🍽️ Food — where to eat

Curated list of restaurants we've been to, want to try, and Michelin picks. Updated as we go.

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✅ Where we ate (and what we thought)

Day	Restaurant	What	Verdict	Link
1	Isaac Toast (Myeongdong)	Egg-ham toast chain	Solid quick meal	📍
1	Myeongdong street food	Tornado potato, egg bread, cheese lobster	Really nice	📍
2	London Bagel Museum	Famous Seoul bakery	Worth the hype	📍
2	Yuksangyang 육상양	Korean BBQ	Solid	📍
3	Yoogane Dakgalbi 유가네	Cheese dakgalbi — big platter of chicken + melted mozzarella	Great, shared platter is fun	📍

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🌟 Michelin starred (Gangnam area)

Reservation required for all starred restaurants. Book via Catch Table app or call directly.

Mingles 밍글스 — ⭐⭐⭐

Modern Korean tasting menu. Chef Mingoo Kang. Korea's only 3-star (as of 2025). Multi-course journey through Korean ingredients reimagined. The splurge of the trip if you can get a table.

• 📍 Google Maps · Naver · Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu
• 💰 ~₩200,000–250,000pp (tasting menu only)
• 🕐 Lunch 12:00 / Dinner 18:00 · Closed Sun–Mon
• 📞 Reserve 2–4 weeks ahead on Catch Table or call +82-2-515-7306
• 10min taxi from COEX

Jungsik 정식 — ⭐⭐

Pioneer of modern Korean fine dining. Multi-story restaurant, bar downstairs, two dining floors. NYC sister location. Elegant but not stuffy.

• 📍 Google Maps · Naver · Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu
• 💰 ~₩150,000–200,000pp
• 🕐 Lunch 12:00–14:30 / Dinner 17:30–21:00 · Closed Sun
• 📞 Reserve on Catch Table or jungsik.kr
• Sinsa station (L3) exit 8, 5min walk

Kwonsooksoo 권숙수 — ⭐⭐

Traditional Korean course dining. Delicate, seasonal, banchan-heavy. Quieter, more meditative than Jungsik.

• 📍 Google Maps · Naver · Cheongdam-dong
• 💰 ~₩120,000–150,000pp
• 📞 Reserve on Catch Table

Balwoo Gongyang 발우공양 — ⭐

Buddhist temple cuisine. Plant-based multi-course. Contemplative, minimalist space on 5th floor opposite Jogyesa Temple. Unique experience.

• 📍 Google Maps · Naver · 56 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu
• 💰 from ₩30,000pp (set menu)
• 🕐 Lunch 11:30–15:00 / Dinner 17:30–21:00
• 📞 balwoo.or.kr
• Near Anguk station — NOT in Gangnam, but worth the trip

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🏅 Michelin Bib Gourmand (quality + value)

No reservation needed for most. Queue and wait.

Ggupdang 꿉당 — Sinsa

Aged pork BBQ over binchotan charcoal. The pork is dry-aged in-house. Michelin Bib Gourmand. Serious BBQ at a real-person price.

• 📍 Google Maps · Naver
• 💰 ~₩25,000pp
• 🕐 11:30–22:00 · no reservations, queue moves fast
• Sinsa station (L3) exit 8 · 5min walk
• ⚡ Go at 17:30 to beat Saturday rush

Tosokchon Samgyetang 토속촌 — Jongno

Ginseng chicken soup. Michelin Bib Gourmand. The classic jet-lag cure. Hanok setting near Gyeongbokgung.

• 📍 Google Maps · Naver
• 💰 ~₩20,000pp
• 🕐 10:00–22:00 · expect a queue
• Gyeongbokgung station (L3) exit 2

Mandujip 만두집 — Gangnam

Pyeongyang-style dumplings for 30+ years. Giant mandu, no-frills, fast.

• 📍 Google Maps · Naver
• 💰 ~₩12,000pp
• Near Gangnam station

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🔥 Want to try (not been yet)

Markets

Name	Vibe	Price	Link
Gwangjang Market	Chaotic iconic. Bindaetteok, yukhoe (Cheonil Jip), mayak gimbap, makgeolli.	~₩15–20,000pp	📍 Naver
Namdaemun Market	Oldest market in Seoul. Kalguksu alley, hotteok, dried goods. More local than Gwangjang.	~₩10,000pp	📍 Naver
Tongin Market	Trade old coins for a sampler dosirak (lunchbox) — pick banchan from stalls.	~₩10,000pp	📍 Naver

Korean BBQ

Name	What	Price	Link
Samwon Garden 삼원가든	Institution since 1976. Garden setting. Classic galbi.	~₩50,000pp	📍 Naver
Mapo Jeong Daepo 마포정대포	Legendary salted pork belly over charcoal. Mapo-gu.	~₩30,000pp	📍 Naver
Maple Tree House	Reliable KBBQ, English menus, multiple locations.	~₩40,000pp	📍

Unique / weird dining

Name	What	Price	Link
Gaeseong Mandu Koong 개성만두 궁	Hanok dumpling house since 1966. Kaesong (North Korean) style mandu. Insadong.	~₩15,000pp	📍
Yongsusan 용수산	Kaesong royal court cuisine. Multi-course banquet, historic. Insadong.	~₩45–80,000pp	📍
Noryangjin Fish Market	Pick your live seafood, restaurant upstairs cooks it. Live octopus. Wild.	~₩30–50,000pp	📍 Naver

Noodles / soup

Name	What	Price	Link
Myeongdong Kyoja	Kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) + dumplings. The Myeongdong classic.	~₩11,000pp	📍
Tosokchon	Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup). Bib Gourmand. See above.	~₩20,000pp	📍

Chicken / casual

Name	What	Price	Link
Kyochon Chicken	Korean fried chicken chain — honey, soy garlic, spicy.	~₩25,000pp	📍
Saemaeul Sikdang	Cheap reliable KBBQ chain. 7-minute pork belly, kimchi jjigae.	~₩15–20,000pp	📍

Cafés / bakeries

Name	What	Price	Link
Onion Anguk 어니언	Hanok bakery café. Pandan scone. Instagram-perfect.	~₩12,000pp	📍
Nudake	3D cake artisan café. COEX + Dosan locations.	~₩15,000pp	📍

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💡 Price guide

Symbol	Range
💚 Budget	under ₩15,000pp (~$11)
💛 Mid	₩15,000–40,000pp (~$11–30)
🧡 Splurge	₩40,000–80,000pp (~$30–60)
❤️ Blow-out	₩100,000+pp (~$75+)

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Tap any 📍 for Google Maps or Naver link. "pp" = per person. Prices approximate.