The Best Restaurants in Seoul A curated food guide and interactive restaurant map

Seoul is one of the most exciting food cities in Asia, blending Michelin-starred fine dining with bustling street food markets. Here you’ll find everything from traditional Korean barbecue joints and legendary noodle shops to modern tasting menus, natural wine bars, and world-class bakeries. Whether you’re craving bingsu piled high with Jeju mango, triple-fried Korean fried chicken, or an elegant hanwoo beef course at a three-star restaurant, South Korea’s capital offers an endless variety of flavors to explore.

Seoul is a city built for food lovers – whether you’re sipping cocktails at an award-winning speakeasy, feasting on mandu at a decades-old institution, or grabbing a sweet treat near Gyeongbokgung Palace. With destination restaurants, specialty coffee shops, craft cocktail bars, and markets overflowing with street food, Seoul is a must-visit for anyone eager to dive into Korean cuisine.

In this foodie map of Seoul, we’ve gathered all our favorite spots, from street food stalls to fine dining restaurants. You can explore the best restaurants in Seoul by scrolling through the list on the right or clicking the points on the map. All locations are listed in geographical order.

Three-Michelin-starred Mingles is our favorite fine dining restaurant in Seoul. Chef Mingoo Kang presents a modern interpretation of Korean cuisine in a calm, tranquil setting. Signature dishes on the tasting menu include the Mingling Pot, a soup with three kinds of mandu dumplings (fish, beef, and mushroom) in an incredibly flavorful broth. We also loved the sticky rice risotto with king crab and caviar, as well as the serving of hanwoo beef: sweet, tender cuts of softly cooked tenderloin and ribeye with a rich beef jus. The quality here is in a league of its own – this is melt-in-the-mouth meat. Of course, you can’t leave without ordering the signature Jang Trio, a sweet-and-savory dessert featuring three “jangs” (Korean sauces): doenjang crème brûlée, ganjang pecan, and gochujang puff. This dessert is sweet and spicy, with caramelized nuts and crispy rice adding pops of texture. Mingles should be a top priority for food lovers looking to explore Korean cuisine in a fine dining format.

Zest, a minimalist cocktail bar with a focus on sustainability, is our favorite bar in Seoul. Zest is not just a reference to citrus – it’s also short for “zero waste.” The bartenders use house-made spirits and local ingredients to craft creative cocktails, and even their bar snacks are upcycled chips made from citrus skins. We had our very favorite cocktail in Seoul here, the “Custard Sour,” with roasted pistachio- and hojicha-infused rum, apricot, and custard. It tasted like an apricot pastry – tart and sweet with a hint of creaminess. We also loved the “Daiquiri No. 6,” their tropical twist on a daiquiri with Jeju Island kiwi schnapps, pineapple, coconut, and sesame oil. Last but not least, their take on a piña colada, “No Coconut Here,” swapped coconut for makgeolli, lacto-fermented pineapple, and walnut orgeat, resulting in a more savory, umami sip. The vibe was fantastic, with a super friendly team, fun music, buzzing energy, and a sleek, modern interior.

Another modern, creative bar we loved was Pine & Co. in Gangnam, a basement speakeasy with a science lab vibe and experimental drinks to match. While some creations were a little out there for us (looking at you, bulgogi-flavored paloma), others really hit the mark. One standout combined apricot vodka, house-made yogurt, agave, makrut lime, and lemongrass. The bingsu gin and tonic was another playful presentation, but the yuzu daiquiri was even more up our alley. The vibe is modern and hip, with a young, energetic staff playing rap music and keeping a steady flow of namul pesto and saltine crackers – an unexpectedly great bar snack!

We found some of the most creative pastries in Seoul at Nudake – part bakery, part art installation. Their Sinsa location even has giant croissant statues! It’s over-the-top in the best way, and while plenty of people come here just for the photo op, the pastries are genuinely worth a visit. The pastry table is a feast for the eyes, with wild shapes, inventive flavors, and jaw-dropping presentations. Our favorite was the green scallion “oniwassant” (a croissant shaped like an onigiri), with a sweet, flaky exterior and a savory cream cheese filling – almost like a bagel in croissant form. We also loved the walnut and vanilla pastry, which tasted like a spice-filled Christmassy dessert, and the basil “croipizza” – a buttery croissant pizza topped with corn, sausage, onions, and basil.

