Among the many Thai restaurants in Itaewon, you’ll experience the most authentic Thai cuisine here. Run by the Baiyoke Hotel of Thailand, the mouth-watering food and wonderful service bring customers back often. Most of the cooks and employees have come from Thailand to work here. A typical Thai dish is tom yam kung (spicy shrimp soup). Various spices are added to give this dish its remarkably unique flavor. People who have tried the cuisine for the first time might need some time to get accustomed to the taste, but once they do, they’ll want more. Delicately spiced noodles, which are sautéed with various vegetables as well as beef or chicken, go well with tom yam kung. TIP: Since the restaurant is managed by Itaewon Hotel, there is a surtax of 10% and a service fee of 10% which are added to the bill.

Even before the mad cow disease crisis, Yumyeong Hoegwan has only been serving locally-bred hanu beef. The fresh meat, sirloin, and prime ribs are delicious and they also use rice and kimchi made in Korea. The restaurant has a lot of business and group customers, but it is also good for family occasions, wedding receptions, and other social gatherings.

It is a shabu-shabu-style handmade dumpling restaurant with handmade dumplings and various vegetables.

This Jokbal Street restaurant has a history of over 50 years, and the elderly white-haired proprietor has been running the business the entire time. Basketball players who play a game at the Jangchung Gymnasium visit the restaurant. When it first opened, the price of jokbal (steamed pork hock) was 150 won and the bindaetteok (mung-bean pancake), 10 won. Back then, the food was a luxury that students couldn’t even dream of buying, but now everyone can afford it. The taste of jokbal here is special: firstly because the trotters are transported to the restaurant immediately, and also because of the restaurant’s unique broth. The meat is extremely chewy and the delicately flavored fat melts in your mouth like ice cream. For a treat that cannot be enjoyed anywhere else, the owner hints that the large serving is much more delicious than the small one.

Located in Buam-dong, Seoul, Jaha Sonmandu (자하손만두) is a restaurant specializing in Korean hand-made stuffed dumplings. Though the restaurant’s exterior is that of a classic restaurant, the succulent flavors of the food are reminiscent of grandma’s cooking—timeless and full of love. Main dishes include Mulmandu (boiled Mandu), Pyeonsu (vegetarian dumplings stuffed with mushrooms and cucumbers), Kimchi Mandu and Mandu Jeongol (Mandu cooked with various vegetables in a casserole). In addition to Mandu, there are Bindaetteok (mung-bean pancakes) and Kongguksu (cold noodles in finely crushed beans). Unlike other Mandu restaurants, Jaha Son Mandu features a course meal named “Jaha sangcharim.” Make sure to have a drink of Makgeolli or Bokbunjaju (liquor made of wild mountain raspberry) with your mandu for a perfect taste combination.  

Seochon Traditional Sundae Soup House is considered a must-visit destination. It was shown in the Korean drama series, “Doctors, as a restaurant owned by the father of the main character, Yoo Hye Jung (actress: Park Shin Hye). It is known for its special deep-tasting beef broth, which they brew with marrowbone for 24 hours. Its old-fashioned, traditional style Hanok architecture and its neat interior evokes the Korean traditional castle: Gyeongbokgung and its surroundings. Not only is the Sundae Soup first in its class, the in-house Kimchi is one of the best in its category as well. After the meal, don’t forget to take a photo where the “Doctors” couple, Jiho-Hyejung, enjoyed rice soup.  

Thick and rich broth makes a good impression here. Boiled chicken with ginseng (Samgyetang) gives a soft and tender taste with glutinous rice, chestnuts, ginseng and Chinese dates. The rich flavor of ginseng liquor, fried chicken gizzard, cubed white radishes, cabbage kimchi, and garlic with Korean hot pepper paste makes this dish even better. *Best Korean Restauranta as designated by The Seoul Metropolitan Government  

Asosan offers quality Japanese dishes cooked by a professional chef who has years of experience working as a chef at such noted places as Hyatt Hotel, Walkerhill Hotel, and famous sushi restaurants in Tokyo. In addition to traditional Japanese dishes like sushi, sashimi, udong (hot noodle soup), the restaurant also offers a wide range of delicacies that uses ingredients such as puffer fish, eel, pine mushroom, crab, etc.

Opened during the remodeling of Myeong-dong Cathedral, Bistro 74 is a Korean Western fusion restaurant located at the first floor of the Myeong-dong Cathedral. Its feature dishes like fusion rice and quality-made sandwiches, and it’s a great place to enjoy a cup of coffee. Its terrace is especially popular as a place to peacefully enjoy the sites and people of Myeong-dong, and they also do take-out. 

Caocaoboom is a handmade chocolate shop. The Itaewon branch is famous for its traditional Italian gelato created by 1st generation chocolatier.