Seoul restaurants: 30 places worth the trip

Haehwaok

Sinnonhyeon

해화옥 신논현 직영점

Late nightGroups & sharingFirst time in Korea

Gather around a warming Korean beef hot pot in Sinnonhyeon. A hearty stop for a shared meal while exploring Gangnam.

Yongyong Seonsaeng

Nonhyeon

용용선생 논현점

Late nightGroups & sharingBring the heat

A Hong Kong-style pub in Nonhyeon for a table of bold, shareable dishes. Start with the signature volcano mala hot pot.

Yuni Buldakbal

Yeongdeungpo

윤이불닭발 영등포점

Late nightBring the heatGroups & sharing

Explore Korea’s spicy side with chicken feet in Yeongdeungpo. Rice balls and steamed egg are classic companions for this bold shared meal.

Myeongdong Kyoja

명동교자

First time in KoreaSolo diningNear the sights

A comforting first stop in the heart of Myeongdong. Come for handmade noodles in a rich broth, with mandu dumplings to share.

Tosokchon Samgyetang

토속촌삼계탕

First time in KoreaNear the sightsNot spicy

Pair a visit to Gyeongbokgung Palace with a warming bowl of chicken soup. The traditional hanok setting makes this an inviting introduction to Korean comfort food.

Imun Seolnongtang

이문설농탕

Early breakfastSolo diningNear the sights

Settle into a bowl of milky ox bone soup in Jongno. Imun is a long-established stop for a gentle, savory meal between neighborhood walks.

Hadongkwan

하동관 본점

Early breakfastSolo diningNear the sights

Take a break from Myeongdong with a bowl of beef soup. Hadongkwan serves several beef cuts together for a rich, satisfying meal.

Woo Lae Oak

우래옥

Solo diningNot spicyFirst time in Korea

Explore the lighter side of Korean noodles. Woo Lae Oak serves Pyeongyang-style naengmyeon in a clean, restrained cold broth.

Hwangsaengga Kalguksu

황생가칼국수

Near the sightsSolo diningNot spicy

A warming noodle stop near Gyeongbokgung and Bukchon. Pair the beef-bone broth noodles with jumbo dumplings for a fuller table.

Gaeseong Mandu Koong

개성만두 궁

Near the sightsGroups & sharingNot spicy

Make room for handmade dumplings while exploring Insadong. This restaurant also serves traditional joraengi rice-cake soup.

Manjok Ohyang Jokbal

만족오향족발 시청

Groups & sharingNear the sightsNot spicy

Gather around sliced braised pork near City Hall. Jokbal makes a generous sharing meal after exploring Deoksugung and central Seoul.

Pildong Myeonok

필동면옥

Solo diningNot spicy

Try refreshing Pyeongyang-style noodles in Chungmuro. The light broth and chewy noodles offer a quieter flavor profile than spicy noodle dishes.

Baekje Samgyetang

백제삼계탕 명동

Near the sightsSolo diningNot spicy

A comforting chicken-soup stop in Myeongdong. Baekje serves samgyetang alongside other chicken dishes and abalone porridge.

Sunhee's Bindaetteok

순희네빈대떡

First time in KoreaNear the sightsSolo dining

One of the best-known pancake stalls inside Gwangjang Market, a covered market that has fed Seoul since 1905. Sit at the counter, watch the pancakes fry a few feet away, and eat on a stool the way market regulars do.

Jinokhwa Halmae Dak-hanmari

진옥화할매원조닭한마리

Groups & sharingFirst time in KoreaLate night

Jinokhwa opened in 1978 and is one of the founding restaurants of the alley now called Dak-hanmari Golmok, where whole chickens simmer tableside in a shallow pot of broth. It's a communal, cook-it-yourself meal that rewards a small group with time to linger.

Eulmildae

Main branch

을밀대 본점

Not spicyFirst time in KoreaWorth the trip

Eulmildae is one of Seoul's most-cited destinations for Pyongyang-style naengmyeon, a subtle buckwheat noodle in cold beef broth that Korean food lovers argue over endlessly. It's an acquired taste for first-timers, and a window into a dish with roots north of the border.

Samwon Garden

삼원가든

Groups & sharingWorth the trip

Opened in 1976, Samwon Garden is a garden-style barbecue house that has hosted generations of Seoul families and business dinners over grilled short ribs. Private rooms and a landscaped courtyard make it feel like an occasion rather than a quick meal.

