3 Best Restaurants in Side Trips from Seoul, South Korea

Located down the road from Heyri Art Valley, Mejukkoch is a restaurant inside a flower garden. The flowers are not just for show, though; they also feature prominently in the cuisine as both garnishes and ingredients. The only thing on the menu is the Meju Flower Soban, a Korean table d'hôte meal, albeit with slight modern embellishments, with delights like buckwheat crepes filled with cucumber, lotus root, and sliced pork wrapped in leaves. The dishes are so beautiful you won't want to eat them, but you should.

A popular place near the ferry dock, Namiseom Kkokko Dak Galbi serves two variations of the popular Chuncheon specialty of its namesake, dak galbi (tangy chicken grilled or stir-fried). Chuncheon-style dak galbi is the stir-fried version, with minced chicken mixed with vegetables and noodles cooked in a spicy red pepper sauce; in the grilled version, marinated chicken meat is grilled over charcoals. Either way makes for an excellent meal.

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.