In culinary school, chef Jun Lee earned the nickname soigné (“elegant” in French) because of his attention to detail and polished demeanor in the kitchen. He later embraced the nickname when naming his first restaurant. The open kitchen, housed in a glass box, is the first thing you see when you arrive. At the table, an iPad displays a visual menu highlighting the local, seasonal ingredients, which was a great introduction to Korean cuisine. We loved the kimchi with mackerel, citrus juice, and fermented chili, as well as the steamed abalone and scallop dumpling with a seaweed sauce that tasted like caramel. The main course featured fatty hanwoo beef, served with the best banchan we’ve ever had: a sweet-and-salty oxtail and pecan side dish, a garlicky sea snail salad, and fermented cucumber with a bright lemon marmalade freshness.

One of our favorite cafés in Seoul is Lowkey, which has been operating several locations since 2010. We visited the one in Seongsu, in a vine-covered brick building with both indoor and outdoor seating. Lowkey roasts their own coffee and offers a wide selection of pour-overs to choose from. Our favorite was the Peruvian gesha, silky and elegant with notes of magnolia, lemongrass, and sugarcane. We also loved the natural Ethiopian with notes of plum, mango, orange, apple, and milk chocolate.

If you have a sweet tooth like we do, you have to try bingsu in Seoul. This Korean dessert is similar to Japanese kakigori, but instead of shaved ice, it’s usually shaved milk, which gives the base a delicious creaminess. Bingsu is most popular in the summer when the weather gets hot, though some cafés serve it year-round. A favorite spot to indulge in bingsu is Rafre Fruit, a seasonal fruit café known for its stunning creations. We tried two versions here: one absolutely loaded with fresh strawberries, and another topped with a towering mound of mango. But not just any mango – this was the famous Jeju apple mango, the velvety, ultra-juicy variety usually delivered to luxury hotels and sold at premium prices. The texture of the bingsu was excellent, with a light cream flavor. But the quality of the fruit was so exceptional that it easily stole the show. We also couldn’t resist the layered strawberry cake – a fluffy, moist sponge filled with whipped cream and strawberries. Rafre Fruit has a location in Seongsu and one in Seochon.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum from your standard, no-frills KBBQ joint is Born & Bred. This place is a meat lover’s paradise and ended up being our favorite meal in Seoul. You can buy the highest-quality Korean beef from their ground-floor butchery shop, order from an à la carte menu in the casual dining room, or book a seat in their “speakeasy,” the chef’s counter in the basement. The speakeasy tasting menu includes more than 20 courses and 14 different cuts of hanwoo beef. We loved every carnivorous bite of the experience, from beef rib soup to bone marrow liquor to beef tartare to Korean bulgogi to an American-style cheeseburger. This is a one-of-a-kind meat experience and a must-visit in Seoul.

Geumdwaeji Sikdang (Gold Pig) is one of Seoul’s top Korean barbecue joints and has a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide. As the name implies, the specialty here is pork – and that’s all they serve. You can choose from different set menus with varying cuts, and add à la carte options if you’re extra hungry. We ordered the set menu, which came with pork neck, cheek, and belly, plus grilled vegetables, kimchi stew, and ramen. The staff cook the meat at your table and guide you on how best to enjoy it. They recommend dipping the cheek in spring onion sauce, and wrapping the neck in a cooked basil leaf with miso – a flavor combo we’d never seen before and absolutely loved. The belly was served with rice and pickles, so you could build your own lettuce wraps. Meanwhile, a bubbling pot of kimchi stew simmers on the side of the table, with hunks of leftover pork and tofu. At the end of the meal, the stew is transformed with a packet of instant ramen, and spruced up with sauces for the ultimate comfort food finish. Note: Gold Pig is walk-in only, so arrive early to snag a table.

