Category: Seoul
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Chicken Ramen in Hapjeong: Ramura, Where You Build Your Own Bowl
Mapo is one of Seoul’s ramen battlegrounds, and my pick for chicken ramen in Hapjeong is Ramura (라무라). Where most ramen shops lean on pork (tonkotsu), Ramura is all about chicken — a rich chicken broth, chicken-leg toppings, even dumplings wrapped in fried chicken skin. You build your own bowl by choosing a topping and…
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Things to Do in Hongdae and Yeonnam: A Local’s Food & Cafe Guide
Hongdae, Yeonnam and Hapjeong sit right next to each other on Seoul’s west side, and together they make one of the best areas in the city to just eat and wander. Hongdae is the buzzy university-and-nightlife hub, Yeonnam is the leafy, café-lined neighborhood along the old railway park, and Hapjeong is the quieter, foodie edge…
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Coffee Roastery in Hapjeong: Belief Coffee Roasters, a Bunker-Like Cafe
Mapo — Hongdae, Hapjeong, Sangsu — is full of cafes, but big ones are surprisingly rare, so a group of you can struggle to find seats. That’s why I like Belief Coffee Roasters (빌리프커피로스터스): a proper coffee roastery in Hapjeong spread over two floors, with a huge bunker-like basement, coffee roasted in-house, and the warm…
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Pasta in Yeonnam: Yeonnam Toma and Its Smoky Chinese-Style Cream Pasta
Hongdae and Yeonnam are packed with restaurants, but for a proper sit-down bowl of pasta in Yeonnam, Yeonnam Toma (연남토마) is a favorite. It’s a Korean-fusion spot in a converted brick house, best known for a smoky, Chinese-style beef cream pasta you won’t find elsewhere. There are several Yeonnam Toma branches around the city, but…
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Dessert Cafe in Yeonnam: Parole & Langue and Its Square Pies
Yeonnam-dong is full of cafes, but if you want a proper dessert cafe in Yeonnam, Parole & Langue (파롤앤랑그) is a lovely pick. It’s a cozy spot in a converted house, known for its distinctive square pies — including a beautiful bonuibam (chestnut) pie that tastes as good as it looks. If you love pretty,…
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Burger in Yeonnam: Nikuking Burger and Its Famous Rosé Burger
Yeonnam-dong is packed with places to eat, but if you want a proper Korean-style burger in Yeonnam, this is my pick: Nikuking Burger (니꾸킹버거). It’s a small handmade-burger spot just off Hongdae, best known for its rosé burger — a Korean flavor that’s been a big hit with young diners here. The burgers are genuinely…
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Hambak Steak in Hapjeong: Hamban, a Charcoal Grill Made for Solo Diners
If you’re travelling alone and want a proper, satisfying meal, this is my pick: the best hambak steak in Hapjeong. Hamban (함반) is a charcoal-grilled hambak (hamburg steak) specialist just off the Hongdae area, and it’s built for eating well by yourself — a charcoal hearth in the center ringed by bar seating, so a…
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Mandu in Hongdae: Deoki Son Mandu, a Pyongyang-Style Local Classic
For the best handmade mandu in Hongdae, skip the tourist strip and head to Deoki Son Mandu (덕이손만두) in Hapjeong. It’s a Pyongyang-style handmade dumpling specialist — the kind of unpretentious, long-running local spot where the food is mild, clean and comforting rather than flashy. At weekday lunch it fills with office workers from nearby,…
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Pork Gomtang in Hongdae: Okdongsik, the Netflix Chef’s Michelin Bowl
If you watched Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars (흑백요리사), you may already know this one. Okdongsik (옥동식) is the original Seoul shop of the chef who took his pork gomtang all the way to New York — and it’s listed in the Michelin Guide too. It sits in Hapjeong, right on the edge of the Hongdae…
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Seoul Forest Park: A Local’s Guide to the City’s Green Escape
Right in the middle of Seoul, tucked beside the trendy streets of Seongsu, there’s a proper forest. Seoul Forest park (서울숲) is where locals go to slow down — a big, leafy escape where you can feel the seasons change without leaving the city. What I love most is the contrast: step out of hip,…
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Things to Do in Euljiro: A Local’s Guide to Hip-jiro
Euljiro used to be a district of printing shops, hardware stores and machine parts — not somewhere you’d think to spend an afternoon. Then young Koreans started opening cafes and restaurants inside its old buildings, keeping the worn, retro bones intact, and the neighborhood earned a new nickname: “hip-jiro.” These days it’s one of the…
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Kalguksu in Euljiro: Sarangbang, a 50-Year-Old Noodle House
If you want kalguksu in Euljiro the way locals have eaten it for decades, Sarangbang Kalguksu (사랑방칼국수) is the place. It’s a noodle-and-chicken spot that’s been running for over 50 years, and its clear whole-chicken soup, thin handmade noodles, and a house chili-vinegar sauce you won’t find elsewhere have kept it on Korean TV food…
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Retro Cafe in Euljiro: Eulji Bin, a Vintage Time Capsule
Euljiro — nicknamed “hip-jiro” — is famous for cafes hidden inside old buildings, and Eulji Bin (을지빈) is one of the most atmospheric I’ve found. It’s a retro cafe in Euljiro that feels like stepping into someone’s beautifully cluttered 1970s living room: a gold tiger painting, a crystal chandelier, an old boxy TV still flickering,…
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Euljiro Bakery Cafe: Ouvrir, Two Floors of Pastries and Coffee
Euljiro has become one of Seoul’s most fun neighborhoods to café-hop, and Ouvrir (오뷔르베이커리) is my pick when I want a proper euljiro bakery cafe — a stylish two-floor spot with a serious pastry counter and good coffee. It opens early (8am) and stays busy through the day, with a big glass case of croissants,…
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Euljiro Pasta Restaurant: Euljidarak, a Cozy Attic Hideaway
Euljiro (a.k.a. “hip-jiro”) is full of retro-cool spots hidden in old buildings, and Euljidarak (을지다락) is one of my favorites for a sit-down meal. It’s an euljiro pasta restaurant on the fourth floor of an unassuming building — the name means “Euljiro attic,” and climbing up to it really does feel like heading into a…
