Daejanggeum serves traditional Korea meals, reinterpreting royal dishes from the Joseon Dynasty. Daejanggeum faithfully uses only the best local ingredients to make all their food, from the soybeans used for soy sauce and soybean paste, to kimchi. In addition to the food, guests can enjoy dining with lacquerware from Korea's Holder of Intangible Heritage, Mr. Yi Jin-ho, and forged works by 5th generation blacksmith, Cha Ingyu.

Housed in a 500-year-old building that was once home to descendants of Prince Gwangpyeong (the 5th son of King Sejong the Great), the restaurant was opened to the public in 1999 as a traditional restaurant serving Korean royal court cuisine. “Pilgyeong,” which means “always be respectful to the elderly,” is indeed a place that honors the past by serving as a beacon of tradition and flavor in the downtown Seoul area.

White Bear Makgeolli Bar & Brewery offers the largest selection of traditional Korean liquors in the country; boasting over 180 different varieties. The bar and brewery is located near Apgujeong Rodeo Street. The selection of liquors available is truly vast, with everything from the well-known to the obscure. The selection includes varieties of takju (unrefined rice wine), varieties of cheongju (refined rice wine) and soju. The culinary offerings tend toward fusion rather than traditional Korean fare. The menu offers anju (snacks) as well as entrees that pair well with traditional liquors. Craft beer is also sold on the B1 level.    

In an alley near the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, the Italian restaurant The Hanok Smith Likes can be found. The restaurant is famous for serving homemade Italian cuisine in traditional Korean house in Samcheong-dong.The Smith in the restaurant’s name refers to a blacksmith as well as Mr. Smith which is a common name like Cheolsu in Korea. The restaurant decided to pick the name Smith with the second meaning in mind. So, the concept is that Mr. Smith who is a virtual person cooks his favorite dishes in a hanok. One of the interesting aspects about this restaurant is that they serve hwadeok pizza (brick oven pizza) and pastas which are not the Korean dishes one might expect given the hanok exterior. They also serve salads, risotto, steak and wine at the restaurant. Particularly, the nighttime atmosphere of the restaurant offers a more serene and cozy experience thanks to the traditional hanok architecture.

The epitome of industrial chic, Cafe Onion operates out of a converted factory that was built in the 1970s. The building has actually seen a variety of businesses open shop in the past; there was once a supermarket and even restaurants throughout the years and at one time the building was even a regular residence. More recently, before Cafe Onion opened, the building housed an industrial factory that made small parts. Traces of the building's industrial past are still visible throughout Cafe Onion. The cafe even kept and converted many of the factory's design elements. There are over 20 varieties of bread at the cafe. Cafe Onion also sells the famed Bread 05 Bakery's butter bread. Korean patrons will have seen the butter bread on several Korean TV shows.  

Get off the subway at Gyeongbokgung Station (Subway Line 3), follow the wall of the Gyeongbokgung Palace and you'll find yourself facing a street with majestic trees whose foliage changes every season. This street leads directly to Samcheong-dong. As you enter Samcheong-dong and walk towards the Samchong-dong Tunnel, you'll come across Samcheongdong Sujebi, located right next to the Prime Minister Legation.Samcheongdong Sujebi became a hit among Japanese tourists, after being featured in a popular Japanese magazine. The main dish here is, of course, sujebi (a traditional Korean soup consisting of chunks of dough and various vegetables). It comes in a pot full of sliced pumpkin, clams, and potatoes. This delicious soup is so tasty that there's almost always people lined up outside the restaurant. Other popular items include dongdongju (traditional Korean liquor) and gamjajeon (a Korean potato pancake that uses only potato starch and no other ingredients). 

The wine restaurant, dugahun, is located in the backyard of Gallery Hyundai on Samcheong-dong Road. As the name Dugahun (두가헌, translated ‘a very beautiful house’) implies, the restaurant is characterized by its exquisite, antique architecture that dates back to the 1910s. Combining fine Western dining and a wide selection of wines with a beautiful hanok interior, dugahun provides visitors with a unique dining experience. For an added element of culture, visit Gallery dugahun (the adjacent Russian-style brick building) and take a look at the array of domestic and international artwork on display.

Gotgan by Lee Jong Guk is Korean chef and food researcher Lee Jong-guk's first restaurant. Each dish is made with seasonal ingredients for the freshest flavors and prepared with traditional recipes in order to preserve the unique flavors inherent to Korean cooking.

Din Tai Fung Korea was named one the World’s Top 10 Restaurants by the New York Times. This restaurant chain has branches in Japan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, and other Asian cities as well as in Los Angeles, USA. The Korea branch features handmade xiao long bao made of fresh ingredients from Korea and top quality dumpling stuffing. The dough only weighs 5g while the juicy stuffing weighs 16g. There are exactly 18 creases on the skin to add to the taste. It’s particularly popular among tourists from Taiwan, Japan, and other Asian countries.

Kamong is a cafe, which is owned and operated by the sister of Kai from the Korean boy band EXO. Kamong, which means ‘Dreaming Kai,’ is also known as a gathering place/meeting spot for Kai’s fans. One of the most popular menu items is the ice cream waffle, which has assorted fresh fruits added to it. On the cups, napkins, and other small props in the cafe, you can find that there are copies of drawings and messages that Kai drew/wrote himself. Frequently, people bump into Kai and other EXO members visiting the cafe.