Big Lights is the number one natural wine restaurant in Seoul. A collaboration with Danish designer Fritz Hansen, the space is a hidden gem tucked away on the second floor of a building in the Hannam neighborhood. Take the elevator up and you’ll find yourself in natural wine paradise. They pour by the bottle and glass, with plenty of our favorite French and Austrian producers on the list. The food menu is inspired by "pojang macha" street stalls, with small plates like bulgogi, soondae, and other classic "pocha" bites. Kaitlin’s favorite was the stir-fried soondae (blood sausage with noodles, XO sauce, and peanuts), while Anders loved the bulgogi – sweet beef topped with leeks and sour cream. We also couldn’t get enough of the roasted potatoes topped with a huge dollop of savory truffle butter and pecorino cheese. Another standout was the soy-marinated crab pasta with cold capellini and wild sesame oil – clean, fresh, and delicious.

Korean-born, California-raised chef Sung Anh previously worked at restaurants such as The French Laundry and Benu before opening the first iteration of Mosu in San Francisco in 2015, later relocating the restaurant to Seoul in 2017. The three-Michelin-starred restaurant is housed in a renovated two-story house in Itaewon, a posh district near many foreign embassies. The venue is modern and sleek, with a dramatic staircase leading up to the house. Highlights from our tasting menu included the signature abalone taco, the caramelized burdock tarte tatin, and the ember-charred acorn noodles with truffles and Korean parsley sauce. Mosu is undoubtedly one of the top fine dining restaurants in Seoul.

A fun late-night spot for Korean fried chicken is Eongteoli Fried Chicken. This old-school, hole-in-the-wall eatery in Itaewon stays open until six in the morning. An elderly couple runs the place and has been serving the same recipe for 60 years. The only English they spoke to us was, “1 chicken, 2 beers” – we quickly understood that alcohol was required for every guest, and that they only sell whole chickens. It’s all about the batter here: triple-fried chicken that’s so crispy you sometimes end up just eating crunchy fried bits without any meat attached. Stomach be damned – it’s delicious, especially when dipped in the tangy, sweet-spicy yangnyeom sauce.

Namsan Sool Club is a bar dedicated to Korean liquors. "Sool" means alcohol in Korean, and here they serve all kinds of soju and makgeolli. We came in open-minded and sampled a wide range: some fermented rice wines that were dry and fizzy, others more viscous and thick, almost yogurt-like but still bright with acidity, one that tasted like a milky apple cider, and a strong 50% spirit (said to be made by a North Korean defector) that had a malty, scorched-earth flavor. We’re still very green in this department, and this was the perfect place to learn about Korean alcohol. The owner is Canadian, making it an approachable spot to speak English and dive deeper into the world of sool.

The perfect place to sample Korean street food is the Myeongdong Night Market, where stalls line the bustling shopping streets. You’ll find all the street food staples here, like tteokbokki (chewy rice cakes in a spicy-sweet gochujang sauce), hotteok (filled pancakes), and tanghulu (fruit skewers in a hard sugar shell). We also tried coin cakes filled with mozzarella cheese and sweet custard, gyeran-ppang (a fluffy, sweet-and-savory bread with a whole egg baked inside), and sweet cream cheese-stuffed garlic bread.

Mandu (Korean steamed dumplings) and kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) are two essential eats in Seoul, and the best we tried in both categories came from Myeongdong Kyoja. The original location has been open since 1966, but the restaurant now has two additional outlets to keep up with demand. It has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand since the Seoul guide launched in 2017. There are only four dishes on the menu. The mandu here are shaped more like xiaolongbao than typical Korean dumplings, with a thin yet sturdy skin that holds together beautifully. Inside is a juicy mix of pork, vegetables, and sesame oil. The kalguksu comes with super slippery noodles, caramelized onions, and minced meat that give the broth an incredible depth of flavor. On the table is a kimchi so intensely garlicky that one bite could ward off vampires for life. Don’t be deterred by the long line – it moves quickly, and you order and pay before sitting.

Felt is our favorite coffee shop and roastery in Seoul. They have two locations, with the main branch located along the Cheonggyecheon stream. It’s a fairly big shop with a theatrical feel, thanks to the red velvet curtains lining the walls. Showtime! Felt always has four pour-overs on offer. We tried a bunch during our trip, and our favorites were the Ethiopia with notes of blueberry, peach, and lavender; the Peru with notes of mandarin, red apple, peach, and milk chocolate; and the Costa Rica with notes of grape, orange, and whey. It’s a buzzing, popular café and, despite the crowds of coffee lovers waiting in line, they brew exceptional coffee. Given its central location, we ended up here almost every morning of our trip.

