Seoul dining for beginners
First Encounters With Korean Food
SEOUL's Editor-in-Chief, Robert Koehler, offers a select handful of Korean restaurant recommendations for absolute novices. All restaurants marked in Maps & Guides by
Korean Meat Dishes
Popular Korean meat dishes include galbi (ribs, either beef or pork), bulgogi (marinated beef grilled atop an open flame) and samgyeopsal (Korean-style bacon). Meat is typically eaten wrapped in a lettuce leaf with condiments.
Gogung T. (02) 736-3211 Hours: 11am—9pm Prices: Around 10,000 won Getting There: Exit 6, Anguk Station, Line 3. Located in the basement of Ssamji-gil in Insa-dong. The southwestern city of Jeonju does the best bibimbap in Korea. Gogung is the next best option.
Bamboo House T. (02) 555-6390 Hours: 11:30am—2:30pm, 5:30pm—10:30pm Prices: 40,000 won and up Getting There: Exit 7, Yeoksam Station, Line 2. Walk 10 minutes in the direction of Gyeonbok Apartments (or take a cab — if you’re eating here, money is clearly not an issue). Pricey; does some of Korea's best barbecue and grill in a multilingual setting. Housed in a stunning Frank Gehryesque building.
Bon Bibimbap T. (02) 736-4288 Hours: 9:30 am—10pm Prices: Under 10,000 won Getting There: Exit 3, Jonggak Station, Line 1. Walk toward Tapgol Park. Hang a left right before the park. Gogung is right there, across from the park, near the entrance to Insa-dong. The flagship store of this chain does an assortment of bibimbap at reasonable prices.
Soups and Stews
Many tasty options include doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew), sundubu jjigae (tofu stew), seolleongtang (milky beef soup) and samgyetang (chicken ginseng soup).
Maple Tree House T. (02) 730-7461 Hours: 11:30am—10pm Prices: Around 30,000 won Getting There: Exit 1, Anguk Station, Line 3. Walk about 20 minutes along Samcheong-dong Road—the restaurant is near Korea Banking Institute. Samgyeopsal with a beautiful wooded garden in Samcheong-dong.
Bibimbap Simple dish of rice mixed with seasoned vegetables and red pepper sauce. Gwyneth Paltrow likes it. Served in a metal/plastic bowl or a stone pot (dolsot bibimbap ).
Toetmarujip Doenjang Yesul T. (02) 739-5683 Hours: 10:30am—10pm Prices: 10,000—20,000 won Getting There: Exit 5, Jongno 3-ga Station, Line 5. Enter Insa-dong. Face the Seoho Art Gallery at the Insa-dong Intersection and make a left into the alleyway. Hearty North Korean-style doenjang jjigae; traditional ambiance. Particularly popular is the doenjang bibimbap (rice mixed with vegetables and soybean-paste stew).
Tobang T. (02) 735-8156 Hours: 10:30am—10pm Prices: Around 5,000 won Getting There: Exit 6, Anguk Station, Line 3. Enter Insa-dong. Tobang is on the left. Standard Korean fair like kimchi jjigae, dubu jjigae and doenjang jjigae. Also famous for its marinated crab side dish. 48 SEOUL November 2010
Cheolgil Wang Galbisal T. (02) 332-9543 Hours: 24 hours Prices: Around 25,000 won Getting There: Exit 5, Hongik University Station, Line 2. Walk 20 minutes in the direction of the Sanollim Theater—the restaurant is in the alley across from it. Wonderful beef galbi; outstanding bean-paste stew. Very popular.
Bukchon Gamasot Seolleongtang T. (02) 725-7355 Hours: 11:00am—10:30pm Prices: 6,000—10,000 won Getting There: Exit 1, Anguk Station, Line 3. Located in alley in front of Jeongdok Public Library. Korean traditional building. Specializes in seolleongtang; also has good manduguk (dumpling soup) and other dishes. Food served on Korean traditional ceramics.
Jiho Hanbang Samgyetang T. (02) 916-3999 Hours: 11am—10pm Prices: 12,000—14,000 won Getting There: Exit 2, Mia Samgeori Station, Line 4. Walk 10 minutes to Dongseong Car Inspection. Samgyetang is a Korean summer specialty. A young chicken is stuffed with rice and boiled in a broth of ginseng, jujube, garlic and ginger.