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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.
Sanchon offers guests a chance to experience traditional Korean temple cooking in a beautifully decorated hanok house. Sanchon was one of the first restaurants to expand temple cooking into complex multi-course meals. While the food is quite good, the décor and the traditional Korean performances in the evening take center stage. Although it is open for lunch, visit in the evening to get the full experience.
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.
Situated in a wooden hanok house along the Samcheong-dong café street, Chez Simon delivers classic homemade French cuisine in an intimate 20-seat setting. The menu changes frequently, with each dish using only the freshest local ingredients. The quality and artistry of the food would fit a fine-dining establishment, making Chez Simon an excellent value. Just be sure to book ahead as the restaurant is reservation only.
In business since 1993, Jaha Son Mandu specializes in gourmet mandu or Korean-style dumplings. Both the house that the restaurant is in and the recipes used have been passed down to owner Park Hye-kyung from her grandparents. Until recently, you could catch glimpses of her grandmother overseeing quality control in the kitchen. While their prices are approximately double that of other restaurants in the area, Jaha Son Mandu is distinctly different, as many of the ingredients are made on site (son means hand, and in the case of the restaurant's name, handmade). They even ferment the soy sauce themselves and don’t use a single drop of artificial flavoring. Some of their dishes, like their mandu-guk (dumpling soup), are elevated takes on classics while other dishes, like their pyeonsu (dumplings with beef, mushrooms, and cucumbers) are hard-to-find gems.
This Japanese katsu restaurant is one of the best places in Seoul to get your crispy tempura battered cutlet fix. Here, the pork cuts are so incredibly tender and juicy that they practically melt on the tongue. The restaurant is located in the basement so it can be easy to miss but just look for the line of people.
Despite Korea's wonderful and varied cuisine, there are days when you want a taste of home and Suji's it the best place in Seoul to get it. After studying at New York's French Culinary Institute, chef Suji Park introduced the best of American cuisine to Seoul. Everything—including the bread, pickles and deli meats—is made in house. Not only is it the best place in Seoul to get a pastrami sandwich or apple crumble, it is hands-down the city's best brunch.
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