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.

Located by several entertainment agencies, Naive Coffee is frequented by many K-pop stars including GOT7’s BamBam and Jackson, Miss A’s Fei, as well as Hyerim, Yubin and Sunmi. Authentic specialty coffees are blended and brewed in-house, daily. Naive Coffee’s signature blends, Oger and Bosanoba, boast a fanatic following, and the caffè latte is extremely smooth and complex with an elegant ratio of coffee and milk. Cold brew coffee packaged in unique beverage cans, is also available for purchase.  

Loved by fans from all over Asia, Super Junior has been an A-list K-pop star for almost a decade now. A lesser known fact about the group is that the charming and witty member Kim Hee-chul has refined interest in food. One of the restaurants in Seoul that he has recommended is Solbin Superdog located in the Apgujeong Rodeo Street. On the menu are tacos, hot dogs and rice bowls. The foodie K-pop singer’s favorite menu item is the spicy dog, which is extremely hot yet highly addictive. The signature dish is the galbi (grilled beef ribs) rice, which comes with nachos, sour cream, jalapeño peppers and vegetables.  

Gangwonjeong has been around for about 20 years, and is famous for its samgyetang (chicken ginseng soup). The flavor of the broth and tenderness of the chicken are exceptional. Chicken is stuffed with sweet rice, dates, chestnuts, ginko nuts, ginseng, and whole garlic cloves of garlic and garnished with shredded spring onions, sunflower seeds, and black sesame seeds. Kimchi makes the best accompaniment.    

Dongbingo makes great-tasting traditional patbingsu using only milk, red beans and rice cake. Many find the rather chunky and sweet red bean sauce to be very addictive.  

Pungyoram has been in operation in the same location, specializing in beef loin and pork ribs for nearly 35 years. An order of diced beef loin also comes with a sampling of 3 or 4 pieces of chadolbagi (brisket). After you are done with the meat, they fry a generous serving of rice on the same hot plate, a delicious way to end your meal.  

For three generations, Eunho Sikdang has been steadily maintaining the same taste of the original kkori gomtang, (oxtail soup) that they first made when they operated a street vendor stall in Namdaemun Market 70 years ago. In addition to oxtail soup, you can also have doganitang (ox knee and beef stew), seolleongtang (a thin, milky-white beef soup made from slowly simmered oxtails and bones), and suyuk (steamed pork).  

The exterior of the restaurant may seem rather humble, but Oriental Roast Chicken’s list of clientele is world class. The small eatery is filled with numerous autographs of K-stars including the two-time Olympic medallist Kim Yuna to Hallyu stars Ahn Sung-ki, Lee Jong-suk, Han Hyo-joo and Ahn Jae-wook. Roasted with glutinous rice, chestnuts and jujubes, the chhicken is juicy and tender, with distinctively nutty and sweet aromas. Take-outs are available as well.  

Shanti is an Indian, Nepalese restaurant with cuisine prepared by an Indian chef.

Yangchulbuk Restaurant is a casual eatery specializing in Korean-style beef intestine barbecue. Its branch located in Seongnae-dong is owned by the parents of Park Shin-hye, a talented K-star who has been the lead in several K-dramas, including The Heirs, Doctor Crush, and Pinocchio. Portraits of the K-star and figurines of her beloved puppies are displayed inside the restaurant. Ingredients are sourced daily from local meat suppliers and side dishes (banchan), including the mukbap (chilled acorn jelly rice soup) are made in-house every day. In her free time Park Shin-hye is known to enjoy dining at the restaurant with her colleagues.