Byeokje Galbi Bangi is a korean galbi restaurant in Songpa Gu, Seoul.
The Bangi branch of Byeokje Galbi serves premium charcoal-grilled hanwoo short ribs from in-house butchery, the same quality as the flagship since 1986.
Signature dishes: Charcoal galbi, Hanwoo ribeye
Must order: Galbi (short ribs) over charcoal: top 1% graded hanwoo, butchered in-house, charcoal-grilled at the table in the Bangi branch's large dining room.
Tip: Lunch is less crowded than dinner; the quality of the beef is identical.
Address: 1-4 Yangjae-daero 71-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul
BLU Seoul in Jung-gu runs an organic, vegan and gluten-free menu, rated 5 stars on HappyCow across 85 reviews: one of Seoul's most comprehensive plant-based.
Signature: Organic vegan dishes, Gluten-free plates
Order: Organic vegan set: seasonal ingredients from local farms, prepared without meat, dairy or gluten in a clean, light kitchen near Chungmu-ro.
Tip: BLU is one of the few options in Seoul that caters to both vegan and coeliac requirements simultaneously.
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, ginseng and garlic inside renovated hanok buildings with courtyard seating.
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): the pojangmacha double order since the orange tents opened here.
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 rolls at neighbourhood prices.
Signature: Dolsot bibimbap, Bulgogi yachaemari
Order: Dolsot bibimbap in the stone pot with the rice crackling at the rim, mixed thoroughly with the house gochujang.
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, buckwheat noodles in a clean savoury hanwoo bone broth, served ice cold with a slice of beef.
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 Guide institution since 1939.
Tip: The kitchen closes when the pot is empty, typically mid-afternoon. No dinner service.
