Here are a few important things we wish we knew going into Seoul, South Korea… One: Google maps does not work for directions. You need to download the Korean app Naver, and copy/paste Korean translation (symbols) of a restaurant or hotel into the app. Two: Uber works. Again, copy and paste the Korean address (symbols) from google or a location’s website. And the traffic is not as bad as everyone says it is (it’s comparable to Los Angeles). Three: Translation apps are very useful (Google translate is fine). Four: Almost everything is closed 2:30-5PM, especially bars (even luxury hotel bars). This is a good time for sightseeing or spa appointments. Five: Catchtable is a good reservation website. Lastly: The best time for “nice” dinner reservations is 5:30/6PM, many restaurants do last call for the kitchen at 8:30PM… Also, if we were to only stay in one part of the city it would be Gangnam.
Traveling to Asia? View the Tokyo & Osaka Guide here. We also love Singapore, here’s the Singapore Guide.
Don’t know what to pack? Here’s Jess’s Packing List.
Top Restaurants
Overall: 100% Recommend
Atmosphere: 8.5/10 Food: 9/10 Service: 9/10 Beverage Program: 7.5/10
This is by far our favorite meal in Seoul, and if there is one restaurant to go to, this is it. Washoku Yein is run chef Yein- a very talented young chef who designed the quaint kaiseke restaurant himself. Kaiseke – which is Japanese based (with Korean influences here)- is similar to omakase, but it also includes some cooked dishes. The food is outstanding, the value is unreal, and the quality of everything is truly impressive. We really enjoyed the sake pairing as well, which Chef Yein picked out for us when we told him we prefer dry sakes.
This is a 12 seat restaurant and it feels intimate and still high-end. For our lunch course, we loved the tuna hand roll, fried rice, and the soups were delicious. Definitely our favorite restaurant in Korea and now one of our favorite restaurants of all time. Seriously recommend.
It is located on the second floor of the address provided (you can see the sign on the building if you look up) and you simply slide the door to the right.
Overall: Highly consider
Atmosphere: 8/10 Food: 8.5/10 Service: 8.5/10 (would be 9.5 if they slowed down a little) Beverage Program: 7/10
This is the restaurant to go if you want to experience ultra-high end dining in Seoul, in an area of Gangnam near a lot of top 50 bars. Lavender Seoul focuses on Korean Teppanyaki, which is basically when a chef cooks on a flat top in front of you. They take it to an extreme here, with live lobsters, a giant tin of caviar, and high-end Korean beef. The service is really attentive and the food is delicious. The vibe is classy and spacious, with only a few groups allowed per seating. If there were any complaints, it is probably that it was quite fast paced for us (it still took over 2 hours, and there were so many courses, but even when we asked them to slow down we were just constantly getting new things- people in Korea eat a lot and they eat really fast!) and, also, we didn’t really know the cost of anything until the check came, so you kind of have to be okay with that mindset. However, almost everything we ate in Korea would have been 5x more in the US, if that offers some perspective.
Overall: Highly Recommend
Atmosphere: 6/10 Service: 6.5/10 Food: 7/10 Bar Program: 5/10
Hangaram is traditional Korean, which is a must in Seoul. We went to another traditional Korean spot, and spent the whole time wishing we were back here instead. So go to Hangaram. They will set you up with all the delicious sides called “banchan” like kimchi and japchae. Order 1 entree per person, and all the sides come (you share everything). All tables are 4 tops, because you need extra space to fit everything. We highly recommend ordering the eel entree, and skipping the short rib. All their food touts health benefits, as does their soju and rice wine. Also, there is a beef soup place next door with a line of locals at lunch time, if you want to check that out for another day.
Pro tip: Pretty much anywhere in Korea, including here (which is where we learned it), you can ask for soju with a side of ice and “cider” (basically sprite, google ‘Korean cider’ and show them a picture of the green can if you go somewhere that doesn’t understand you) for a delicious soju spritz.
Top Bars
Overall: Highly Consider
Atmosphere: 9.5/10 Service: 8.5/10 Bar Program: 8.5/10
First things first, this cocktail bar in the Four Seasons is impossible to find on your own, so you do need to ask one of the many gracious people at the front of the hotel to walk you there (literally walk you there). Charles H is #7 of Asia’s 50 best bar list and it deserves its spot. It has a very swanky atmosphere, and the cocktails are very good. Reservations are highly recommended, and they can be made via texting with the Four Seasons (info on website). We enjoyed going at opening, this place can get busy later at night.
