30 korean restaurants worth the trip across South Korea, editor-ranked. All cuisines in South Korea.
Mingles ★ 4.9 · Seoul
Gangnam-gu · 19 Dosan-daero 67-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 06016
One of South Korea's three-Michelin-star restaurants, where chef Mingoo Kang weaves jang (fermented pastes) and cho (vinegars) into contemporary modern.
Jungsik ★ 4.8 · Seoul
Gangnam-gu · 11 Seolleung-ro 158-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
The restaurant that coined New Korean fine dining, where chef Jung Sik Yim's avant-garde plating and Korean pantry ingredients earned two Michelin stars.
La Yeon ★ 4.7 · Seoul
Jung-gu · 249 Dongho-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
On the 23rd floor of the Shilla Seoul, La Yeon serves royal-tradition Korean tasting menus against a panorama of the Han River basin, holding two Michelin.
Kwonsooksoo ★ 4.7 · Seoul
Gangnam-gu · 37 Apgujeong-ro 80-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Two Michelin stars in the ES Building's fourth floor: seasonal tasting courses where Kwonsooksoo treats Korean fermentation tradition as a living canvas.
Onjium ★ 4.7 · Seoul
Jongno-gu · 49 Hyoja-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03043
One Michelin star for a cultural research institute disguised as a restaurant: chef Cho Eun-hee studies Joseon royal court recipes and reinterprets them.
Le DORER ★ 4.6 · Busan
Haeundae · 37 Marine City 3-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan 48118
Le DORER won Busan's newest Michelin star in 2026, a Marine City tasting room where a young local chef reworks traditional Korean courses in miniature.
Tip: Reserve through Catchtable and ask about parking at the Hanil Ordew building when you book.
Soigne ★ 4.6 · Seoul
Gangnam-gu · SINSA SQUARE 2F, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Two Michelin stars for a seasonal tasting menu structured like a narrative, each course titled as an act in chef Jun Lee's signature Episode format.
Evett ★ 4.6 · Seoul
Gangnam-gu · 10-5 Dosan-daero 45-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Australian chef Joseph Lidgerwood and his Korean wife Ginny Kim opened Evett in 2019; in 2025 it was elevated to two Michelin stars for its ingredient-led.
Restaurant Allen ★ 4.6 · Seoul
Gangnam-gu · 231 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Chef Allen Suh, formerly of Eleven Madison Park, brings a Francophile sensibility to Korean ingredients at his two-Michelin-star table in the Centerfield.
Jeongjitgan ★ 4.5 · Busan
Saha-gu · 6 Bibong-ro, Saha-gu, Busan 49419
Jeongjitgan cooks Busan-style dwaeji gukbap around the clock in Sinpyeong, a Michelin Bib Gourmand shop whose name is Gyeongsang dialect for kitchen.
Tip: It sits by Sinpyeong Station with its own car park, and the kiosk ordering moves fast.
Hapcheon Gukbapjip ★ 4.5 · Busan
Nam-gu · 235 Yongho-ro, Nam-gu, Busan 48593
Hapcheon Gukbapjip has ladled old-style Busan dwaeji gukbap in Yongho-dong since 1999, a Bib Gourmand noteworthy for its clear, repeatedly basted broth.
Tip: The red-signed dining room fills at lunch; the Hanaro Mart car park over the road gives an hour free.
Pyeongsanok ★ 4.5 · Busan
Busan Station and Choryang · 26 Choryangjung-ro, Dong-gu, Busan 48818
Pyeongsanok has fed Choryang, Busan for more than a century, a family-run Michelin Guide noodle and suyuk house a short walk from Busan Station.
Tip: It can shut early when the suyuk runs out, so treat it as a lunch stop rather than a dinner plan.
Anmok ★ 4.4 · Busan
Gwangalli · 3 Gwangnam-ro 22beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan 48307
Anmok rethinks dwaeji gukbap for Namcheon-dong, Busan, a Bib Gourmand room where the pork soup comes clean and composed rather than heavy and cloudy.
Tip: No parking of its own; join the Catchtable waitlist from 17:00 on busy evenings.
Hanwolgwan ★ 4.4 · Busan
Gwangalli · 10 Gwangan-ro 62beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan 48303
Hanwolgwan simmers heifer hanwoo into a clear, restrained gomtang near Gwangalli in Busan, a Bib Gourmand kitchen that also plates Pyongyang naengmyeon.
Tip: The Gwangan Signal car park across the road gives a coupon hour; weekday mornings are quietest.
Buda Myeonoak ★ 4.4 · Busan
Haeundae · 36 Jungdong 1-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan 48095
Buda Myeonoak presses pure buckwheat Pyongyang naengmyeon near Haeundae Beach in Busan, a Bib Gourmand shop with a light, umami-led chilled broth.
Tip: Naengmyeon here is subtle by design; taste the broth before reaching for vinegar and mustard.
100.1 Pyeongnaeng ★ 4.4 · Busan
Gwangalli · 29 Namcheonbada-ro 10beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan 48314
100.1 Pyeongnaeng began as a hundred-day naengmyeon pop-up in Busan in 2023 and now holds a Bib Gourmand for its Pyongyang cold noodles in Namcheon.
