Foodie Adventures in Seoul: 5 Restaurants You Can’t Miss!

① Restaurants Catching the Eye with Their Elegant Presentation

Foreigners visiting Korea are gradually changing their preferences regarding Korean cuisine, which are influenced by social media and the allure of trying new dishes. Fusion Korean cuisine is also a popular item on the menu among tourists.

Dureyoo, a restaurant in Pyeongchang-dong, Seoul, is led by star chef Yoo Hyun Soo. The dishes are cooked with years of experience, traditional fermentation sauce, and seasonal ingredients. The menu is served as a course meal and includes a variety of dishes such as seasonal porridge, chilled vegetables, lobster sashimi, barley flatfish, steamed black pork belly, and more.

The course ends with dessert and traditional tea. Thanks to the restrained beauty of the plating, it’s a place where you can also enjoy a visual feast.

• Address: 84 Pyeongchangmunhwa-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 2nd and 3rd floor
• Business hours: 11:30 – 20:30
• Menu: Lunch sky course 55,000 KRW ($46), Moon course 80,000 KRW ($67), Star course 150,000 KRW ($125)

A Flower Blossom on the Rice, located near Anguk Station, is a Korean restaurant that uses organic ingredients. It offers a dining experience in a traditional Korean house. Operated directly by a farmer’s corporation, A Flower Blossom on the Rice only sources its ingredients from organic farms.

The signature menu here is “A Set of Cloth Bibimbap.” You’ll find various vegetables neatly packed inside when you unwrap the yellow egg garnish. The bibimbap ingredients are delicately placed on rice cooked with naturally grown brown rice. It’s beautifully decorated like a flower, wrapped like a bundle with a viable egg, and tied with a new harvest raw seaweed belt.

A Flower Blossom on the Rice has been selected as a Michelin Guide Seoul 2024 restaurant. Reservations can be made through the CatchTable app.

• Address: 3-6 Insadong16-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
• Business hours: 11:30 – 21:00 (Break time 15:00 – 17:30)
• Menu: Snow Rider Vegetable Rice Set 22,000 KRW ($18), [Lunch Only] A set of cloth bibimbap 24,000 KRW ($20), Heuksando Steamed Rockfish 43,000 KRW ($36)

② Places Where You Can Taste Fusion Korean Cuisine

Ikseon Atteut, located in Ikseon-dong, is a casual Korean restaurant. It is located in a traditional house with a garden. Guests can enjoy various fusion Korean dishes.

The signature menu includes “Chadol-bagi Buchu Kalbibim Noodles,” a menu where you can taste noodles mixed in sauce, chives salad, and grilled beef brisket, and “Hangjeong Grilled Bibimbap,” which contains various vegetables in a homemade sauce made by stir-frying pork neck and red pepper paste.
“Think Woodae Seasoned Grilled Beef Rib, which is marinated in homemade soy sauce and sous-vide for 12 hours, is also a popular menu item. You can also enjoy honey makgeolli (Korean traditional rice wine), banana makgeolli, and strawberry makgeolli.

Ikseon Atteut is located on Hanok Street, making it a great place to explore Ikseon-dong.

• Address: 24 Donhwamun-ro 11da-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 1st floor
• Business hours: 12:00 – 21:00
• Menu: Pork Soybean Paste Ssambap 14,900 KRW ($12), Hangjeong Grilled Bibimbap 15,500 KRW ($13), Think Woodae Seasoned Grilled Beef Rib 31,000 KRW ($26)

Oiji Daehakro, located near Hyehwa Station, offers eclectic fusion cuisine, blending Korean, Japanese, and Western flavors. Step inside and dine amidst the charm of a traditional house.

Oiji Daehakro serves an array of fusion delights at affordable prices. They offer a variety of fusion dishes, such as Bean-powder-coated Rice Cake with Grilled Pork Belly, Beef Brisket Hot Noodles, Black Sesame Cream Hand-pulled Dough Soup, Cheese Kimchi Ball, and more.

Oiji Daehak-ro is a popular restaurant in Daehakro, and It often boasts long queues. Although the waiting time is long, it’s a place worth waiting for.

• Address: 33 Daehak-ro 9-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
• Business hours: 11:30 – 22:00 (Break time 15:00 – 17:00)
• Menu: Black Sesame Cream Hand-pulled Dough Soup 13,300 KRW ($11), Soft Bean Curd with Pollack Roe and Cheese 14,000 KRW ($12), Oiji Jumbo Grilled Beef Galbi 30,000 KRW ($25)

Jeongalhansang, located in Yeoksam-dong, is where you can taste clean Korean food. Each dish is meticulously crafted, with rice cooked in traditional stone pots and individual table settings, ensuring a personalized dining experience. The menu includes clean Korean dishes like stir-fried pork, abalone bibimbap, and barley flatfish.

It’s a popular place where you can taste Nurungji (scorched rice), served with a stone pot of rice. With prices averaging around 10,000 KRW ($8), this place provides a gourmet journey at affordable prices. Jeongalhansang does not accept reservations during lunch hours.

Visitors have left reviews like “These days it’s hard to get pot rice, but I enjoyed it,” “The dishes are clean and neat,” and “The rice here is truly delicious.”

• Address: 22 Teheran-ro 13-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 1st floor
• Business hours: 11:00 – 21:00 (Break time 15:00 – 17:00)
• Menu: Spicy beef and vegetable soup + Pot Rice 12,000 KRW ($10), Spicy-marinated Crab Bibimbap + Pot Rice 17,000 KRW ($14), Barley Flatfish + Pot Rice 20,000 KRW ($17)