Nine Seoul restaurants, chosen around the day you already have
Nine Seoul restaurants organized by neighborhood route — pick just one meal that fits your day, not all nine.
Nine Seoul restaurants, chosen around the day you already have
A meal near Myeongdong is easier to enjoy than a cross-city dash to collect three famous addresses. These nine places span long-established soups, noodles, raw beef, a shared chicken pot and grilled meat. Fit one into a Jongno, Myeongdong, Gwangjang, Mapo or Gyeongbokgung day rather than treating the list as a single itinerary. The selection draws on restaurant history, distinctive dishes and published references.[1][5] The ₩ bands are relative labels researched on 13 September 2026, not current menu quotations.
Before setting out
On the day, check hours, closures, menu prices, reservations and waitlist cutoff through the restaurant’s current official channel. The coordinates help locate an entrance; match both the road address and Korean sign in your map. An old institution may stop serving once its preparation sells out.
Soup and cold noodles around Jongno and Euljiro
이문설농탕 (Imun Seolnongtang)
Imun Seolnongtang has served beef-bone seolleongtang since 1904.[1] Add salt and scallions yourself to the mild bowl. It is a beef dish; ask about possible wheat and soy ingredients before ordering.
Address: 38-13 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu · Coordinates: 37.5709, 126.9831
Nearest station: Jonggak, Exit 3-1 · Order: seolleongtang · ₩₩
A bowl of seolleongtang as a dish example; at Imun, season it with salt and scallions.
A Myeongdong shopping-day meal
하동관 명동본점 (Hadongkwan Myeongdong Main)
At Hadongkwan Myeongdong Main, choose regular or special clear beef gomtang and add scallions. The kitchen can close early when the day’s stock is gone, so a late lunch is a gamble.[1]
Address: 12 Myeongdong 9-gil, Jung-gu · Coordinates: 37.5645, 126.9856
Nearest station: Euljiro 1-ga, Exit 5 · Order: gomtang · ₩₩
명동교자 본점 (Myeongdong Kyoja Main)
Myeongdong Kyoja Main works well as a noodle-and-dumpling meal during shopping: order kalguksu and mandu for your group, with the notably hot garlic kimchi.[1] Ask about wheat, pork and possible seafood ingredients.
Address: 29 Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung-gu · Coordinates: 37.5625, 126.9857
Nearest station: Myeongdong, Exit 8 · Order: kalguksu & mandu · ₩
A kalguksu dish example; at Myeongdong Kyoja, pair noodles with mandu for your group.
Pyeongyang naengmyeon near Euljiro
우래옥 (Woo Lae Oak)
Founded in 1946, Woo Lae Oak is known for Pyeongyang naengmyeon in restrained beef broth and for bulgogi.[2] The wait can be long. Beef, buckwheat and soy matter here for diners with restrictions.
Address: 62-29 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jung-gu · Coordinates: 37.5682, 126.9987
Nearest station: Euljiro 4-ga, Exit 4 · Order: Pyeongyang naengmyeon & bulgogi · ₩₩–₩₩₩
Pyeongyang-style mul-naengmyeon in clear broth, illustrating the restrained style discussed at Woo Lae Oak.
Gwangjang Market and Dongdaemun
부촌육회 본점 (Buchon Yukhoe Main)
At Gwangjang Market, Buchon Yukhoe Main has specialised in raw beef since 1965.[3] Choose yukhoe or its bibimbap, but assess raw beef and raw egg first; pregnant or immunocompromised diners should avoid those risks. Ask about sesame too.
Address: 200-12 Jong-ro, Jongno-gu · Coordinates: 37.5704, 126.9990
Nearest station: Jongno 5-ga, Exit 8 · Order: yukhoe · ₩₩
Yukhoe at Gwangjang Market; consider raw-beef and raw-egg risks before ordering at Buchon.
진옥화할매원조닭한마리 (Jinokhwa Halmae Wonjo Dakhanmari)
Jinokhwa Halmae Wonjo Dakhanmari is built around a whole chicken pot shared at the table. Rice cakes, noodles and finally fried rice can extend the meal.[1] Adjust the chili sauce separately; check chicken, wheat and soy.
Address: 18 Jong-ro 40ga-gil, Jongno-gu · Coordinates: 37.5703, 127.0059
Nearest station: Dongdaemun, Exit 9 · Order: dakhanmari · ₩₩
A separate Mapo or Yongsan dinner
역전회관 (Yukjeon Hoekwan)
Yukjeon Hoekwan, open since 1962, makes bassak bulgogi with thin beef and crisp edges.[4] It fits a Mapo meal rather than a detour from Myeongdong. Check beef and soy, and the current service break.
Address: 47 Tojeong-ro 37-gil, Mapo-gu · Coordinates: 37.5416, 126.9438
Nearest station: Mapo, Exit 1 · Order: bassak bulgogi · ₩₩
몽탄 (Mongtan)
Mongtan is a Yongsan dinner built around straw-smoked udae-galbi and onion fried rice; staff finish grilling the meat.[6] The booking listing showed an on-site-only waitlist at research time, not a promise for your visit. Check the current system and beef, pork and soy ingredients.
Address: 50 Baekbeom-ro 99-gil, Yongsan-gu · Coordinates: 37.5358, 126.9737
Nearest station: Samgakji, Exit 8 · Order: straw-smoked beef ribs · ₩₩₩
After Gyeongbokgung
토속촌 삼계탕 (Tosokchon Samgyetang)
Near Gyeongbokgung, Tosokchon Samgyetang offers a substantial ginseng-chicken soup as a full meal.[1] An earlier lunch may avoid the busiest queue. Ask about chicken, nuts, seeds and medicinal herbs.
Address: 5 Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu · Coordinates: 37.5776, 126.9715
Nearest station: Gyeongbokgung, Exit 2 · Order: samgyetang · ₩₩
Allergies and diets
None of these is a vegetarian recommendation. Broths may contain beef, chicken, pork or seafood; noodles and dumplings may contain wheat, sauces soy or sesame, and yukhoe may include raw egg. If you have a serious allergy, show a Korean allergy card before ordering and ask about cross-contact in preparation.
Sources
[1] MICHELIN Guide Seoul restaurant selection: https://guide.michelin.com/en/kr/seoul-capital-area/kr-seoul/restaurants (accessed 2026-09-13)
[2] Woo Lae Oak – MICHELIN Guide: https://guide.michelin.com/en/kr/seoul-capital-area/kr-seoul/restaurant/woo-lae-oak (accessed 2026-09-13)
[3] Buchon Yukhoe – MICHELIN Guide: https://guide.michelin.com/kr/en/seoul-capital-area/kr-seoul/restaurant/buchon-yukhoe (accessed 2026-09-13)
[4] Yukjeon Hoekwan – MICHELIN Guide: https://guide.michelin.com/sg/en/seoul-capital-area/kr-seoul/restaurant/yukjeon-hoekwan (accessed 2026-09-13)
[5] Visit Seoul: Five dishes every first-time visitor should know: https://english.visitseoul.net/editorspicks/2026-seoulfood/ENNxh7mcn (accessed 2026-09-13)
[6] Mongtan official booking listing (Catchtable): https://www.catchtable.net/shop/mongtan_yongsan (accessed 2026-09-13)
[7] Gwangjang Market – Seoul tourism information: https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/svc/contents/contentsView.do?vcontsId=86825 (accessed 2026-09-13)