Seoul might be the most food-obsessed city we've visited, and that's saying something after Japan.
Koreans eat out constantly, and the range on offer — from a Michelin-starred tasting menu to a market stall selling rice donuts — is genuinely one of the best food scenes we've experienced. Here's where we actually ate.
Quick Facts
| Standout splurge | Solbam (Michelin-starred, Gangnam) |
|---|---|
| Best market food | Gwangjang Market |
| Best Korean BBQ | Hansik Wangbijib (Myeongdong) |
| Hot take | Korean beef beats Japanese wagyu and Kobe beef — we said it |
Solbam (Gangnam) — Our Splurge
Solbam is a Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant in Gangnam, and it was the one properly fine-dining meal of our entire trip. We don't usually spend this kind of money on a single meal — but we'd gone the whole trip without a real splurge, and it was worth every won. Every dish was balanced and genuinely delicious: you could taste each ingredient distinctly, nothing was hiding behind heavy sauce or technique, and the portions were sized exactly right, never padded out for the sake of a tasting menu. It's corkage-free, and worth requesting the wine pairing if you're booking ahead.
Gwangjang Market — Our Favourite Food Experience in Seoul
If you only eat at one place in Seoul, make it Gwangjang Market. We went through raw octopus and beef tartare (the octopus tentacles were, genuinely, still moving — Zé loved it), green bean pancakes, gimbap (our favourite single item of the visit), and rice dough donuts we bought extra of for the subway ride home. Korean fried chicken here was the one disappointment — cold, not that crispy. We've written up the full breakdown, stall by stall, in our Gwangjang Market guide.
Hansik Wangbijib (Myeongdong) — Korean BBQ
A well-reviewed Korean BBQ spot in Myeongdong, easy to book ahead and a solid introduction to Korean BBQ if it's your first time. Good value, central, and an easy first-night dinner after arriving in Seoul.
Odarijip (Myeongdong) — Marinated Crab
Soy-marinated crab (ganjang gejang) on the second floor of the Savoy Hotel in Myeongdong — a genuinely unique dish and worth trying at least once. Rich, briny, unlike anything most visitors will have had before.
Eating your way through Seoul?
Neungdong Minari & Jongsamyook (Seongsu) — Local Korean, No Fuss
After an afternoon of skincare treatments in Seongsu, we wanted something easy and properly local rather than another big production — this is exactly that kind of neighbourhood spot.
Isaac Toast (Myeongdong) — Korean Breakfast Toast
A Korean street-food breakfast institution — egg and cheese toast, cheap, fast, and a good way to start an early morning before a full day out (we had it before heading to the DMZ pickup point).
The Honest Food Take
We went in expecting Korean fried chicken to be a much bigger deal internationally than what we actually experienced — either we didn't find the right place, or the hype outpaces the reality, at least for the spots we tried.
What we didn't expect: Korean beef (Hanwoo) is, in our opinion, better than Japanese wagyu and Kobe beef. We say that as two people who consider Japan our favourite food country in the world — but dish for dish, the beef in Korea won.
FAQ
What's the best restaurant in Seoul for a special occasion?
Solbam — Michelin-starred, in Gangnam, and worth booking as far ahead as you can.
Where's the best place to try a range of Korean food in one visit?
Gwangjang Market, hands down. You can graze across five or six different dishes for a fraction of a sit-down meal.
Is Korean BBQ worth doing in Seoul?
Yes — Hansik Wangbijib in Myeongdong is a solid, easy-to-book option if it's your first time trying it.
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