Seoul eats a lot and eats well, but my list of saved places turned out to be light on food: just the Gatten conveyor-belt sushi. So I added samgyetang at Tosokchon, the Myeongdong Kyoja noodle shop, barbecue at MapleTree House and Gwangjang Market on the advice of travel guides, 34travel and the Michelin Guide. The same advice later added cold noodles at Woo Lae Oak, yukhoe at Buchon Yukhoe, Mangwon Market and two modern Korean restaurants, Onjium and Jungsik. The descriptions are compiled from Google Maps reviews for now, and I'll add my own notes as I visit.
Prices are Google's average spend per person, valid as of 1 October 2026. Rate: 1,000 ₩ ≈ $0.74.
In short
- Samgyetang: whole chicken soup with ginseng at Tosokchon by Gyeongbokgung, 20,000–30,000 ₩ (≈$15–22).
- Noodles: kalguksu and mandu at Myeongdong Kyoja, 10,000–20,000 ₩ (≈$7–15).
- Korean barbecue: MapleTree House in a quiet Itaewon side street.
- Street food: seafood pancakes, kimbap and tteokbokki at Gwangjang Market, until 22:30.
- Simple and cheap: conveyor-belt sushi at Gatten Sushi Jongno.
- Cold noodles and raw beef: Pyongyang naengmyeon at Woo Lae Oak and yukhoe at Buchon Yukhoe; expect a queue at both.
- A locals' market: Mangwon in Mapo, calmer and cheaper than Gwangjang.
- A special dinner: Onjium by Gyeongbokgung and Jungsik in Cheongdam-dong, from 100,000 ₩ (≈$75); book ahead.
Korean food and a market
Tosokchon Samgyetang
Seochon, by Gyeongbokgung · samgyetang · 20,000–30,000 ₩ (≈$15–22) · daily 10:00–22:00
Google Maps · website · 5 Jahamun-ro 5-gil
According to Google Maps reviews (4.2 from 12,000+): one of the best-known places for samgyetang, a whole young chicken stuffed with rice and simmered with ginseng, in a traditional building near Gyeongbokgung, so it's an easy stop after the palace. Besides the classic, reviewers recommend the black chicken version and the seafood pancake. The dining room is big and runs like a machine, so even a long queue moves fast. Some find it too commercial.
Myeongdong Kyoja
Myeong-dong · kalguksu & mandu · 10,000–20,000 ₩ (≈$7–15) · daily 10:30–21:00
Google Maps · website · 129 Toegye-ro
According to Google Maps reviews (4.2 from 14,800+): a noodle house with a short menu. The stars are kalguksu, hand-cut noodles in a rich broth, and thin-skinned mandu dumplings, and every table gets a jar of fiery garlicky kimchi. There's nearly always a queue, but it moves quickly: you order and pay straight away and the food comes out fast. It holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand. 34travel recommends it too (article).
MapleTree House
Itaewon · Korean BBQ · 20,000–70,000 ₩ (≈$15–52) · Mon–Fri 11:30–15:30 and 17:00–22:00, Sat–Sun 11:30–22:00
Google Maps · website · 26 Itaewon-ro 27ga-gil
According to Google Maps reviews (4.3 from 1,300+): a stylish Korean barbecue place from a small chain, with good meat and a smart dining room in a quiet Itaewon lane. Reviewers praise the marinated beef, the beef ribs, the pork belly and the set menu; staff grill for you, so you can't burn anything. Friday nights are packed, but the waiting area is indoors. It isn't cheap. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Gwangjang Market
Jongno 5-ga · market & street food · daily 9:00–22:30
Google Maps · website · 88 Cheonggyecheon-ro
According to Google Maps reviews (4.2 from 44,000+): a big, noisy market that people come to mainly to eat: seafood pancakes, gimbap rolls, tteokbokki, at the counters in the central aisles or in the small restaurants around them. Cheap and quick, with clean toilets and a couple of trendy cafés. The downsides: many stalls sell the same few things, and a lot of the dishes contain pork or pork fat. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Woo Lae Oak
Jung-gu · naengmyeon (cold noodles) · 10,000–20,000 ₩ (≈$7–15) · Tue–Sun 11:30–21:00, closed Mon
Google Maps · 62-29 Changgyeonggung-ro
According to Google Maps reviews (4.2 from 6,500+): open since 1946 and called one of the great places for Pyongyang naengmyeon, buckwheat noodles in chilled beef broth. Reviewers praise the tender beef, the fresh broth and the slightly sweet kimchi; there's spicy bibim naengmyeon too, and the grilled meat is for two or more. It's in the Michelin Guide, the queue can top a hundred people, the wait runs 45 minutes to an hour, and tables are shared. Pyongyang naengmyeon is mild and unusual, so if it's your first time the wait may not feel worth it.