Tip: Seoul naengmyeon obsessives travel down for this bowl; register on the Catchtable waitlist first.
Halmae Gaya Milmyeon ★ 4.4 · Busan
Nampo and Jagalchi · 56-14 Gwangbok-ro, Jung-gu, Busan
Halmae Gaya Milmyeon ladles Busan's wheat-noodle milmyeon on Gwangbok-ro, a busy Nampo-dong hall where the queue moves as fast as the kitchen.
Tip: Sit anywhere and order fast; the kitchen turns bowls around in minutes even at peak.
Woo Lae Oak ★ 4.4 · Seoul
Jung-gu · 62-29 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
Open since 1946, Woo Lae Oak is Seoul's canonical address for Pyongyang-style naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), the broth made from hanwoo foreshank.
Tip: The broth is clear and mild; if you want spice ask for bibim naengmyeon. Bulgogi is the other order.
Imun Seolnongtang ★ 4.4 · Seoul
Jongno and Insadong · 38-13 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Korea's first registered restaurant, open since 1904 in Jongno, still serving a single dish: 17-hour ox bone seolleongtang with sliced brisket.
Tip: Season the broth yourself with the salt provided; adding too much at once is the only mistake you can make.
Woo Lae Oak ★ 4.4 · Seoul
Jung-gu · 62-29 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
Open since 1946, Woo Lae Oak is Seoul's institution for Pyongyang-style naengmyeon: cold buckwheat noodles in clear hanwoo bone broth, in the Michelin Guide.
Tip: Add the thin slices of cold beef from the side dish to the noodle bowl; it is part of the intended eat.
Imun Seolnongtang ★ 4.4 · Seoul
Jongno and Insadong · 38-13 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Korea's first registered restaurant, open since 1904 in Jongno, serving one dish unchanged: 17-hour seolleongtang. Michelin Bib Gourmand recognised.
Tip: The breakfast crowd is small; a morning bowl before the palace opens is one of the best starts to a day in old Seoul.
Imun Seolnongtang ★ 4.4 · Seoul
Jongno and Insadong · 38-13 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Seoul's oldest continuously operating restaurant, first licensed in 1904: ox bones boiled for 17 hours, broth poured over sliced beef and soft wheat.
Songheonjip ★ 4.3 · Busan
Gwangalli · 18 Millak-ro 19beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan 48285
Songheonjip chars thick tteokgalbi patties over charcoal near Gwangalli Beach in Busan, a Bib Gourmand second act from the team behind Sonnae Hyangmi.
Tip: Remote waiting opens at 11:00 and the house-turned-dining-room is small; queue early on weekends.
Moemiljip ★ 4.3 · Busan
Haeundae · 23 Marine City 3-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan 48118
Moemiljip mills Korean buckwheat in-house for its Marine City noodle bowls in Busan, a Bib Gourmand room prized for the chew of fresh memil guksu.
Tip: The Orange Plaza building gives two hours of parking; the perilla bowl beats the bibim for a first visit.
1969 Buwondong Kalguksu ★ 4.3 · Busan
Nampo and Jagalchi · 3 Gudeok-ro 22beon-gil, Jung-gu, Busan 48954
1969 Buwondong Kalguksu has hand-cut its own noodles since 1969 in Busan's Nampo-dong, a Michelin Guide shop selling only kalguksu and mandu.
Tip: It sits steps from Nampo Station exit 1; the summer kongguksu is a local ritual worth timing.
Choryang Milmyeon ★ 4.3 · Busan
Busan Station and Choryang · 225 Jungang-daero, Dong-gu, Busan
Choryang Milmyeon keeps the old Choryang style alive near Busan Station, its milmyeon bowls from 7,000 won closing out rail journeys the local way.
Tip: Pair it with Pyeongsanok's suyuk two streets over for a Choryang double lunch.
Meerok Super ★ 4.3 · Busan
Gwangalli · 24-8 Millak-ro, Suyeong-gu, Busan 48288
Meerok Super seats six for a set course in Busan's Millak-dong, in the Michelin Guide, with vegetables from its own patch and carefully aged fish and meat.
Tip: Six seats means booking is everything; solo diners fit more easily than groups here.
Tosokchon Samgyetang ★ 4.3 · Seoul
Bukchon and Samcheong · 5 Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
The most visited samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) restaurant in Seoul, set in a cluster of traditional hanok buildings near Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Tip: Come at 10:00 on a weekday to walk straight in; the broth is identical morning and night.
Hadongkwan ★ 4.3 · Seoul
Jung-gu and Myeongdong · 12 Myeongdong 9-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Hadongkwan has been open since 1939 in Myeongdong and is in the Michelin Guide for a bowl of seolleongtang that has not changed: slow-cooked ox bone.
Tip: The kitchen closes at 15:30 sharp; arrive for an early lunch to guarantee a bowl.
Vegan Insa ★ 4.3 · Seoul
Jongno and Insadong · 33-18 Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Vegan Insa in Ikseon-dong Hanok Village serves fully plant-based Korean food in a traditional courtyard house, including vegan bibimbap and banchan spreads.
Tip: The outdoor courtyard seats fill quickly on warm evenings; weekday lunch is the quietest window.