Our favorite shops to eat in Seoul, and some notes of where I’d like to go on our next visit to Seoul!
Pancake House/ Itaewon Station/ Exit1
I can go to Seoul anytime I want as long as I can take Tim to the Pancake House for breakfast, real American Pancake Breakfast in Seoul!!!
The pancake house is in Itaewon. When we travel without our dog, we would stay at the Hamilton hotel which is right next to exit 1 of Itaewon Subway Station, and the hotel is only 2-3mins walk to the Pancake house.
The burger menu looks great as well if you want to go there for lunch or dinner!
Jonny dumpling / Itaewon Station / Exit 4
We stopped at this dumpling shop for our first trip to Seoul. We were in luck as it was a short line when we stopped in. The crispy fried dumpling is the best (really!!!), the clam soup is great to try too unless you don’t like clams.
Jonny dumpling could be a very long line if you try to visit them at lunch or dinner hour.
Normally, Itaewon is filled with foreigners/ international foods/pubs/bars. Many popular restaurants are in this area.
I was listing many places for where to eat in Itaewon, like Low and Slow Smokehouse, Thai food. Just in case they are still in business for our next visit, we will surely try them all!
SAAP Thai food/ Noksapyeong Station(next to Itaewon station)/ close on Tuesday
I don’t eat much Thai food outside Thailand. Yes, I missed my Thai food but it’s too many expectations when I go to Thai food restaurants and I would be disappointed just because they adjusted the taste for locals.
I know this is Thai fusion food- so I have my mind open for the tastes. But it was really good!!! The “Mama dropped the noodles” is a unique serving style.
Pad Thai, BBQ pork, and fried chicken were so good! I remembered the owner offered us free drinks because we ordered a lot of food!
This Thai shop seems to be popular for Korean people, I sneaked around to see that they ordered, Mama dropped the noodles (and selfie pictures about 1000times before eating) and Tofu Tomyam were the most popular!
No doubt how come we got free drinks!!! we ordered more food, 2-3times than other tables!!!.
*Saap Chicken (Deep Fried Whole Chicken), served with Hands PPE because it’s very hot!
This shop is very small, with only 4-5 small tables. We were waiting more than 40mins to get seated (only one couple were in front of us).
For me, I think it’s expensive per menu, as it’s quite simple ingredients but he did a good job for its taste, just like Thai food even the chef is Korean!
My note for Thai food in Seoul is Tuk Tuk Noodle (the Michelin guide award for 2020)
Tim’s favorite dumpling shop / Insa-dong / Anguk Station Exit 6
We found this dumpling shop from our food tour in Seoul. Tim would ask me to stop for lunch or early dinner here. They serve huge dumplings!!! They also have cold noodles. I think it’s a good combination to have cold noodles with steamed dumplings!
The reason Tim likes to stop for this dumpling shop is partly of Insa-dong shopping street which is full of many local and tourist products.
*We had to try the Dragon’s beard, honey nutty candy (Traditional dessert). They will demonstrate how to make candy all day. It’s an amazing transformation from hard honey dough to silky hair candy!
It’s good!!! It’s even tastier when it’s cold.
It was 5000per box during our visit (2020) and if you buy 5 get 1 free!
Dumpling shop “ChangHwaDang 창화당” /Ikseon-dong Hanok Village (익선동)
Jongno 3 (Sam)-Ga Exit 4
Ikseon-dong is about 5mins walked from Insa-dong. You can notice the area by the old-style Korea house (Han-nok) when you step in.
This dumpling shop I saw on YouTube where 2 food critics & Youtubers that visited here at the same time by accident!!!
*Mikey Chen from Strictly Dumpling and Hayantree in Changhwadang Shop
The must-try is the assorted fried dumpling (if you don’t mind the Kimchi dumpling).
Tim loves the fried shrimp dumpling, he was trying to return to this shop the day after because he really liked it!
I would recommend you to try Kimchi fried rice!
*We ordered a lot of food and beer, we paid about $15 per person on average.