Charles H. is a New York-style speakeasy hidden in the basement of the Four Seasons Hotel. This was one of our best bar experiences in Seoul, and it’s easy to see why this spot has been beloved for over a decade. The "Decade of Destinations" menu features cocktails inspired by different cities. One highlight was "Love from Lima" – a tart and tangy cocktail with pisco, passionfruit curd, tangerine, and vanilla corn espuma. The "Tarragon Paloma" transported us to Mexico, while the Italian "Margherita Margarita" turned pizza into a drink, with tomato, oregano, basil, whey, and toasted grissini salt. We also loved the Coconut Grove, their take on a piña colada, with a Thai twist of lime leaf and red curry, topped with a crystallized coconut milk chip. The food is great too! Bar nibbles include decadent black truffle arancini and a katsu sando topped with caviar.

Beolsae, which means hummingbird in Korean, is a hidden gem of a coffee shop tucked away in a basement mall. Coffee is served in vintage china cups while jazz records spin – on our visit, we heard George Benson and Chet Baker. The space is cozy with a quiet, tranquil vibe (this isn’t a place for talking, it’s all about the music) and the expansive menu features nine hand-drip coffees, ranging from light and juicy to rich and dark. We tried a natural Ethiopian with notes of red grapes, tomatoes, peaches, orange juice, and acacia honey, as well as a washed Honduran with notes of plum, grape, green apple, pineapple, and caramel. Viennese coffee is also a specialty here, though we didn’t try it.

Hyodo Chicken is a Korean fried chicken chain from Michelin-starred chefs Mingoo Kang (Mingles) and Chang Ho Shin (Joo Ok). This high-quality fast food spot serves our favorite KFC in Seoul. We tried three varieties: the “Basak,” their original flavor, with a sweet and spicy soy glaze. These boneless nuggets were perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The “Honey Imza” was topped with a savory-sweet perilla powder, while our favorite, the “Go-Ma-Wo,” featured crispy, caramelized, candied fried chicken pieces glazed in a sweet, sticky, spicy sauce with fried lotus root. Hyodo has a few locations around Seoul.

Cham means oak, which makes sense when you step into this beautiful bar inside a hanok, a traditional Korean house. Bar Cham felt like the most Korean of the cocktail bars we visited in Seoul, thanks to its regional cocktails made with local ingredients. Our favorite was the “Goodbye Sadness,” with peanut butter-washed cachaça, hazelnut, lime, passionfruit, and yuzu. We’d never had peanut butter and sour flavors together, and the creamy fattiness cut beautifully through the tart passionfruit. Another standout was their Korean-style tiki drink, the “Yangyang Suring Diary,” made with rum, mezcal, pineapple, cinnamon, and coconut orgeat. We dared the bartenders to go off-menu and they concocted a fun libation inspired by one of our favorite street foods, hotteok, with pineapple juice and banana liqueur. We loved this bar!

For the best soft serve in Seoul, head to Baekmidang. Their Samcheong location is charming, set inside a traditional hanok-style house near Gyeongbokgung Palace. This café chain is owned by Namyang Dairy, which sources top-quality organic milk from local farms. The milk flavor is pure and sweet, rich and creamy, with a silky smooth texture. The chocolate is tasty too, but trust us – milk is the move. We loved it so much we went back three times during our trip! They sell other treats, like a butter cake, but it’s all about the soft serve here.

Another great spot for mandu and kalguksu is Hwangsaengga Kalguksu, which has been open since 2001 and also holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand. The soft, handmade jumbo mandu are stuffed with pork, vegetables, and tofu. The filling was delicious, though their large size made them a bit tricky to handle with slippery chopsticks, and they tended to fall apart. The kalguksu features chewy, bouncy hand-cut noodles in a rich, cloudy beef broth with thinly sliced scallions and mushrooms. The white kimchi here is outstanding – fresh and aromatic with a lemon balm brightness – and honestly one of the best kimchis of our trip. Expect a wait; this place is popular. We stood in line for about an hour on a Saturday afternoon.

