-
Hotteok Stalls
Two types of hotteok can be found at these stalls - a fat, flat one with a cinnamon and honey paste inside and a ball-shaped one with red-bean paste inside.
-
Hungkuk Food Court
Eat Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Western at this smart but inexpensive food court in the basement of the Hungkuk Bldg next to the Hammering Man statue.
-
Hwedra Ramyeon
This tiny, dark cell of an eatery serves up the hottest ramyeon in Seoul and the ajumma (a women who runs a hotel, restaurant or other business) in charge adds chillies with a large ladle. Said to cure even the worst hangover, you can take up this fear-factor challenge for just around ₩3000 .
-
Hyangnamusegeuru
No English is spoken but if you dig pig then just say moksalsogeumgui! . This is pork barbecued at your table, wrapped in lettuce with sauces and side dishes; you can cut some of the fat off the pork with the scissors provided. It's a good deal, as is the doenjang jjigae (soy-bean paste stew). The restaurant is recently renovated and surrounded by trees.
-
Insadong Sujebi
Famous for sujebi, big dough flakes in a potato, seaweed and seafood broth, this rustic barn also serves up naengkongguksu, chewy noodles in cold soya milk, a popular summer dish, and oyster pajeon . Kimchi lovers can enjoy helping themselves from a large pot.
-
Itaewon Galbi
Up on the 2nd floor is this long-established and well-known eatery with helpful staff and traditional genre paintings on the wall. Grab a window seat and enjoy galbi , galbitang (beef ribs stew), mushroom bulgogi , bulgogi on a hotplate, or for something more exotic, try cow's tongue.
-
Jenny's
Verging on the funky, this laid-back café-style eatery plays good music, the bread is homemade and Jenny makes everything fresh to order, so expect to wait. Even the house wine (around ₩4000 ) is good. Try the mushroom sandwich and salad. Lunch sets include soup and a soft drink.
-
Jilsiru Tteok Café
The gourmet rice cakes are small but lovingly made and delicious - try the apple flower and chocolate ones. Traditional teas are around ₩5000 . Upstairs from the smart café is a museum (admission around ₩3000 ; ; - Mon-Sat, - Sun) with displays of 50 types of rice cakes with all their different colours, flavourings, shapes and sizes and the utensils to make them.
-
Jilsiru Tteok Café
Pop in to enjoy small gourmet rice cakes with unusual flavours such as pear blossom or chocolate, unique rice cakes that look like cheesecakes, and even a rice cake sandwich. Five bite-sized tteok (rice cake) and tea costs around ₩5000 .
-
Jongno Bindaetteok
Don't let the scruffy décor put you off - the crispy seafood (haemul) and meat (gogi) (mung bean pancake) are both great, and made from freshly-ground mung beans.
-
Advertisement
-
Juk 1001 Iyagi
The plain, unpretentious surroundings reflect the food. A large bowl of excellent chicken and ginseng rice porridge is served with four side dishes and is flavoured with plenty of varied ingredients. There are 19 other options packed with healthy, natural ingredients.
-
Kijoam
Food fashions in Seoul come and go faster than the KTX train but the non-spicy Japanese noodles, cutlets and tempura sets at this chain restaurant never lose their appeal.
-
La Plancha
Order chicken, pork, steak, lamb, and salmon with vegetables and a sauce at this indoor/outdoor restaurant that serves fresh meat by weight and paellas. Clean, tidy and modern, the food is on view and the cooks and serving staff do their jobs well.
-
Le Saint-Ex
The menu changes daily with specials like duck confit and roasted scallops but there is usually fish, seafood, lamb and a steak in this authentic bistro that only does dinners. With a homely atmosphere, a French cook and French wines it has quickly garnered a reputation for excellence.
-
Mad For Garlic
Bare brick walls adorned with strings of garlic, wine glasses and bottles gives a convivial Mediterranean flavour to this huge cellar of an Italian bistro. The open-plan kitchen serve up garlic steak, thin-crust pizzas and other favourites along with items such as the Dracula Killer starter - slices of bread that you spread with whole cloves of garlic soaked in hot herby olive oil, and cover in grated cheese that you can actually taste.
-
Mama Food Market
A lengthy global menu of fresh fusion Marché-style food is served outside under a smart awning or inside in a variety of sitting areas. Every night from to , solo singers perform on the terrace balcony.
-
Marché
A restaurant chain that has fresh food piled up in market stall sections in an open-plan style and specialises in Euro nosh - Swiss rostis, homemade pasta, steak, ribs, sausages and salads. Seoulites have taken to it in a big way.
-
Memories
This cosy Deutschland oasis has been running for more than 10 years, and Herr Chef serves up authentic fare: solid soups, unfancy schnitzels, steaks and, of course, bratwurst with sauerkraut and roast potatoes, all washed down with German beer.
-
Min's Club
This classy restaurant housed in a beautifully restored 1930s hanok (traditional Korean one-storey wooden house with a tiled roof) offers European/Korean fusion food (more European than Korean) and specialises in French wines under the guidance of sommelier Cho Yun-joo. Popular in diplomatic circles, diners leave happy.
-
Naniwa
Seoulites have still not forgotten Japan's cruel colonial rule, but they have forgiven them to the extent that customers pour into Japanese-style restaurants like the reasonably priced Naniwa chain that serves cutlet and udong (thick white noodle broth) set meals. The seats are a bit squashed but are made of tatami (woven straw), which adds to the Japanese atmosphere.
-
Advertisement
-
Nolboo
Come to this spacious 2nd floor restaurant for budae jjigae (or Johnsontang ), which consists of ham, sausages, tofu, noodles and vegetable scraps that are thrown into a big wok, cooked at your table and served with rice and good side dishes. This dish originated in the hungry years after the war when vegetable scraps were added to black market tinned meat and beans to make a meal.
-
Nolboojip
Down the steps in front of Pizza Hut is this special restaurant that serves a reasonably priced banquet to the sound of live traditional music, played throughout the day. Sit on floor cushions in the large eating arena and order sangcharim (minimum two people), which includes 20 dishes including steamed egg, fish, chicken, octopus, japchae , galbi, soup, quail's eggs and burnt-rice tea.
-
Noodle X
Despite the name, inventive fusion food of all kinds is served in this dimly-lit modern eatery with red and black décor and music. This is a good place to try jajangmyeon , the classic Korean noodles and black bean dish that originated in China. There's even a baked potato on the menu.
-
Noryangjin Fish Market Restaurants
Up on the 2nd floor of the fish market are half a dozen traditional-style restaurants, selling the freshest fish and seafood. They specialise in raw fish, but also serve spicy soups with octopus, blue crab or fish plus steamed crab, grilled prawns or clams, or jeonbokjuk (abalone rice porridge). All come with side dishes such as grilled fish, quail eggs, acorn jelly, beans and tofu. Beware of sannakji , which is live baby octopus.
-
Nutrition Centre
A Myeong-dong institution with a fast-food décor that only offers two items - a whole chicken roasted on a spit or samgyetang , ginseng chicken soup for around ₩10000 . At lunch a cheaper chicken set is available.