Ikseon-dong has become more popular especially among young couples. There are many restaurants, many cafes, many kinds of food (Thai, Italian, etc) you can come here hungry!
The fluffy pancake is the most hit dessert in this area but would you pay $20 for pancake ?!?!?
Oak Tree Charcoal Grilled Chicken (참나무숯불통닭) Open Mon- Sat (5pm – 1am)
382, Dorim-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, 07364 (it’s off the Subway line, taxi is the best way to get there)
This could be one of the best Grilled chicken we ever had in Seoul!
They don’t have a big menu but 3 main menus are Original, Cheese and Spicy.
Today we tried the original and the Spicy. The original Grilled Chicken is the MUST TRY! Its skin is so crunchy but the meat is too tender and juicy!
For the spicy chicken, it’s grilled chicken with sweet & spicy sauce, it’s flavorful but you will have your tongue burn at the end…
The grilled chicken is good with cold beer! (Magju = Beer)
The Chicken grill master never stopped working!
You will see lots of oak firewood outside!
Local Street Food next to the Gyeongbokgung Palace Sejong Village Food Street
세종마을 음식문화거리 / Gyeongbokgung Station, Exit 2
After visiting the Palace, this is a good street for food.
From The Palace, walk-thru all Hanbok for Rent shops to reach the Sejong Village.
It’s a little gate (hard to read) next to Paris Baguette, the bakery shop.
This whole street is good for early lunch (looks like they are getting ready after 10-11am)
The first time, we stopped for Korean BBQ and the 2nd time was Korean BBQ too!!!
Myeongdong, Street Food (during no pandemic), Chicken and Beer (during the pandemic!)
It’s much more fun to visit Myeongdong before the pandemic, you don’t have to worry about where to eat.
There would pack the street with food vendors in this area. But during the pandemic (COVID-19), there are still many restaurants or shops (but not street vendors) that are open.
There are many options/restaurants to eat at in Myeongdong but we like to eat like locals! There are many fried chicken and beer shops behind the main walking shopping street in Myeongdong. Pick the one you like!!! I think they are all the same good 😉
Myeongdong is complexed with 2 big shopping malls in the area, Lotte World and Shinsegae, it’s shopping extravaganza here!
Anything about Korea, they have it all here!!! (Uniqlo, facial mask, no brand burger, Jeju Green tea shop, Juno Hair shop, etc!!!)
Myeongdong is next to Namsam Cable car, just fyi…
Gusto Taco, Mexican food in Seoul/ Sangsu Station Exit 1 / Close on Monday
The homemade taco hard/soft shells. They serve a really good and strong margarita, the best that we ever had in South Korea since we moved here!
The owner is New Yorker who married to a Korean woman and moved to Seoul in 2010!
They don’t do a big menu here, more like taco & burritos.
You need to order and pay first at the counter, then they will serve your food at the table.
Warning, don’t drink margaritas more than 2!!! It’s very strong!!!
Gwangjang Market / Jongno 5(o)-Ga exit6
The Netflix hand-cut noodle but there are many good local foods here!
The hand-cut noodle lady will be inside the market in the Food Zone. She makes fresh noodle dough and rolls them flat before cutting with a knife to noodle shape. She does the noodle only when she gets the order, so it’s super fresh noodles!
There are many shops frying bean-pancake in the market, we liked meat pancake more than the beans.
The other local food looks great but we just couldn’t eat anymore!
Here is also the best market to shop for fabric and Hanbok (Korean Traditional dresses).
Cheongdam Fashion Street (Gangnam Area) is not only for high-end shopping.
I went to get a (pricy) haircut and I’ve seen the street jammed with expensive cars parking in this area!
The restaurants in this area would require a nice dress or suit & tie to get it!
But guess what? I only see nice-looking-dressed up Korean people in this area-NO foreigners! So I think this area is for Korean wealthy people!
(picture: Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, New York Lobster, Meal…)
Stay tuned, I’m adding more pictures!