Overall: Recommend
Atmosphere: 8/10 Service: 7.5/10 Bar Program: 7/10
Zest is one of those sustainably cool bars, with recycled ingredients and local glassware artisans and the like. It is #2 best bar in Asia. So the crowd is a bit younger and more hispter-y. The cocktails are tiny, so plan on getting several, but the vibe is good. It should be noted that the cheese plate looked delicious. And we really like that they open early on weekends when almost nothing else in Seoul is. Nothing really stood out as exceptional, but we would probably return and do recommend checking it out. Reservations are a must.
More Restaurants & Bars...
Overall: Recommend
Atmosphere: 6.5/10 Service: 9/10 Food: 8.5/10 Beverage Program: 6.5/10
We really liked this Indian restaurant in Hannam and would go back on our next visit if we were in that area. Service was outstanding. The food is semi-modern Indian (or “Indian with a twist”), and they have a G&T list that is very good. Must order the smoked yogurt and put it on everything. The restaurant was cold in the winter, so it might be hot in the summer, just a heads up.
Overall: Honorable Mention
Not rated
This is more of an honorable mention because when we were jetlagged and staying at the hotel connected to this remarkable food court, we went here pretty much every morning for breakfast. While you shouldn’t necessarily go out of your way, if you are in the area this food court is awesome. And we are not usually food court people. They have everything from baked goods to sushi to noodles to dumplings and korean staples like gimbap. We highly recommend the variety box of dumplings from the older ladies kitty-corner to the sushi spot.
Overall: Recommend
Atmosphere: 7.5/10 Service: 8/10 Food: 8/10 Beverage Program: 6.5/10
If you want Italian in Seoul, this is the place to go (reservations necessary). The pasta is perfectly al dente- we highly recommend both the bolognese pasta as well as the pasta with zucchini and clams. Plus, the bikini sandwich appetizer is a must (and the kitchen does sell out). The somm is friendly and they have many Napa wines you can’t find elsewhere in Seoul.
Overall: Recommend
Atmosphere: 7/10 Service: 10/10 Food: NA Beverage Program: 5.5/10
Attached to Pierre’s restaurant on the top floor of Lotte Executive Tower is Pierre’s Bar, with an amazing bartender named Eric (who was our favorite in South Korea). This isn’t really a mixology bar, but it does have everything you need for simple drinks, and the service is really phenomenal. In Seoul, we learned that there weren’t many bartenders or young people open to just hang out and chat. Some of that was the language barrier, but most of it seemed to be cultural. Eric was the exception. So, if you want to get to know a local over a nightcaps, go here. Plus, it has a great view overlooking the city.
Overall: Recommend
Atmosphere: 5.5/10 Service: 7/10 Food: 8/10 Beverage Program: 5/10
Reservations are required at this delicious Korean BBQ spot off the main road in Myeong-dong (our hotel concierge made our reservation). We had the best table, in a blocked-off room, on the top floor, by the window… and if you can request or get that, your meal will certainly be better (a lot of the other tables seemed cramped or had no windows, hence the atmosphere rating). This turned out to be one of our best meals. We ordered every cut of beef they offered at lunch (high-end Korean beef), plus the beef tartar (famous dish in Seoul, and great here, similar to bibimbap as well). We had to wait for our table, so we ordered with the host… and our massive over-ordering might have been why we got the best spot. Anyways, the beef comes with different salts and some banchan (kimchi, etc). It’s all awesome. They cook the meat for you. You can order soju (see Hangaram restaurant for a soju ordering tip). We would go again tomorrow.
Overall: Consider
Atmosphere: 6/10 Service: 5.5/10 Food: 8/10 Beverage Program: 4/10
Another high-end Chinese restaurant, Toh Lim sits on a high floor overlooking the city, which we enjoyed at lunchtime. The food was surprisingly great, considering the menu had a lot of things we don’t love (abalone, jellyfish, etc). It was hard to get wine poured, it was pretty hot, and something was just “off” about the vibe (maybe lack of music? who knows). It took some work to pick a wine from the iffy list. However… the dim sum was great and the garlic fried shrimp was a 9.9/10, so we’re very happy we went.
Overall: Recommend
Atmosphere: 8/10 Service: 8/10 Food: 8/10 Beverage Program: 7/10
If you want high-end Chinese in Myeong-Dong, Yu Yuan at the Four Seasons is our recommendation (and we tried a couple different places). It’s pretty much your standard high-end chinese menu, and they are known for their peking duck. We had a really good time here and enjoyed the high ceilings and spacious tables (which is almost standard in Seoul). Pair this with Charles H bar for a good night.
