This historic area of Seoul is located next to the Gyeongbokgung palace and the former home of nobles. Today, it's full of historical hanok (600 of them!) alongside restaurants and other cultural attractions.
Michelin-starred Korean fine dining with a modern twist on traditional flavors, featuring signature dishes like somyeon, galbi, and grouper, in addition to buckwheat noodles.
Warm second-floor Korean barbecue room lined with tabletop grills and hanging metal exhaust pipes. Staff help flip sizzling pork belly as tables fill up with lettuce wraps, spicy tofu stews, and cold bottles of soju.
Lively multi-level Korean restaurant in Norrmalm split between a neon-lit downstairs soju bar and an upstairs dining room. Tabletop grills sizzle with cuts of Wagyu and Iberico pork alongside a steady rotation of refillable banchan.
Cozy Korean spot in a quiet suburb, with wide wooden tables perfect for sharing. The menu covers the classics – from spicy stews and fried chicken to grilled meats served sizzling on cast iron pans.
Warm, retro-styled spot in Weißensee dedicated to Anju – the Korean tradition of food built for drinking. Small sharing plates of fried chicken and acorn jelly join rounds of natural wine and cloudy makgeolli.
Tiny Bergmannkiez shop frying up double-fried Korean chicken in sticky soy-garlic or chili glazes. Seating is tight, so most orders leave in takeaway boxes.
Bustling Korean barbecue hall on Kantstraße with tabletop grills for searing marinated beef and pork belly. The strict walk-in policy keeps the room packed and high-energy.
Lively Prenzlauer Berg spot dedicated to chimaek – the Korean ritual of fried chicken and beer. Halal, double-fried wings arrive sticky with soy garlic or spicy glaze alongside pickled radish and cold drafts.
Minimalist Korean spot filling thick brioche with fluffy eggs and bulgogi. Sweet croffles and black sesame lattes pair with the savory toast in a quiet, cozy room.
Tiny Nine Streets cafe serving thick, Korean-style brioche toasts and Uji matcha lattes. A constant queue stretches down the block for the few tables, keeping the takeaway counter busy with rib eye bulgogi and strawberry matcha.
Lively three-story kitchen in central Amsterdam turns out sizzling stone bowl bibimbap and spicy fried chicken. Large bulgogi platters feed groups before mango bingsu shaved ice cools the heat.
Compact Korean dessert shop tucked onto a quiet street near the Marais. The tight space serves bowls of shaved milk ice dusted with rice cake powder and scoops of lightly sweetened, homemade red bean paste.
Seoul-style cafe pouring black sesame and sweet potato lattes in a room lined with blue ombre tiles. Kimbap rolls and matcha cookies fuel afternoons in the bathhouse-inspired seating nooks.
Elegant dining room near the Trocadéro pairing authentic Korean cooking with a curated French wine list. The family-run kitchen sends out spicy stews, raw crab, and marinated beef to tables dressed in white linens.
Specialty Korean tea house serving nutty matcha and signature salt breads. Drinks are whisked to order at individual bars in a tiny space – a strict one-in-one-out policy means there's always a queue.
Massive Colindale food hall with the noise and density of an Asian hawker market. Two dozen kiosks line the walls, serving roast duck and bubble tea to packed communal tables.
Narrow Korean bakery and takeaway tucked into an Islington alleyway. The grab-and-go counter hands over twisted doughnuts, fried bread sandwiches, and spicy rice cakes that regularly sell out before closing.
Warm Brick Lane dining room serving a strictly plant-based menu of Italian-Korean fusion. The husband-and-wife founders work the floor, explaining hybrid plates like kimchi lasagne and toppognocci.
Casual Bow Wharf restaurant slinging Mexican-Korean street food on the edge of Victoria Park. The exposed-brick dining room and vine-draped patio run heavy on bulgogi beef tacos, gochujang wings, and rounds of soju.
Bright, minimalist Koreatown cafe pouring specialty lattes and thick, cream-topped Einspänners. Morning laptop sessions fill the spacious interior, while weekend lines spill out onto the shaded, dog-friendly patio.
Fast-casual counter serving Korean-style handhelds like kimchi smashburgers, panko shrimp burgers, and fried chicken. The room connects directly to Holy Ghost bar next door, where orders often end up alongside a round of drinks.
Offers a variety of Korean dishes with options for spicy and vegan palates, including authentic and fusion selections. Features outdoor seating with a garden ambiance.
Sleek subterranean dining room merging Korean BBQ energy with polished steakhouse service. Staff cook dry-aged ribeye and marinated galbi on smokeless charcoal grills built into every table.
Modern Korean restaurant with a quiet, ambient dining room – a refined alternative to bustling KBBQ. The menu is all traditional comfort food, focused on slow-simmered broths and tender, braised short ribs made for sharing.
