eat on the outside tables and drink, others are indoors-only, and there’s an option to takeout. Either way, delicious, casual, and highly recommended.
http://www.bhc.co.kr/ [K]
Area: (Chain) Myeongdong, City Hall, etc.
Le Freak / 르프리크 성수
My rating: ★★★★★
As good of a fried chicken sandwich as you can find anywhere. It’s now known that Korea does fried chicken as good as anyone else, and Le Freak is top notch.
The restaurant gives off an upscale vibe, and has a counter as well as booth seats. Each sandwich is carefully crafted in their open kitchen. The chicken, which is full of flavor, is light and crispy on the outside but incredibly juicy and tender on the inside with a light spiciness to it.
These sandwiches are full of flavor and definitely won’t disappoint - I highly recommend them.
Area: Seongsu
Hanyang Seolleongtang / 한양설농탕
My rating: ★★★★☆
Fantastic hole-in-the-wall spot for seolleongtang, or beef soup. Down an alley, you wouldn’t go unless you were seeking it out. And seek it out is what you should do.
This is a very local spot and one of the area’s secrets that most tourists don’t know. The soup is served very hot, so it’s perfect on a cold or rainy day. Add in salt to taste as well as some kimchi, and you’ll have a customized rich, savory beef soup. The beef slices are tender and cooked to perfection, and together with the green onions and noodles, it is addicting.
I’m already a repeat customer and would love to repeat again.
Area: Gongdeok
Meat Papa / 고기파파
My rating: ★★★★★
The best BBQ I’ve had in Seoul. Meat Papa, pronounced “Gogipapa” in Korean, is both a butcher and barbecue spot.
The Hanwoo meat quality here is exceptional, very nicely marbled with a good balance of meat and fat in every cut. You can either wrap your bites in lettuce or eat it with rice, and you can’t go wrong either way.
There are English menus, and the staff seemed friendly to foreigners, trying to explain things as needed. It’s also reasonably priced considering what you' get. Can’t lose going here, I highly recommend making it a point to do so.
Area: Yaksu
Jinokhwa Halmae Wonjo Dakhanmari / 진옥화할매원조닭한마리
My rating: ★★★★☆
This restaurant only serves one dish: Dakhanmari - Chicken hot pot. They put a pot on your table’s burner with your chicken and vegetables and it starts to cook. It’s your job to mix your dipping sauce and order extras like tteokbokki if you want.
While it’s so simple, it’s so good. There was a large crowd waiting to be seated outside, but with 3 floors of tables, the wait wasn’t that long at all. You could go to the neighboring restaurants serving the same thing, but you can’t lose with this place.
Area: Jongno 5-ga / Dondaemun
Yeongcheon Yeonghwa / 영천영화
My rating: ★★★☆☆
Bibimbap is one of Korea’s famous dishes, and Yeongcheon Younghoe in the upscale Cheongdam area of Gangnam was highly rated and apparently visited by celebrities.
We went for lunch and despite the restaurant being on the larger side, it was full with some waiting. The bimbap had a delicious mix of raw beef and greens - tender and fresh - mixed with rice.
A lot of the bibimbap I’ve seen at food stalls didn’t have beef, so this was a nice chance to have some that did.
https://nuon.tistory.com/209 [K]
Area: Cheongdam
Sinseon Seolleongtang / 신선설농탕 명동점
My rating: ★★★★☆
Really good oxtail soup still boiling in the pot. The seolleongtang oxtail soup at this chain was really good, and there’s unlimited kimchi at the table for your taking.
Service is quick and efficient. We went around noon for lunch and there was a line - it’s quite popular and has been featured in a Korean drama - but the line moved really quickly and was totally worth it.
Area: (Chain) Myeongdong
Jongno Dodam / 종로도담
My rating: ★★★★★
Lunch here blew my mind. How can this one place basically serve the best versions of each dish that I’ve ever had?
For two of us, we ate kimchi stew, buchimgae (Korean pancake), and bossam (boiled pork wraps). The pork in the kimchi stew was so tender, it basically fell off the bone. The buchimgae was perfectly crisp and loaded with chives.
Dinner looks like a good experience too, but either way, try to check this place out because it’s delicious.
https://taekdaerine.tistory.com/61
Area: Jongno
Daechi Jeong-Yug Sigdan / 대치정육식당
My rating: ★★★★☆
When a butcher shop runs its own Korean BBQ joint, it’s going to be delicious. This is the case with Daechi.
A 15-20 minute walk from COEX shopping mall, Daechi specializes in top grade Korean beef. The beef that they serve are Hanwoo beef and rated 1++ - the highest in the Beef Marbling Standard in Korea. We ordered beef to barbeque as well as yukke, slices of raw beef mixed with raw egg. So good.
Daechi is a bit hard to find - there’s an entrance near the meat shop and it’s down some stairs (last picture, to the right). If you’re around the COEX area, it’s worth checking out.
Area: Seolleung, Gangnam
Dakkal Wonjonib / 닭칼원조집
My rating: ★★★★☆
Dakhanmari is probably one of the simplest Korean dishes yet it’s just so good. It’s basically a chicken in a boiling hot pot where you dip into a spicy sauce.