Hotels
The Lotte Executive Tower is one wing of the Lotte hotel. It is centrally located, the gym is great, and the bar at Pierre’s on the rooftop is nice (avoid all the other bars). We enjoyed the spacious room and bathrooms, but you need to request extra towels and extra water every day (you get 1 or 2 of each without asking for more). Avoid the room service. Looking back, we are glad we stayed here but if we were to stay in Myeong-dong area again, we would probably choose the Four Seasons instead.
We are not even going to link this place because it should be avoided. It’s massively crowded, the service is not good (we got a text that our room was ready at 2, but arrived and were told it wouldn’t be ready until 6 and that other people ‘had been waiting even longer’). Plus, you have to taxi everywhere, and the elevators stop at every floor.
The Andaz Gangnam is definitely not our favorite hotel in the world, but we would might stay there again. We still ubered most places because we were there in winter, but the location is pretty good (you want to be near central Cheongdam-dong). The concierge team was our favorite of the trip, and the room was comfortable (except a few lighting issues). Next trip, we would likely stay in Gangnam the whole time and this would be an option we would consider returning to.
The Four Seasons in Myeong-dong would be worth looking into, as well as any hotels near Cheondam-dong in Gangnam.
Tourism & Travel Notes
Jess went to Luana Hair Salon (booked through messaging @cozy__m_j on Instagram) for the viral 12 step Korean scalp treatment including steam baths, water streams, red light therapy, oils, and the like. Plus a haircut. Highly recommended and a must if you have a free afternoon in Gangnam (takes about 2 hours). Just make sure to confirm the address at booking because there are 2 Luana salons.
We posted this after our trip:
Here’s the (extra) takeaways/what to know before you go (that I personally would have found helpful):
Traffic: We booked our trip pretty intimidated with the traffic situation, but we found it similar to cities like LA. It’s not ideal and the lights are long, but if you avoid busy times (similar to LA rush hour) it’s not bad.
“Prejudice” (for lack of better wording): We did not experience any of the anti-foreigner prejudice, as far as we noticed. Everyone was polite and welcoming.
Language Barrier: Out of 20+ restaurants/bars, only 1 restaurant did not speak any English (or understand translation apps). Google translate is helpful for deciphering menus.
Cost: We’re from the US. We thought it would be expensive, we found it very affordable even compared to Tokyo/osaka. Ex. Our best meal of the trip was a lunch for 50k won per person, excluding alcohol (it was Japanese kaiseke with Korean influences, which is not totally Korean, but it was awesome. Called Washoku Yein in Gangnam)
Safety with political protests: We were there for December when the (then?) president was voted to be impeached (we landed two days after the military law was implemented/revoked) and we had zero issues with this. Any protesters we saw were quite peaceful compared to the US, at least.
Timing (OUR BIGGEST CONFUSION): (This is for the fellow bar people 😊)—— Before noon: Gyms, pools, breakfast areas are busy 12-2PM: lunch time 2:30PM-5PM: Literally nothing is open (few exceptions on Saturdays). Almost no bars. Nothing. No fun. This is an excellent time for spa appointments or tourism activities. 5PM: Luxury hotel bartenders check in for work 5:30-6:30PM: The busiest time for “nice” dinner reservations 7PM: Bars open 8:30PM: Many high-end restaurants do last call for the kitchen After 9PM: Bars start to pick up, late night restaurants get busy 3AM-5AM: Bars close
^ we did visit in December, so this may be seasonal. We noticed it in Myeongdong, Hannam, and Gangnam, where we spent our time.
Notable Places Visited & Not Reviewed
Byeokje Galbi the Cheongdam KBBQ: Our least favorite meal of the trip. Skip. brulee: Really cool looking hipster place, but very undercooked pizza toppings (including sausage), plus a couple other misses that tell us you should skip it. Geranium: We went when they had a popup from a bar in Malaysia (Good Friends Club) and we greatly preferred the drinks from the pop up bar. The Geranium drinks are better for people that love perfume/cologne. Le Chamber: This is a bar with a waitlist you can sign up for 15 min – an hour-ish before on Catchtable. However, you can’t request bar seats vs table seats and it is always packed. The timing didn’t work out for us, but it looked really cool. Pine & Co: One of the top 50 bars in Asia, but there is not much actual ‘bar seating’ rather than just high-tops pretending to be bar seating? Loud techno. Maybe better for big groups. TANI: Such weird vibes, just avoid it. Sushi Sunsoo (also called Sushi Soonsoo): This place was so annoying! There was a persistent, shrill, torturous beeping that was too high pitched for the older staff to hear (only one heard it and said she already called the electrician for the next day) but it was unbearable and we left the omakase early.
favorite moments
