Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
This humble bakery-cafe just off Itaewon's main party strip bakes the best pecan pie this side of the Pacific, along with cranberry cheesecake, butter…
Must-see restaurants in South Korea
Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
Lively KoMex restaurant specialising in 'skizzles' (essentially fusion fajitas) served on tabletop skillets in epic sharing portions. Tacos come in pairs;…
Gwangju
Longtime expat Tim Whitman leads the kitchen here, turning out burgers, pizzas and – as befitting a Canadian – poutine. There's Sunday brunch, too. First…
Seoureseo Duljjaero Jalhaneunjip
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
Little has changed at ‘Second Best Place in Seoul’, a tiny tea and dessert cafe, since it opened in 1976. Apart from the medicinal teas, it serves…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
One of the first in Seoul to catch on to the healthy-food trend, Bad Farmers is the place for your daily dose of green eats. Recognisable for its bright…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
Open all day, everyday, this diner-like burger joint takes its interior-design cues from 1950s America, soundtracked by the likes of 2010s Wu-Tang Clan…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
Nestled in K-Pop paradise (between entertainment companies JYP and SMTown), Jilhal Bros has managed to capture the hearts of sunglasses-adorned…
Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
This stripped-back canteen space ladles up huge plastic bowlfuls of pho dense with tender beef brisket and ribbons of rice noodles. The dark, deeply…
Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
One of the few places in Seoul where you can get a square, deep-dish, Detroit-style slice is aptly-named Motor City. The tomato-sauce base is good enough…
Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
This alleyway cafe-bakery claims to be the originator of a bizarre trend that spread through Seoul circa 2017, namely, modelling your venue on a…
Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
It didn't take Itaewon long to get on the food-bowl trend. Step up Root, serving zesty salad and poke bowls with a Korean twist from its sunny 2nd-floor…
Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
This wildly popular upstairs kitchen bakes an authentic range of New York–style pies along with appetisers like garlic knots, wings and messy fries. The…
Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
Foodies queue daily for the much lauded burgers here, painstakingly assembled (with Instagram in mind) and wrapped in cute zebra-striped paper. Pimp up…
Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
Keep your eyes peeled for those 'za-loving Ninja Turtles at this hip alleyway pizzeria serving jumbo-sized New York slices on paper plates. Choose from…
Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
Le Ferme (French for 'the farm') packs them in for superfood-rich detox dining with a French twist. Quinoa, tofu, avocado and mango feature in the…
Jeonju
Jeonju's most beloved restaurant is this 10-seater kongnamul gukbap (bean sprout and rice soup) shop inside labyrinthine Nambu market. Ordering is easy:…
Gyeongsangnam-do
Housed in a rustic post-war building, Cheonwhang is the place for bibimbap, a bowl of veggies, rice and a splotch of red-pepper paste served with seonji…
Busan
No serious foodie should visit Busan without trying sulbing, a wonderfully subtle dessert invented in this city. It's a bowl of shaved frozen milk topped…
Chuncheon
Housed in a 40-year-old building, this atmospheric restaurant serves up delicious makguksu, a Gangwon-do speciality. The buckwheat noodles are served cold…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
Crowds come to Ikseon-dong to be transported to old Seoul, and half of them seem to queue at Chang Hwa Dang, where the furniture and decor hark to a lost…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
For a fun lunch, buy 10 brass coins (₩5000) at the cafe about halfway along this old-school covered market. You'll be given a plastic tray with which you…
Dongdaemun & Eastern Seoul
This family-run Uzbekistan restaurant is a part of Dongdaemun's 'Little Silk Road', an intriguing district behind Lotte Fitin that's home to a community…
Gangwon-do
This small but inviting chain restaurant specialises in sweet and savoury porridge (juk) that can be eaten day or night. There's a well-presented English…
Gyeongsangbuk-do
This lovely, traditional corner restaurant is decorated with hanja calligraphy, with private dining rooms or an open section where you can sit on the…
Seoul
'Tamra' is an old name for Jeju and this restaurant specialises in Jeju-style cuisine – even using ingredients brought over from the southern island. The…
Jeollabuk-do
This folksy restaurant is a popular resting place for hungry hikers who have finished their Daedun-san descent. Replenish lost fluids with a bottle of…
Chungcheongbuk-do
Run by a sweet Catholic woman, this restaurant serves up a delicious kimchi stew in a clay pot, loaded with tofu and chunks of pork. There's also sausage…
Jeju-do
This one-woman bistro has fuss-free single dishes – perfect after climbing nearby Seongsan Ilchulbong. Each bowl of jjamppong (spicy seafood ramyeon)…
Chungcheongbuk-do
Scrounge up dirt-cheap eats in this small chain restaurant. There’s a range of ramyeon (instant noodles in soup) and udong (thick white noodle broth),…
Busan
A ten-minute walk stands between Haeundae beach and a chilly bowl of Busan's signature milmyeon (밀면), a spicy noodle soup in an icy, meat-based broth…
Daegu
Come to this long-standing Chinese restaurant and mainstay of the central Daegu dining scene for delicious fried or steamed mandu (만두; dumplings) – the…
Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
Get your hot wings basted a dozen different ways at this alleyway eatery, from classic buffalo to Korean-inspired 'Amazinger' (spicy ginger), soy wasabi…
Gyeongsangbuk-do
One of the island’s most famous restaurants – its owner will tell you proudly about its many appearances on Korea’s famously food-obsessed TV channels –…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
In the basement of Ssamziegil is this smart and stylish restaurant, specialising in Jeonju (capital of Jeollabuk province) bibimbap, which is fresh and…
Seoul
Run by Italian couple Enrico and Fiore, the tasty and unusual – for Seoul – specialities here hail from Sicily, such as arancine (saffron-flavoured…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
Chef Ryu Tae-hwan brings French, Japanese and Korean dishes to fine dining at Ryunique. Often described as avant-garde and adventurous, the courses at…
Jeollabuk-do
Among a cluster of old-style buildings with thatched roofs, this restaurant serves pungent tofu stew (순두부찌개). In keeping with the traditional motif,…
Busan
The interior looks like a penitentiary, but this humble restaurant near the Gukje Market serves up tasty standards such as doenjang jjigae (된장찌개; soybean…
Dongdaemun & Eastern Seoul
One of several beautifully converted warehouse hang-outs in the Seongsu 'hood, Share D Table is more food focused, with separate vendors hawking pizza,…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
A great place to try dolsotbap (hotpot rice) in an authentic hanok atmosphere in Insa-dong. Various ingredients are added to the rice, and you mix it all…