Compared to the more famous Jinokhwa, Dakkal Wonjonib is a smaller, more local restaurant serving the dish. They’re both fantastic, the biggest differences would be that Jinokhwa gives more dipping sauce while Dakkal Wonjonib’s broth has more chicken and garlic flavor in it.
It’s in the Seoul Station area so relatively convenient, making for a nice local option to get some good Korean chicken hot pot.
https://original1csn.modoo.at [K]
Area: Seoul Station
Uke Zamezip / 육회자매집 본점1호점
My rating: ★★★★☆
Raw beef mixed with raw egg, dipped in sesame oil and salt. So delicious.
We stopped by Uke Zamezip for some fresh yukhoe while on the way to Gwangjang Market for some street food. It was well worth it. The casual vibe - enjoying yukke over conversation and cheers of soju and beer, was a nice segue to sitting at the food stalls in the nearby market.
http://www.zamezip.com [K]
Area: Gwangjang Market
Grandmother’s Recipe / 할머니의 레시피
My rating: ★★★★☆
Traditional Korean meals served teishoku style at a cafe. Grandmother’s Recipe is located in an old house on a side street in Seongsu, near Seoul Forest Park, and is a popular spot for a good, hearty meal.
We ordered the Ssambap Jeongsik (pork lettuce wraps) and the Bibimbap Bulgogi Jeongsik (beef, vegetables, and rice to mix together), along with magkeolli. Fresh ingredients throughout and well-balanced, you could tell everything was carefully prepared.
The space is tight and it does get busy, but it’s worth the wait. The staff was friendly, and it made for a great lunch while exploring this side of Seongsu.
https://grandmarecipe.modoo.at/ [K]
Cafes
Cafe Onion (Seongsu) / 어니언 성수
My rating: ★★★★☆
Possibly the hippest cafe chain in the city with locations that are converted old buildings. Their spot in Seongsu, the “Brooklyn of Seoul,” is in a gutted 1970s building that served as a former factory.
Cafe Onion Seongsu manages to balance old and new perfectly, and in doing this, makes for an extremely photogenic hang out. There are multiple seating areas, nooks and a rooftop as well. Their coffees and artisanal, homemade pastries and baked goods are tasty.
Great place to stop by when exploring the area and to take pictures.
Area: Seongsu
Cha Teul Teahouse / 차마시는뜰 차뜰
My rating: ★★★★★
A relaxing cafe set in a traditional Korean hanok house on top a hill in the Bukchon Hanok Village area.
Cha Teul, which means “tea-drinking garden,” is an indoor tea house built around its Korean garden. You take off your shoes before you enter, sit on the floor and enjoy some tea over relaxing views. Making the experience even better, service was very friendly.
We had patibingsu (Korean shaved ice with red beans and mochi rice cakes on top), Ssangwha tea (made of Korean medical herbs brewed for 14-15 hours), and lotus tea.
Perfect place to have a sit down and relax in the afternoon.
Area: Bukchon
Gallery SAI - By Creative Art Group SAI / 갤러리,화랑
My rating: ★★★★★
A coffee shop in a traditional Korean house. We randomly stumbled upon Gallery SAI coming down from the Bukchon Hanok village and were pleasantly surprised.
It’s in a converted old house that blends in with much of the area. You take your shoes off and find a table, some of which are on the floor or in a room, and have tea or coffee. A little more costly than a typical coffee shop, but well worth it for the experience.
https://blog.naver.com/gallerysai [K]
Area: Bukchon
Grandpa Factory
*This location recently closed.
My rating: ★★★★☆
Built in an old factory, Grandpa Factory has three floors and outdoor seating so you can enjoy a meal, coffee or alcohol.
This cafe is known for its appearance in popular drama, “Vincenzo”, but its vibe and overall atmosphere does itself justice.
With ample seating inside and outside, including a literal treehouse space, Grandpa Factory not only has good food and drinks but it also showcases how old buildings can be successfully repurposed and utilized.
This was a great place that you’re sure to like.
Area: Seongsu
Fritz Coffee Company (Dohwa) / 프릳츠 도화점
My rating: ★★★★☆
A gem of a cafe in the area. Fritz Coffee Company is one of the coffee brands that locals will recommend as they are quality-focus is packaged with excellent branding.
It began in 2014 by a team that included a barista champion, a green coffee buyer, and a baker, and the experience you get reflects this area-specific commitment. Baked items are always fresh and availability depends on the time of day, their ordering is smooth and their coffee is great.
The Gongdeok area has alternative cafe options, but Fritz is the standout and I’ve been back multiple times.
https://m.fritz.co.kr/ [K]
Area: Gongdeok, Mapo
Rain Report
* Under renovation until Feb 2026, see other location here
My rating: ★★★★☆
If you find relaxing or working over coffee and the sound of water appealing, you’ll like Rain Report.
The concept of this amazing cafe is based around a nature, but done in a sleek, dark setting. Inside, there are counter seats, tables and even sofa lounge seats that you can relax in, and the detailed digital decorations reflect the vibe of being in nature. Outside, a huge waterfall continuously flows down the large windows, providing the main sound of the cafe.
Their drinks are great but don’t go too late or they may be out of pastries. Overall, another fantastic spot that takes Seoul’s cafe culture to another level.
Area: Seongsu
Keep in touch:
Euljiro’s neighborhoods feature pojangmacha street food stalls, hip drinking spots, local markets and a stream for scenic strolls.