Buchon Yukhoe Main Store
Jongno 5-ga, Gwangjang Market · yukhoe (beef tartare) · 10,000–20,000 ₩ (≈$7–15) · daily 10:00–21:00
Google Maps · website · 200-12 Jong-ro
According to Google Maps reviews (4.4 from 2,200+): the best-known yukhoe place in Gwangjang Market, raw beef with egg yolk. People order the yukhoe, the yukhoe bibimbap and the set with sannakji, live octopus still wriggling on the plate (not for everyone). Soup, seaweed and chili are refilled for free and portions are big. Join the digital queue and walk around the market: the wait is 30 minutes to an hour, and it's at least one dish per person. One reviewer found the beef cut too fine.
Mangwon Market
Mangwon-dong, Mapo · market & street food · daily 9:00–21:00
Google Maps · website · 27 Poeun-ro 6-gil
According to Google Maps reviews (4.3 from 8,800+): an everyday neighbourhood market where locals shop, smaller and less touristy than Gwangjang, laid out along one straight street. Jeon pancakes, banchan side dishes, freshly pressed sesame oil, fruit, noodle soup, seafood and crab rice, all at fair prices. Around 10:00 it's calm, and the Han River park is close by, so you can put together a picnic. Bring cash.
Gatten Sushi Jongno
Jongno · conveyor-belt sushi · 20,000–70,000 ₩ (≈$15–52) · daily 11:00–21:00
Google Maps · Instagram · 14 Jong-ro 12-gil
According to Google Maps reviews (4.2 from 1,500+): conveyor-belt sushi from a chain: not high-end, but fresh and good value. Reviewers praise the salmon, the shrimp, the rice, the spotless room and the fast, polite service, and there's soju too. A regular's tip: order on the paper sheet instead of taking plates off the belt; it's fresher that way. There can be a queue even at 15:30, and at lunch and dinner expect to wait.
For a special dinner
Onjium
Seochon, by Gyeongbokgung · modern Korean · from 100,000 ₩ (≈$75) · Tue–Fri 12:00–15:00, 18:00–22:00, closed Sat–Mon
Google Maps · Instagram · 4/F, 49 Hyoja-ro
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 160+): a Michelin-starred restaurant that takes traditional Korean dishes to their best form: bibimbap, mung bean bindae-tteok and, in autumn, matsutake dumplings, with a rice wine pairing. There are only a few tables and about five counter seats facing the open kitchen; bookings vanish instantly, and hotels can sometimes get you a lunch slot. A deposit is taken and refunded after the visit. One guest even prefers it to the famous Mingles.
Jungsik Seoul
Cheongdam-dong · modern Korean · from 100,000 ₩ (≈$75) · daily 12:00–15:00, 17:30–22:00
Google Maps · website · 11 Seolleung-ro 158-gil
According to Google Maps reviews (4.4 from 1,600+): a two-Michelin-star restaurant seen as a pioneer of modern Korean fine dining; the chef also has a restaurant in New York. The tasting menu of about seven courses takes around three hours, putting familiar Korean ingredients in surprising forms, and the staff explain every dish and are at ease with foreigners. Caviar, Korean beef and wine cost extra. Book ahead, for example on Catch Table.
One last thing
Tosokchon pairs easily with Gyeongbokgung Palace next door; just remember the palace is closed on Tuesdays, while the restaurant opens every day. MapleTree House takes a break from 15:30 to 17:00 on weekdays. And Seoul's markets wind down earlier than Google says, so don't leave Gwangjang's street food until closing time. Woo Lae Oak and Onjium are closed on Mondays, and at Buchon Yukhoe you can join the queue and explore the market while you wait.
More on Seoul: what to see, bars and coffee.