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Depending on one's palette, quality food in Seoul can be dirt cheap or relatively pricey. Street food in Seoul is safe and tasty, and high-end restaurants are generally a good value as well. Much Korean cuisine is made specifically to be shared with a group so solo-travelers may get some strange looks eating alone.
While this old-school eatery advertises itself as a boribap (barely rice) establishment, it's most famous for its bossam (steamed pork) set menu. If you're not in the mood for pork, you can also order courses of duck or kodari (semi-dried pollack), along with sides of ddeokgalbi (beef and onion patties), dotori mook (acorn jelly salad), and much more. When it comes time to order drinks, a bottle or two of the milky Korean rice wine known as makgeolli will do wonders to complement this rustic-style meal in the middle of the capital.
On the 81st floor of the Lotte World Tower, this highly lauded fine dining restaurant serves elegantly prepared contemporary Korean fare with sky-high views. Multi-course lunch and dinner menus highlight local ingredients in everything from stuffed abalone to dry-aged striploin, every bite better than the last.
With its consistent taste and reasonable prices, Ddobagi Chicken has the respect of fried chicken fanatics the city over. Its close proximity to the Han River means that many order Ddobagi to go and have chicken and beer picnics in the park during summertime. Plates of chicken are available at ₩10,000 for a single flavor and an extra ₩1,000 for half-and-half combinations. One of the most common orders is half regular fried and half yangyum (sweet and spicy) or soy–glazed chicken.
In a small alley of Bangsan Market, this beloved and often crowded Korean barbecue and kimchi-jjiggae (kimchi stew) joint has separate menus for lunch and dinner: kimchi-jjiggae with ssam (assorted vegetables) by day and kimchi-jjiggae with samgyeopsal (pork belly) after 5 pm. By night the vibe changes, when the smell of barbecue fills the air and people chase their shots of soju with spoonfuls of kimchi. The lunchtime assortment is served with 10 kinds of vegetables; diners wrap the fatty pork from the stew into their choice of leafy green.
Cold buckwheat noodles are the specialty at this famed Gwangwahmun staple, where there's usually a wait to get inside. Despite its Michelin-star status the restaurant is nothing fancy, but visitors often take their food to-go and eat at the nearby Cheonggyecheon Stream.
Traditional Korean cooking "mingles" flawlessly with new techniques at this fine dining restaurant, where exquisite preparations of quality ingredients make for an extra special lunch or dinner. This is the high-end experience for which Gangnam is known, so it's a must if you're looking for the place to indulge in the luxury of the neighborhood.
Although bibimbap (rice with mixed vegetables) is sometimes disregarded as an introductory Korean dish, the iteration served at Mokmyeonsanbang proves that there is an art to crafting this dish. There are six different types of bibimbap on the menu, each made with meticulously sourced ingredients like sesame oil, fresh vegetables, and local rice. While all the restaurant’s dishes are well-executed, the signature bibimbap is a vegetarian classic and the beef tartare bibimbap is likely one of the best in the country. It can take more than two hours to get into this restaurant, so avoid peak lunch times or have your meal to-go.
Arguably the best cheap wang mandu (king-size dumplings) in Seoul can be ordered at this restaurant in Namdaemun Market, where customers line up for pink take-out boxes from the front counter. The restaurant has two signature types of dumplings: kimchi with a spicy kick, and plain meat with juiciness in each bite. At first, it may seem like the establishment is take-out only but you can eat-in by entering past the counter. You’ll pass the kitchen of busy dumpling-makers and be led upstairs to either the second or third floor. The restaurant also serves kalguksu (knife-cut noodles), shrimp mandu, and galbi (short-rib) mandu, but you can’t go wrong by sticking to the classics. You might have to make an extra effort to get someone to help you but the prices, at ₩4,000 for a plate of dumplings, truly make up for the lack of service.
A local institution since 1989, this bunsik (Korean snack foods) shop is widely considered to serve the best tteokbokki (hot and spicy rice cake) in all of Seoul. Barring pandemic restrictions, they are open 24 hours, but no matter when you go, there will always be a line of people.
This casual Korean eatery takes the statement “mother’s cooking is best” to a whole other level. Opened in 2013, Parc combines Korean home cooking, inspired by the owner-chef’s mother, with modern aesthetics. Since the restaurant aims to use ingredients in season, the menu changes every few months with a handful of exceptions. The 7 namuls platter, Parc’s take on bibimbap, and the galbi (grilled beef ribs) are two safe bets. The restaurant is known for their banchan (side dishes) and, unlike many Korean home cooking restaurants, always have one or two vegan options on the menu.