Mapo-ok

마포옥

Not spicyEarly breakfastSolo dining

Running since 1949 and now in its third generation, Mapo-ok is regularly named among Seoul's oldest seolleongtang houses. The slow-simmered ox-bone broth is the kind of unfussy, warming meal locals eat any time of day, including breakfast.

Ojangdong Hamheung Naengmyeon

오장동함흥냉면

First time in KoreaBring the heat

Open since 1953 and run by a third generation, this restaurant anchors the Ojang-dong noodle alley founded by cooks who came south from Hamheung during the war. Unlike the milder Pyongyang style, Hamheung naengmyeon is spicier and chewier, often topped with raw fish.

Mukyodong Bugeoguk-jip

무교동북어국집

Early breakfastNot spicySolo dining

Running since 1968 in the old Mukyo-dong office district, this single-menu restaurant serves the mild, clear pollack soup Seoul office workers turn to as a gentle hangover cure. It opens early and is built for a quick, quiet meal rather than a leisurely dinner.

Ttungttungi Halmoni Jokbal

장충동 뚱뚱이할머니집

Groups & sharingNear the sights

The restaurant traces back to an eatery its founder opened in 1957, part of the original wave of cooks who turned this street into Seoul's best-known jokbal alley. Trotters are simmered in a soy-based broth until the skin turns glossy and tender, then sliced to share.

Mabokrim Tteokbokki

마복림떡볶이

First time in KoreaBring the heatNear the sights

Mabokrim is widely credited as the founder of Sindang-dong's tteokbokki town, selling the spicy rice-cake dish here since the 1950s. The alley is lined with similar shops today, but this is the namesake that gave the neighborhood its identity.

Saebyeokjip

새벽집

Late nightGroups & sharing

Saebyeokjip built its reputation as one of Cheongdam's few round-the-clock restaurants, drawing club-goers, night-shift workers and early risers for hot beef soup at any hour. The name means 'dawn house', and it lives up to it.

Yujin Sikdang

유진식당

First time in KoreaSolo diningNot spicy

A no-frills diner steps from Jongno 3-ga Station, between Tapgol Park and the Gwangjang Market area. It's a cheap, unfussy way to try mild Pyongyang-style naengmyeon without the wait or price tag of the city's famous noodle houses.

Huirak Galchi

희락갈치

Near the sightsGroups & sharingBring the heat

Widely cited as the original shop of Namdaemun Market's galchi-jorim alley, with decades of history at the same spot. It's a fast meal of cutlassfish bubbling in a spicy-savory sauce over rice, eaten shoulder to shoulder with market regulars.

Jinmi Pyongyang Naengmyeon

진미평양냉면

First time in KoreaNot spicyWorth the trip

One of Gangnam's most consistently recommended Pyongyang naengmyeon houses, regularly named alongside the city's best in Korean food media. The broth is subtle and savory rather than sweet, meant to be tasted plain before any condiments go in.

Nunnamujip

눈나무집

First time in KoreaNear the sightsNot spicy

A long-running favorite at the quieter, uphill end of Samcheong-dong's café street, popular with locals well before the neighborhood became a tourist stroll. The kimchi noodle soup is refreshingly sour and mild, a good contrast to the sweet-savory grilled rib patties.

Jopok Tteokbokki

Hongdae

홍대조폭떡볶이 본점

First time in KoreaSolo diningBring the heat

A well-known Hongdae street-food stall with cheeky 'gangster' branding, serving the fiery rice-cake dish at the heart of Korean snack culture. It's a cheap, fast meal that fits naturally into a night out around the neighborhood.

Gyerim Dakdoritang

종로계림닭도리탕원조 본점

Groups & sharingBring the heat

A Jongno 3-ga institution for garlicky, chili-red braised chicken, sized by the pot so groups can order without fuss. The alley has several similarly named competitors, but this original branch is the one longtime locals point to.

Nampo Myeonok

남포면옥

Groups & sharingNear the sightsNot spicy

A roughly 45-year-old naengmyeon house near Myeongdong that has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand listing for several years. Its broth leans on dongchimi radish-kimchi brine rather than heavy beef stock, giving it a light, tangy character.