FOOD TIME! Okay, so half the time, we ended up eating at whatever restaurant was available (e.g. when in Everland), or we tried our hand at cooking (slight fail). But, for the other half of the trip, we tried our best to check out famous / local-recommended restaurants. This list is definitely still a work in progress, and my personal promise to myself is that I’ll go back and discover the rest of Seoul’s closely hidden culinary secrets – which I’ll then add to this list, slowly but surely… For now though, we’ll just have to be content with this

Table of Food

• Main course
• Dessserts

Main course

깔레 

Location: 57-33, Changcheon-dong, Seodaemun-gu

Looking for an unli-bbq experience? This is the place to go. Recommended by our friend, just thinking of this restaurant brings back super fond memories, and a slight tummy ache as I remember how much I ate. This restaurant is walking distance from Ehwa, so head on over after your shopping spree!

Not only is the food here amazing (and unlimited), but it’s also CHEAP! I was actually a bit sad because we didn’t finish all the food we had ordered – which was a bit wasteful… There was just so much, our stomachs literally felt like they would burst

Note: you need to grab your own rice, side dishes, and sauces from the common buffet area – while the waiter will bring the bbq dishes. You will need to indicate to them how many platters of a certain dish you want

Food of the day:

• Beef sushi roll: this is the bomb! I love it so much. They add a dash of wasabi to provide that extra kick
• Samgyupsal: super thin strips!!
• Hangjeongsal
• Galbi

Hongdae Dakgalbi

Location: 32, Hongik-ro 3-gil, Mapo-gu

This restaurant looks really nondescript from the outside. We completely missed it at first, good thing we were determined to check this restaurant out and kept circling back

Trust Google Maps for this one. If it says that’s the spot – walk up the rickety stairs and enter this humble looking shop – you won’t regret it! The dakgalbi is off the charts yummy!!!

Food of the day: Dakgalbi (cheese fondue chicken with vegetables)

Kyoja

Location: 29, Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (Myeong-dong 2-ga)

Myeongdong Kyoja occupies a 3-storey shop-space, which completely fills up during peak hours. That’s how good the food here is!!! The menu is pretty lean – they only offer four items. Supposedly their claim to fame is their Kalguksu ‘chopped noodle’ soup; but for me, the real star was the Mandu (dumplings!!!)

Food of the day: Mandu dumplings (order more!!!!)

Bibiri

Location: 346-34, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu

Craving for bibimbap? This organic eat-all-you-can bibimbap buffet is just the thing for you, at prices that will leave both your tummy and wallet satisfied! For only 5,000 won, isn’t this such a great deal?

kkanbu

Location: Multiple branches around the city

When I hear chicken and beer, I immediately think of Korea. Why? I have no idea. It’s not as if Korean beer is good? But their chicken certainly is!

Not too oily, crispy yet still moist and juicy, plus extremely well-seasoned with spices; I must say, kkanbu’s chicken hits all the right spots. Why can’t restaurants like Bonchon and Kyochon – both of which are in the Philippines – learn from kkanbu?

Food of the day: Soy chicken, Crispy chicken, fries (the fries was pure dope! So good)

Hong Kong Banjeom 0410

Location: 14, Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung-gu

So, my friend watches this Korean variety show “The Return of Superman,” and she claims tha jjajangmyeon (black bean paste sauce noodle) is often eaten whenever people feel lazy and don’t want to leave the house – so they just have this dish delivered

After spending a long day trekking through Dobongsan Peak, we certainly felt justified to do the same. Unfortunately, we couldn’t speak Korean, and therefore couldn’t get the jjajangmyeon delivered. As such, we decided to hit up this restaurant owned by famous Korean chef Baek Jong Won to order takeaway Jjajangmyeon instead

Verdict: Yum – if only we knew how to get it delivered!

Food of the day: Jjajangmyeon

Desserts

Conversation Cake at Nina Gudkova

Location: 36, Dosan-daero 17-gil, Gangnam-gu

Conversation is Nina Gudkova’s (this super famous Russian baker) first international store. In the short time it’s been open, it has become the hottest cake store in town. When I heard this, I knew I absolutely had to check it out!

Man, as soon as I entered the store and saw the display cases, I knew I had died and gone to cake heaven! Every single cake looked scrumptious, and believe me, choosing the three slices to order was quite possibly the hardest choice I had to make during my entire Seoul trip

Dessert of the day: Fluffy Superwoman, Baked Cheesecake, and Superman Cake

Common grounds: Dara

Location: 200 Achasan-ro, Jayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu

Located at the top floor of Common Grounds, Dara’s soft serve ice cream packs a punch, and is perfect for an after meal pick me up! Having said that, I wouldn’t make the trip JUST for this. Still, Common Grounds is a decent place to check out – and was made with Instagram-crazed millennials in mind, so you’ll be sure to come out of the place with new photos to cherish, and hopefully a soft serve ice cream to keep you company

Dessert of the day: Soft serve ice cream

Sayoo

Location: 5 Itaewon-ro 54-gil, Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu

Go here for the ambiance, stay for the yummy desserts and drinks (for folks with a sweet tooth!) Do situate yourself on the top floor (roof deck), to maximize the experience 😉

And that’s it folks! If interested, do check out my other Seoul day trip blogs too – you might find them helpful!

A step-by-step guide on how to hike up Dobongsan Peak

A step-by-step guide on how to maximize your Everland Seoul adventure

Other recommendations

This is just me keeping a running list of friend recommendations to try – feel free to use as inspiration as well!

• BHC (Fried chicken)
• Gogung (Bibimbap)