5 Best Restaurants in Incheon, Side Trips from Seoul

Hidden in a back alley of the retro but increasingly trendy Gaehangno neighborhood is this old-school tongdak (rotisserie chicken) joint. The place looks like it's been ripped from a 1980s film set, which only adds to the charm. The house specialty is an entire roasted chicken covered in Parmesan cheese, best washed down with inexpensive Korean draft beer. There's also a roasted chicken in rose sauce and a plain roasted chicken served with salad, too. If you're too good for cheap draft beer, they also offer local craft brews from Incheon Brewery. Outdoor seating on plastic seats is available. 

The food is worth the wait at this tried and true Chinese restaurant in Incheon's Chinatown. They serve they city's signature jjajangmyeon, Korean noodles in black bean sauce, as well as jjamppong, a Korean Chinese noodle soup with spicy broth packed with seafood and vegetables.

Incheon's Chinatown is lined top-to-bottom with good restaurants, but in terms of longevity, few compete with Pungmi. Run by the same family for four generations, Pungmi serves fine old-school jjajangmyeon, or noodles covered in black bean sauce, an Incheon specialty based on a northern Chinese dish brought to the city by Chinese immigrants in the 19th century. They also serve several kinds of jjamppong (seafood noodle soup) as well as classic Chinese dishes like sweet-and-sour pork. As an added bonus, it's in an old Chinese townhouse with an appropriately Chinese ambiance. As a further bonus, just around the corner is the old Gonghwachun, a historic Chinese restaurant that is now a museum dedicated to jjajangmyeon.

Founded not long after the port of Incheon opened to foreign trade in 1884, this market is now largely known for its delicious street food, especially its dak gangjeong (tangy joints of chicken, in this case boned), Chinese dumplings, and crunchy balloon bread, as well as Korean street classics like tteokbokki and Korean dumplings. Some of the older, more popular places have long lines, especially on the weekend, but the crowds just add to the ambiance. A serving of gangjeong will run you between ₩15,000 and ₩20,000.

After a stroll in Songdo Central Park, grab a bite to eat at this restaurant owned by a Canadian chef. TVs showing sports are a fitting accompaniment to the massive burgers, pizzas, sandwiches, and beer on the menu.