BLU Seoul is a vegan restaurant in Jung Gu, Seoul.
Editorially verified May 29, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Organic vegan dishes, Gluten-free plates
Must order: Organic vegan set: seasonal ingredients from local farms, prepared without meat, dairy or gluten in a clean.
Tip: BLU is one of the few options in Seoul that caters to both vegan and coeliac requirements simultaneously.
Address: 21 Chungmu-ro 4-gil, 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.
Signature: Pyongyang naengmyeon, Bulgogi
Order: Pyongyang-style naengmyeon: the original cold noodle bowl.
Tip: Add the thin slices of cold beef from the side dish to the noodle bowl; it is part of the intended eat.
The most visited samgyetang restaurant in Seoul, set across several traditional hanok houses near Gyeongbokgung Palace with a long daily queue before 11:30.
Signature: Samgyetang, Black chicken samgyetang
Order: Samgyetang: whole young chicken packed with glutinous rice.
Tip: Come at opening on weekdays; queues are shortest before 11:30.
The 200-metre stretch in front of Ikseon-dong from Exit 5 to Exit 6 at Jongno 3-ga Station is Seoul's most concentrated pojangmacha (street food tent).
Signature: Tteokbokki, Odeng, Kimchi jeon
Order: Tteokbokki and odeng (fish cake skewer in anchovy broth).
Tip: Arrive by 19:00 or earlier to find a free stool; cash only at most tents.
Insadong Geu Jib is a hanok-style Korean restaurant set in a narrow Insa-dong alley, serving dolsot bibimbap, beef-tartare bibimbap and bulgogi-and-vegetable.
Signature: Dolsot bibimbap, Bulgogi yachaemari
Order: Dolsot bibimbap in the stone pot with the rice crackling at the rim.
Tip: The bulgogi yachaemari rolls (pick beef, pork or chicken) are the house specialty: thin meat with vegetables, hand-rolled at the table.
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.
Signature: Pyongyang naengmyeon, Bulgogi
Order: Pyongyang-style naengmyeon: the original cold noodle bowl.
Tip: Add the thin slices of cold beef from the side dish to the noodle bowl; it is part of the intended eat.
One of Seoul's oldest restaurants, Hadongkwan serves only seolleongtang (milky-white ox bone soup) from morning until it sells out around 15:30.
Signature: Seolleongtang
Order: Seolleongtang: slow-cooked ox-bone broth in the bowl that has made this Myeongdong institution a Michelin.
Tip: The kitchen closes when the pot is empty, typically mid-afternoon. No dinner service.
Maple Tree House in Itaewon serves premium hanwoo and Jeju black pork belly over charcoal in a polished room frequented by international visitors to Seoul.
Signature: Hanu sirloin, Jeju black pork belly
Order: Aged hanwoo sirloin and Jeju heuk dwaeji (black pork belly) grilled tableside with full banchan spread and perilla leaf wraps.
Tip: The Samcheong-dong original is smaller and more moody; the Itaewon branch is easier to reach from central hotels.
