as some of you may know, i went on an epic trip all over korea in march. in about two weeks, i was able to hit up 100 restaurants/cafes in korea & about 15 places in osaka, japan. i am finally getting around to starting a series of blog posts from that trip.
i try to go back to the motherland once a year. so far, success! here are some places in Seoul that were worth going to. leave a comment if you are interested in more posts from my korea travels!
usually, this is my first stop when i arrive:
12 Jong-ro 16-gil, Jongno 1(il).2(i).3(sam).4(sa), Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
it’s so simple & they have only four items on the menu: kimchi jjigae, doenjang jjigae, soon tofu, doen jang jjigae with snails. this is a perfect place to come for breakfast, all under ₩6,000 ~$6USD.
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광장시장| gwangjang market
88 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno 4(sa)-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
nearby in this jongno district, is the gwangjang market which has a lot of food stalls. think dumplings, knife-cut noodles, and the drug kimbap [literal translation]. they also have restaurants, as well as shops that are not food related.
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62 Bukchon-ro 5-gil, Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
my newest discovery this past season was this michelin-rated raw soy sauce crab specialty place. if you want this at a lower price-point and at 3am at night, you can also try pro soy crab. i used to go to pro soy crab all the time but after visiting this place, i haven’t gone back.
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513 Yeongdong-daero, Samseong 1(il)-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
another place, i frequent is this gomtang spot. there are multiple locations. i’ve been to the original location but frequent the one inside Coex mall because of its central location.
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13 Nonhyeon-ro 10-gil, Gaepo 4(sa)-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
dahk hanmari is chicken soup with the option of noodles at the end. the broth was flavorful and perfect for the weather in march. i had this once before at a different place in korea but it wasn’t as good as this one.
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17 Teheran-ro 43-gil, Yeoksam 1(il)-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
i love intestines, mainly large intestines so i was on the search for some good intestine bbq place. i found this place via google maps and it did not disappoint.
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932 Yangjae-daero, Munjeong-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea
usually i like to go to the seafood market because it is a good place to get fresh seafood. you first go to one of the many seafood stalls and pick out what you want. lobsters, korean flounder/halibut, abalone, and octopus are some of the things i like to eat prepared raw there. some of the lobsters are huge! after they kill & clean the seafood for you, you are lead to a “restaurant” where you can eat the freshly prepared seafood. there you can purchase alcohol and also they can cook your seafood if you’d like. they can prepare maeun tang [spicy seafood soup] with the bones/lobster claws or even steam parts of the lobster, etc, etc. they were undergoing renovations since the last time i’ve gone, so things may be a little different now.
76 Cheongpa-ro 47-gil, Cheongpadong 2(i)-ga, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
this next place is a cafe where you can hang out with raccoons, a mini pig & a corgi. the corgi & pig are in the cafe seating area while the raccoons are in a separate room where you can feed them treats or ice. i didn’t know they loved ice so much! am i the only one that thinks raccoons are cute?!
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403-3 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
this coffee shop makes amazing latte art but only during the weekends and ONLY if they are not busy. i tried to go once on a weekend, but they said they were too busy to do their crazy latte art. this latte was ₩30,000 but can you really put a price on art?
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rain drop – 레인드롭
57-12 Dongsomun-ro 22-gil, Dongseon-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea
there are so many cute coffee shops in Seoul but i loved this place! their latte art is also next level. they use meringues to make their art 3D.
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Mnd coffee
81, Duteopbawi-ro 1-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 04333, South Korea
this next cafe, is a hidden gem. i specifically went for their wave toast. it’s a very simple toast, mainly sweet cream sandwich between two pieces of bread, topped with cream cheese that is in different colors. they have other photogenic toasts but i wasn’t able to try them.
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