Seoul(Jongno-gu)

Located on the first floor of the National Palace Museum of Korea, Gogung Tteurak consists of a museum shop and a café. It is open from 9am to 10pm everyday except Mondays. The museum shop has on sale a variety of items with a traditional Korean flavor. You will find postcards, small pocket books, umbrellas, cushions, and T-shirts. Right next door, there is a café selling coffee, ginger tea, gukwacha (tea of a chrysanthemum), mogwacha (tea of a quince), as well as wild vegetable salad, royal tteokbokki, and royal noodles. Foreign visitors can choose the royal tteokbokki and other simple meals that are not too spicy. For information, call the museum shop (+82-2-720-0381, Korean, English, Japanese) or the café (+82-2-720-0486, Korean, English, Japanese).


Seoul(Yongsan-gu) , Itaewon・Yongsan

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.  


Gyeonggi-do(Suwon-si) , suwon

Beef at Bon Suwon Galbi is sliced thin against the grain and marinated in a sauce made of several dozen ingredients for more than 24 hours. Even the perfect presentation of this tender beat hints of its extraordinary taste. Though the meat is definitely the main dish, another specialty of this restaurant is the soybean paste stew made of homemade soybean paste, which is made from homegrown beans.


Seoul(Mapo-gu) , Hongik-University-Area

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.


Seoul(Jongno-gu) , Insadong・Jongnon

Yetchatjip is a famous teahouse that has also been used as a movie filming set. It is a great place to stop by for a cup of natural traditional Korean tea, or the traditional summer treat patbingsu, made with the old way with shaved ice and homemade red bean topping.


Seoul(Gangnam-gu)

Bonghwajeon is a traditional Korean restaurant specializing in North Korean cuisine. It serves various kinds of traditional Pyeongyang(capital of North Korea)-style delicacies such as sogogijeon (a pancake filled with ground beef), royal hot pot (a delicacy with vegetables and meat added to pork broth boiled in a specially designed pot; said to have been enjoyed by royal family and the aristocrats), and many more dishes. Bonghwajeon offers healthy and delicious lunch and dinner specials at affordable prices. The restaurant also stocks an array of alcoholic beverages including makgeolli (Korean rice wine), Japanese sake, whiskey and wine.


Seoul(Yongsan-gu) , Itaewon・Yongsan

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  


Seoul(Gangnam-gu) , Gangnam・Samseongdong(COEX)

Palais de Gaumont is a topnotch French restaurant that opened in the affluent area of Cheongdam-dong, Seoul in 2000. The owner, who majored in film, named the restaurant after Leon Gaumont, a pioneer of motion picture technology, and the Gaumont Palace. It aims to spread a new concept of Korean food culture image as fine dining for ten decades of tradition and thus has been applauded as a special restaurant.


Seoul(Jongno-gu) , Insadong・Jongnon

Order a beverage and get a hand-drawn, one-minute portrait of yourself done by none other than the café’s owner. The café has appeared on the series I Need Romance, variety shows We Just Got Married, I Live Alone, and Tasty Road, and Lee Seung-gi’s music video.  


Seoul(Mapo-gu) , Hongik-University-Area

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.