40 korean places in Seoul we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Seoul | Korean across every city.
This is the heart of how Seoul eats, from centuries-old specialists to market counters and tented streets. Tosokchon Samgyetang, Imun Seolnongtang and Hadongkwan are the long-running names, while Woo Lae Oak and Ojangdong Hamheung Naengmyeon carry the North Korean noodle tradition. Bukchon Son Mandu and the Jongno 3-ga Pojangmacha Street round out a category that runs from formal rooms to the city's banchan-laden market stalls.
Tosokchon Samgyetang ★ 4.3
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.
Insa Dodam ★ 4.2
Insadong · 5-1 Insadong 16-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Insa Dodam is a renovated hanok off Insadong-gil that runs a lunch-only bibimbap programme, capping bowls per day to lock in same-morning vegetable delivery.
Woo Lae Oak ★ 4.4
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.
Ojangdong Hamheung Naengmyeon ★ 4.2
Jung-gu · 108 Mareunnae-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
Family-run since 1953, Ojangdong serves Hamheung-style cold noodles: the noodles are made from potato starch and are notably chewier than Pyongyang-style.
Hadongkwan ★ 4.3
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.
Imun Seolnongtang ★ 4.4
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.
Bukchon Son Mandu ★ 4.2
Bukchon and Samcheong · 84-1 Gyedong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
A hanok courtyard dumpling kitchen in Bukchon, selling hand-formed mandu (dumplings) by the basket to a patient queue of Seoulites who find the 20-minute.
Dongdaemun Bonga Seolleongtang ★ 4.1
Dongdaemun · 6-1 Majang-ro 43-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Near Dongdaemun Fashion Market, Bonga cooks its seolleongtang in a traditional gamasot (iron cauldron) from ten beef cuts for 24 hours straight.
Vegan Insa ★ 4.3
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.
EID Halal Korean Food ★ 4.1
Itaewon and Hannam · 15 Usadan-ro 10-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
EID Halal Korean Food on Usadan-ro is one of Seoul's most respected halal restaurants, operated by a Korean Muslim family serving authentic Korean cuisine.
Vegan Kitchen ★ 4.1
Jung-gu · 21 Toegye-ro 20-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Vegan Kitchen in Jung-gu serves Korean cuisine free of meat, fish and dairy in the temple food tradition, rated 4.5 stars across over 400 HappyCow reviews.
Tosokchon Samgyetang ★ 4.3
Bukchon and Samcheong · 5 Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
The most visited samgyetang restaurant in Seoul, set across several traditional hanok houses near Gyeongbokgung Palace with a long daily queue before 11:30.
Jongno 3-ga Pojangmacha Street ★ 4.2
Jongno-gu · Jongno 3-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul
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).
Insadong Geu Jib ★ 4.1
Insadong · 3 Insadong 12-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03146
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.
Woo Lae Oak ★ 4.4
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.
Hadongkwan ★ 4.3
Jung-gu and Myeongdong · 12 Myeongdong 9-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
One of Seoul's oldest restaurants, Hadongkwan serves only seolleongtang (milky-white ox bone soup) from morning until it sells out around 15:30.
Ojangdong Hamheung Naengmyeon ★ 4.2
Jung-gu · 108 Mareunnae-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
Open since 1953, Ojangdong serves Hamheung-style naengmyeon: potato starch noodles notably chewier than Pyongyang style, best in the spicy bibim version.
Vegan Insa ★ 4.3
Jongno and Insadong · 33-18 Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Vegan Insa in the hanok lanes of Ikseon-dong is consistently rated one of Seoul's best vegan restaurants: purely plant-based Korean food in a traditional.
Dongdaemun Bonga Seolleongtang ★ 4.1
Dongdaemun · 6-1 Majang-ro 43-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Open 24 hours, Bonga near Dongdaemun cooks its seolleongtang in traditional cast-iron pots from ten beef cuts for 24 hours: the bowl that market traders.
Maru Jayeonsik Kimbap ★ 4.2
Jongno and Insadong · 3-20 Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
A traditional Korean lunch counter in Insadong serving plant-based kimbap and banchan, rated 4.5 stars across 400+ HappyCow reviews for consistent quality.
EID Halal Korean Food ★ 4.1
Itaewon and Hannam · 15 Usadan-ro 10-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
EID on Usadan-ro near Seoul Central Mosque is the city's most respected halal Korean restaurant, run by a Korean Muslim family since the 1990s.
Imun Seolnongtang ★ 4.4
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.
Vegan Kitchen ★ 4.1
Jung-gu · 21 Toegye-ro 20-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Vegan Kitchen in Jung-gu serves Korean cuisine in the temple food tradition: no meat, fish, dairy, and in the traditional style, often no garlic or spring.
Mingles ★ 4.9
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
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
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
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.
Soigne ★ 4.6
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
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
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.
Onjium ★ 4.7
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.
Hadongkwan ★ 4.3
Jung-gu and Myeongdong · 12 Myeongdong 9-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Established in 1939, Hadongkwan is in the Michelin Guide for seolleongtang: ox bone broth slow-cooked to opaque white, seasoned only with salt at the table.
Imun Seolnongtang ★ 4.4
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.
Bukchon Son Mandu ★ 4.7
Bukchon and Samcheong · 84-1 Gyedong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Bukchon Son Mandu hides in the residential lanes above Bukchon-ro; jjin-mandu and gukbap mandu soup are the order, kitchen closes when dumplings run out.
Euljiro Pocha Alley ★ 4.4
Jung-gu and Myeongdong · Euljiro 3-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul (behind the fire station)
Euljiro Pocha Alley in Seoul: the tented pojangmacha alley between euljiro 3-ga and the industrial backstreets is off every major tourist map.
Miro Sikdang ★ 4.5
Hongdae and Yeonnam · 80 Wausan-ro 30-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Miro Sikdang is a five-table Korean drinking-food room near Hongik University, often filled by off-duty chefs; go early before the evening service fills it.
Mangwon Market Banchan Counters ★ 4.0
Hongdae and Yeonnam · 2 Mangwon-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Mangwon Market Banchan Counters sell pre-made kimchi, japchae and braised vegetables to locals; visit before 10:00 weekday morning for freshest containers.
Hadongkwan ★ 4.4
Jung-gu and Myeongdong · 12 Myeongdong 9-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Hadongkwan has served seolleongtang (milky ox bone and brisket soup) from its Myeongdong address since 1939, at a price that remains practically unchanged.
Imun Seolnongtang ★ 4.5
Jongno and Insadong · 38-13 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Imun Seolnongtang has served the same bowl since 1904 -- seolnongtang, a milky ox bone and brisket broth, for ₩10,000. Michelin Bib Gourmand recognised.
Namdaemun Market Kalguksu Alley ★ 4.3
Jung-gu and Myeongdong · 21 Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
The kalguksu stalls inside Namdaemun Market serve knife-cut wheat noodles in a clean anchovy-and-kelp broth with zucchini and green onion for ₩7,000-8,000.