Strictly takeout Koreatown counter rolling thick, tightly packed kimbap for quick lunches. Over fifteen varieties of seaweed rice rolls come wrapped and ready to go alongside spicy tteokbokki and cold noodles.
No-frills 24-hour Koreatown strip mall spot running on tight tables and rapid turnover. Massive cauldrons of spicy braised short ribs arrive bubbling under blowtorched cheese next to slow-simmered ox bone broths.
Modern Koreatown cafe running steady from morning until late night. Open laptops and iced cream-top lattes fill the tables during the day, while the indoor-outdoor space shifts to pouring wine after dark.
Family-run Koreatown strip-mall kitchen serving a tight four-item menu of traditional Korean stews and braised cod. Most orders go out the door, leaving just three tables to sit and eat slow-simmered ginseng chicken soup.
Homey Koreatown dining room serving rural-style Korean set menus centered around barley rice. Tables quickly crowd with up to 25 side dishes, building a massive, shared feast of clean, traditional flavors.
Koreatown counter dedicated to sogeumppang, a crackly and buttery Korean salt bread. Lines form early for boxes of the signature rolls, served plain or stuffed with fillings like garlic onion and sweet corn crème.
Dim, compact Koreatown sool jib pouring craft soju and makgeolli alongside modern Korean small plates. The loud room runs on 90s hip-hop and shared plates of kimchi vodka rigatoni and uni tteokbokki.
Casual Momofuku spot in the Century City mall serving Korean-American comfort food under electric orange lights. Tables fill with spicy tuna kimbap, beef tallow fries, and ssäm platters.
Chic Korean-American bistro with the soul of a retro French cafe and the style of an upscale Seoul spot. The menu reinterprets comfort food – steak tartare arrives sizzling in a hot stone pot like bibimbap.
Modern Korean pub on Figueroa slinging craft cocktails and the rich drinking food to match. Hip-hop and R&B play over tables full of wagyu corn cheese and pork belly bossam.
Ten-seat counter in a subterranean space, serving a singular tasting menu of modern Korean dishes. Chef Ki Kim plates seasonal, seafood-focused courses directly for each guest.
Lively KBBQ spot with a retro 70s vibe, K-pop on the speakers, and orange-and-white checkered tables. Staff does the work here, grilling high-quality cuts of thin-sliced pork belly and jowl right at the table.
Daytime Silver Lake counter serving small-batch Hawaiian poke and Korean banchan. The wood-paneled shop runs a steady lunch line for pre-marinated shoyu tuna and brûléed Spam musubi until late afternoon.
Casual Korean restaurant serving massive bowls of spicy brisket soup and bubbling stews. The cozy space stays busy on chilly nights, with tables full of steamed pork belly and house-made kimchi.
Homestyle Korean spot serving the bold, rustic stews and braised dishes of Gyeongsang province. The signature mackerel comes simmering in a battered silver bowl – a deliberate nod to the old country.
Creative Korean restaurant from Seoul serving modern soul food in the Arts District. Signature dishes reinterpret the classics – think deconstructed galbi and truffle-infused potato pancakes.
Family-run Korean grab-and-go shop keeping warmers and coolers loaded with hot doshirak boxes, fresh gimbap, and house-made banchan. Owners cook everything twice daily for fast, easy lunch pickups.
Long-standing family-run Korean restaurant tucked in a North Shoal Creek shopping center. Built-in tabletop grills run steady with marinated beef and short ribs alongside generous spreads of homestyle banchan.
Modern coffee kiosk inside a Korean grocery market, serving creamy, inventive lattes. The menu leans into dessert flavors like sweet potato and injeolmi, often garnished with a skewer of rice cakes.
Food court stall dishing up Korean-style chicken that's oven-roasted before being flash-fried. This two-step process yields an extra-crisp, less-oily bird, tossed in sauces like deep soy-garlic or creamy chili mayo.
Korean food stall running a busy counter in the H-Mart food court. Veteran husband-and-wife owners pass massive, shareable bowls of spicy pork bone soup, fried udon, and BBQ plates to communal tables.
High-energy dining hall with the communal vibe of a Korean street tent. Groups pack tables for spicy chicken feet, whole fried chicken, and rounds of soju well past midnight.
Spacious, plant-filled second-floor cafe built for long work and study sessions. Laptops stay open for hours at outlet-lined tables alongside pistachio cream americanos, specialty matcha lattes, and slices of sweet potato cake.
Spacious second-floor Korean cafe above Spadina Avenue running steady with open laptops and quiet conversation. Fruit-blended matcha lattes and bowls of sweet shaved ice cover wooden tables across the bright, plant-filled room.
Festive, banquet-style Bensonhurst dining room serving Koryo-saram cuisine, a blend of Korean, Uzbek, and Russian traditions. Big tables fill with shared plates of cold noodle soup, steamed beef buns, and grilled kebabs.