Reputed to have Seoul's best samgyetang (Korean chicken soup), this tourist favorite, set in a group of traditional houses, is best recognized by the lines that form outside during lunch. While it is best to go between the lunch and dinner rushes, Tosokchon's signature samgyetang is worth the wait. The chicken used here is not oily in the least and the stuffing of over 30 different herbs and grains as well as ginseng, garlic, and jujube make it a filling and healthy meal. Just keep in mind that this is not the place to go for a selection of Korean food as samgyetang is nearly the only thing on the menu.
Although the humble gimbap (rice and various fillings wrapped in seaweed) is not typically a dish that one would go out of the way for, Yeonhui Gimbap in its Yeonhui-dong headquarters is worth going the extra mile. Known for its creative fillings like the extra-spicy squid and braised beef in soy sauce, the hole-in-the-wall gimbap joint has locations all over the country thanks to its success here. There are several locations in Yeonhui-dong alone and no seating at the original location, but the gimbap here is one of the best cheap meals in the city.
A restaurant with an eco-friendly ethos, this Insa-dong hot spot uses GMO-free and organic ingredients to create its signature bibimbap. While typical bibimbaps are made of rice and seasoned vegetables served in a bowl and mixed with gochujang (fermented red pepper paste) at the table, the restaurant's "bojagi bibimbap" is a play on traditional Korean bojagi (wrapping cloth); it's hidden inside a thinly cooked yellow egg and wrapped with a seaweed bow. The restaurant is reservation only, vegan-friendly, and has course menus available for lunch and dinner. Visitors here should keep in mind that flavors here, while great for your health, are incredibly subtle, even compared to other organic restaurants in the city.
Located a five minute walk from some of downtown Seoul's premier hotels, Arirang serves high-end kalbi (grilled meats) at a price to match. Though pricier than most other kalbi restaurants, the food here is top notch and the location makes it an excellent dinner choice for those staying at one of the nearby hotels. The restaurant is bright and airy—surprising considering that the main dish is beef grilled at the table. Customers can opt for tables or the more traditional floor seating. While a good for two people, like most Korean BBQ, Arirang in best visited in a group.
With a seating capacity of 14 to 16, Bokdeokbang is a cozy restaurant that pairs every dish with makgeolli (rice wine). Bokdeokbang’s owner, Kang Sang-gu, handpicks only natural makgeollis (without artificial additives), coming to each table to explain the flavor profiles of each drink; he operates the restaurant with his head chef and mother, who takes a similar organic approach in the kitchen. Kang even handwrites the menu, which is seasonal. The bossam (sliced, boiled pork) paired with oysters and fresh kimchi is an early winter favorite.
This highly praised restaurant serves Pyeonyang naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), which is a must-try dish during any visit to Korea, especially during the blistering summer months. Chef Kwon Hee-sung prepares the beef bone broth every day, and uses only the freshest, local ingredients to elevate this beloved yet humble dish into something really special.
This restaurant situated along the Bangi Matgol (Food Alley) is one of the few places in Seoul where you can get a proper bowl of dwaeji gukbap, a savory pork and rice soup that's the specialty of Busan, South Korea's second city. The broth is milky and rich, and they don't skimp on the meat. Make sure to eat plenty of the kimchi and kkakduki (sliced radish kimchi) provided, and to complete the experience, order a bottle of Busan "C1" brand soju to wash it all down.
Bulgogi is one of the most popular foods in Korea, and this industrial-style, hole-in-the-wall eatery is the perfect place to give it a try. The word bulgogi translates to “fire meat” and the dish is comprised of thin, marinated slices of beef grilled DIY-style on a table-top griddle. One order of bulgogi is enough for two people and comes with side dishes such as acorn jelly, kimchi, radishes, and lettuce leaves in which you roll it all up. Order a side of rice and a cold beer or soju to counteract the spiciness.
For meat and spice-lovers only, Dongin-Dong serves a delicious bowl of beef ribs cooked on the bone with a heaping amount of garlic and chilies. It's the kind of meal worth breaking out in a sweat for and customers often order bowl after bowl of rice to soak up the last of the sauce (not to mention mitigating the spiciness). Also recommended are the mercifully less-spicy pork pancakes and other pan-fried delicacies. Just be sure to remember your breath mints.
A fried chicken and beer joint that’s been in operation since 1996, Eongteoli Fried Chicken serves classic, Korean-style fried chicken. While they also have spicy Korean-style sea snail salad on the menu, the signature is the extra crispy namesake, a whole chicken cut up in pieces with a thick, slightly-salted crust. It comes with a tangy sauce for dipping, a plate of salad, and a small dish of white, pickled radish. Ordering a beverage (commercial beer or a soda) is a must. Be warned, the ambiance is divey, hole-in-the-wall chic to a tee. The elderly couple in charge can come across as gruff but go the extra mile with a smile, and with a kind word they open up easily.
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