Another favorite spot to indulge in bingsu is inside a wooden house overlooking the cutest street in the trendy Samcheong neighborhood. Here we tried the strawberry bingsu, sweet and creamy, topped with strawberry cream and jam. We also loved the grapefruit version – a stunning pastry-like creation crowned with glistening segments of grapefruit. Underneath was an incredibly fluffy, whipped-cream-like base that melted in the mouth like powdered snow.

We had some of our favorite pastries in Seoul at Fritz Coffee, which has a handful of locations around Korea. We especially love the Jongno location inside the Arario Museum – the café is hidden in plain sight, with hanok design elements and a beautiful courtyard. Fritz roasts its own coffee and offers five hand-brew options as well as espresso drinks. Of the two coffees we tried, the Ethiopian pour-over was the standout, with notes of apricot, lemon, and honey. Fritz also has an in-house bakery. Our favorite pastry was the tonka bean chausson, with a flaky, sugary, caramelized exterior and a rich, custardy tonka cream inside – deep, fragrant, and absolutely delicious. We also loved the fresh peach pastry, topped with half a peach and vanilla cream, and a savory one filled with warm potato mash.

Ida is a lovely little restaurant in the Jongno district of Seoul, near the Changgyeonggung Palace. With its big glass windows, the space feels almost like a greenhouse, looking out onto gingko trees. It’s especially nice at lunch, flooded with natural light and perfect for people-watching. (The same menu is served for both lunch and dinner.) We began with their “mandu” – morel mushrooms stuffed with red tuna and topped with garlic sauce – fresh and flavorful. Next came our favorite dish: beef tartare tarts filled with sriracha mayo and peanut butter, topped with shaved mimolette cheese, Gouda, and rose powder. Surprisingly, the beet baos were another hit (thanks to the bacon jam and dill pickle aioli – sorry, vegetarians!). And we loved the signature gnocchi with black bean chorizo, jalapeño, and American cheese foam – the presentation was super fun and it tasted like a fully loaded baked potato.

If you love bread, Jayeondo is a must-try in Seoul. They have two locations (one in Ikseon and a takeaway shop in Seongsu) and are famous for their salt bread. Think of it as a less layered croissant, more like a Pillsbury crescent roll – but saltier. Imagine the saltiness of a pretzel, the fluffiness of a milk bun, and the bottom crisped up like a butter-soaked croissant. It's absolutely oozing with butter, and the sprinkle of sea salt makes it totally addicting. Sold in packs of four, these were so good that, despite our best intentions, the two of us devoured the whole pack in one sitting. This is one of the things we’re still craving most from Seoul.

Another spot we stumbled upon for kkwabaegi (twisted doughnuts) was Hapcheon Dwaejigukbap. This restaurant is actually known for its namesake dish, dwaejigukbap (pork and rice soup), but we were lured in by the pink plastic container full of freshly fried rice doughnuts sitting outside one morning. The shop owner excitedly called us over when he saw us eyeing the doughnuts and showed us how they twist the glutinous rice dough into ropes before deep-frying them. Once fried, he asked if we wanted them plain or tossed in sugar – we said sugar, of course – and though we started by sharing one, we quickly had to order a second. These were the best kkwabaegi we tried in Seoul!

Gwangjang Market has been open for over a century and is a must-visit destination for street food in Seoul. The most famous stall is Gohyang Sonkalguksu, featured on the Netflix series "Street Food: Asia." Owner Cho Yonsoon cuts noodles by hand and serves them in kalguksu with a seaweed broth. She also offers two types of mandu: one filled with minced pork, chives, and noodles, and another with kimchi. Another must-try at the market is hotteok, a Korean filled pancake. Go for the classic version, stuffed with brown sugar and seeded granola – fried fresh to order with a crispy edge, chewy center, and sweet, caramel-like filling. You can’t leave without visiting Chapssal Kkwabaegi for the famous freshly fried, glutinous rice twisted doughnuts. Light as air with a mochi-like chew, they’re tossed in cinnamon sugar and absolutely delicious. Another fun sweet treat is hodu-gwaja, peanut- and walnut-shaped cakes. The peanut version was Kaitlin’s favorite – like a peanut pancake ball with crunchy bits inside – while Anders loved the walnut one. Note: Gwangjang Market is cash only.