Located in Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Tombola is an Italian restaurant with a cozy atmosphere and rustic cuisine. The restaurant’s relaxed, yet vibrant atmosphere makes for an ambience that is friendly, but at the same time exotic. Diners can enjoy excellent Italian home-cooked dishes like pizza and pasta at affordable prices, making this particular eatery incredibly popular (reservations strongly recommended!). The most popular menu item is the gratin that comes slathered with cheese.

The chewiness of the yellowish noodle served in the Halmae Gaya is just right, and the clear icy soup of the noodle is tasty and cool. The perfect marriage between the noodle and the icy cold soup will indeed please your taste bud.

Nerd On Earth is a bar which Im Seul Ong, a member of the boyband group 2AM and actor, has opened in Itaewon. The ‘Nerd Bar’ (for short) is located in the deep corners of Itaewon, which shows Seul Ong’s taste in bars; he prefers somewhere dark and comfortable. You can feel a unique vibe from the blue and red lights blending together, with the mystical music playing in the background, and you can dine on various ‘high quality’ snacks as you drink. For example, menu items such as the “Nerd Wrap,” which is a wrap with Argula leaves, dried tomato, and ricotta cheese, and ‘Beef Brisket Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup,’ which has a spicy flavor, with generous portions of beef brisket are the menu items that lots of people order in the Nerd Bar. When you climb the rooftop, you can see the panoramic view of Itaewon. All of the above make it a must-stop location.  

The rainbow-colored roll cakes are produced twice a day at 12:30 and 16:30 in the afternoon. They are so popular that they are practically sold out within 10 minutes on weekends and 1 hour on weekdays! The seven colors on the cake seem so vivid that it almost feels like it is filled with artificial pigments. However, the cake is colored by 100% natural ingredients filled with earl grey custard crème, making it an irresistible favorite dessert among the young. If you are not a fan of roll cakes, Frank's has a great selection of other delicacies such as the brioche packed with reach butter flavor, freshly baked ciabattas and croissants with soft and flaky layers. They might be 'less colorful' and attractive compared to their signature rainbow cakes but they are also steady sellers of Frank's. ☞ Baking Time [Rainbow Roll] 12:00 and 16:30 everyday [Cow Roll] 12:00 every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday  

Bicena provides tasty Korean cuisine available only in Korea in a refined interior.  

Operated by a Japanese chef, Aoi Tori is a bakery during the day but transforms into a bar in the evening that serves alcoholic beverages and meals. As soon as one takes a step inside, the open kitchen will grab one’s attention while the sweet aroma of freshly baked goods builds up an appetite.

Bonjour Hawaii is an exotic fusion restaurant. Just by looking taking a glance at parasol rooftop which is by its main entrance, you can tell that the restaurant exudes exotic atmosphere/mood. The interior, small details, and the traditional Hawaiian music will have you mistaken that, in fact, you are at a cafe in Hawaii somewhere. It’s main dishes include, “BBQ Sunset Platter,” (It is a dish that has a set of ingredients: sausage, potato, chicken kebab, shrimp, Korean style pork), and “Cream Curry Udon,” which is just one of its many unique dishes on Bonjour Hawaii’s menu. Also, a pizza so addicting that it is nicknamed, “Drug Pizza,” is its specialty pizza called, “Sushi Pizza,” together with a fruit punch cocktail, you do not have to be jealous of someone who just went on a trip to Hawaii.     Through the restaurant’s appearance in the drama, “Doctors,” it created curiosity in the viewer’s mind. Since after the appearance it has become Hongdae’s, “hot place,” through words by mouth. Specifically, Bonjour Hawaii took on a role of a cafe that the main character Yoo Hae Jung (Park Shin Hae), operated. Back then, the restaurant was called, “ Suni Hawaii,” and Hong Ji Hong (Kim Rae Won), Ryu Hye Jung (Park Shin Hye) who are couples in the drama, “Doctors,” had scenes where they were drinking beer, while enjoying their date.  

Opened in 1953 by a woman known as Mabongnim, the restaurant takes pride in its 50-plus years of service. As Mabongnim gained popularity, other similar establishments opened nearby, and eventually, formed the now famous “Teokbokki Street.” The elderly proprietor is well known, even starring in a red-pepper paste (gochujang) ad in the 1990's.The secret of this restaurant’s tteokbokki lies in the fact that red pepper paste is mixed with Chinese soybean paste for a sweet and spicy taste, but has now been adopted by other Sindangdong restaurants. Nevertheless, there is something special about this restaurant’s fare. At present, Mabongnim’s daughters-in-law are running the restaurant.

Located in the hub of Korean culture, Insa-dong, Doodaemunjip has been serving Korean fusion cuisine for the past 10 years. The restaurant takes form of a traditional hanok decorated with a modern touch, blending Asian and western-style design to create an exquisite atmosphere favored by both Koreans and international visitors. Doodaemunjip is the only building in Insa-dong that has an indoor garden and a terrace full of fresh living plants, presenting peaceful atmosphere rarely found in the urban city. Signature menus include maekjeokgui ssambap (pork with Korean herbs served with vegetable wraps and rice) and Doodaemun haemul onbap (seafood rice) along with other specialty menus such as soy-marinated bossam (vegetable wraps with rice), soy-marinated crab, haemul pajeon (seafood and green onion pancake), etc. In particular, maekjeokgui (pork with Korean herbs) is seasoned with soybean paste made with traditional Korean recipe, bringing out deep flavors when consumed with vegetable wrapped rice. Traditional Korean alcoholic beverages such as bamboo liquor and bokbunjaju (Korean black raspberry wine) are also available.