Hangwachae is a vegetarian buffet restaurant in Insadong, which serves up dishes made with fresh organic vegetables. The owner of the restaurant first began cooking vegetarian dishes for her vegetarian husband. When her friends tasted her cooking, they encouraged her to open a vegetarian restaurant, which lead to the opening of Hangwachae. The owner prepares the food as if she were preparing it for her husband and friends, therefore the ingredients are all fresh and of high quality.Soup, rice, rice porridge, and Korean pancakes are offered as the basic menu and are also included in the buffet. The rice served is made with 20 different Oriental herbs. The buffet offers some 20 to 30 different dishes. For protein supplements, the buffet offers walnuts, homemade tofu, and muk (nut jellies). It also offers rice cakes and bananas. One of Hangwachae’s most famous dishes is the green salad served with cheonggukjang (thick soybean paste) sauce made with choenggukjang, milk, and papaya. The kimchi is flavored with fruit instead of pickled fish. Hangwachae only uses grape oil in its cooking.
Also referred to as “Tto-tteok,” Ttobogetji Tteokbokki is a popular tteokbokki restaurant that has many branches in Hongdae. Upon order, tteok (rice cake), egg, eomuk (fish cake), and three different vegetables are served together with an order of tabletop tteokbokki. Additional menu such as noodles, fried potatoes, and fried rice are also available.
Mopsi is a popular dessert cafe in Hongdae. Its first branch specializes in chocolate cakes whearas the second branch specializes in cheese cakes. In particular, Mopsi's first branch is popular among women in their twenties with their fresh chocolate cakes baked upon order.
Closed
Tuesdays
Operating Hours
Weekdays 14:00-23:00
Weekends 13:30-23:00
* Last order 22:00
Menu
Some menu items may differ slightly in price and are subject to change without notice.
ㆍChocolate Cake
ㆍChocolate drinks
ㆍCoffee
ㆍTea, etc.
Credit Cards
Accepted
Most foods from the northern region are characterized by their mild taste. In particular, Pyeongyang-style cold buckwheat noodles has a milder flavor compared to Hamheung-style cold noodles. Pildongmyeonok's cold buckwheat noodles may taste bland for those who are used to stronger flavors or seasonings, but it is praised by others who prefer mild flavors. The neat after taste of broth and chewy noodles are enough to delight one's tastebuds.
Pyeongyang-style dumplings is another popular dish at Pildongmyeonok.
Hirameki presents Kaiseki courses of authentic Japanese cuisine along with sake. In order to stay true to the original taste, Hirameki carefully selects only the highest quality ingredients and has special cooking methods, for recipes that exude flavor. It also has thorough health control standards. All of the restaurant's dishes are prepared by a head chef who has proven his skill as a Kaiseki chef in Japan, raising the bar for outstanding taste and beautiful delicacies. Dishes are accompanied by a choice of more than 20 different types of fragrant sakes.
Luden Loquen SPACE (Cafe LN) is a unique hanok cafe, located at the end of the alley where Bukcheon Hanok Village starts. The cafe is not just an average café where you can drink tea or coffee but because of location and design it has an added sense of cultural value. Locals come to enjoy the best tea in town, brewed using high quality tea leaves with information on its origin attached. (For example, the gukhwa-cha (chrysanthemum tea) at the café comes from the Andong region.) In addition to traditional drinks and sweets, the coffee shop offers a variety treats that combines Korean ingredients and modern desserts. The hanok (traditional Korean house) building has been reinterpreted through a modern design.
Opened in 1981, this diminutive restaurant has been attracting customers with its mouthwatering ramyeon noodles for more than 20 years. The restaurant’s unique ramyeon recipe includes an ultra-spicy broth with lots of red pepper seasoning, chewy noodles, egg, and bean sprouts. Even Koreans, who are used to eating spicy kimchi, sometimes shed tears while eating this fare. Besides the food, the ambience is fun, with interesting messages written by customers attached to the ceiling and the walls.
The restaurant has created its own jargon that is recognized only by regular customers: ramyeon is called ppal-gye-tteok (spicy red soup with egg and rice cake), and yellow pickled radish is called pineapple, to name a few of the coined terms.
The menu board lists the price of ramyeon as W30,000 confusing first-time visitors. But don’t panic: an extra zero (0) was just added for fun! TIP: (1) Take some souvenir pictures using the walls and the ceiling as a background (2) Try putting some cold rice in your ramyeon for an interesting, less spicy taste.
Following extensive years in researching about kimchi and its scientific benefits, Samkim has succeeded in producing its own unique brand of kimchi that is unique in flavor and quality.Many dishes at the Samkim restaurant combine kimchi and pork belly ('samgyeopsal' in Korean) since kimchi researchers found that the two foods seem to complement each other perfectly (hence, the name was made combining the two words' first syllable). According to researchers’ findings, kimchi raises your metabolism rate slightly as you eat, reducing the amount of fat that the body takes in while eating the pork belly.To apply its kimchi findings, Samkim opened restaurants all across the country, starting with its flagship restaurant in Myeong-dong. Some of the most popular dishes among both foreign and local diners are the kimchi stew, kimchi pancake and rolled kimchi.
Bulgogi is a Korean word referring to all types of grilled meat. During the 1950s, grilled meat used to be called ‘Seolyameok’ or ‘neobiani’. When introduced to Japan, Bulgogi became known as Yakiniku. Depending on the recipe, both salted or seasoned meat are considered Bulgogi.
Bulgogi Brothers is a new Korean food concept restaurant where high quality Bulgogi is served amongst a stylish interior with chic jazz music and sophisticated lighting without the annoyance of smoke. The restaurant offers a wide selection from their menu including different types of local bulgogi dishes (e.g. Gwangyang-style and Eonyang-style), grilled Hanu (Korean-bred beef), cold noodles, bibimbap, and stews. Recently, the restaurant has introduced 13 different kinds of traditional liquor leading the efforts to promote quality Korean traditional liquors to a wider audience.
The interior of the restaurant is dressed in Japanese style, offering a foreign environment for customers. Fresh, natural ingredients are used instead of MSG to give the udon soup base a refreshingly clean flavor. There are 5~6 different types of udon offered on the menu that are adapted to the taste of Koreans, such as Kimchi Udon and Oden Udon. Recommended set menus include the Okonomi-Teishoku (with tuna sashimi), Tokumi-Teishoku, and Tonkatsu-Teishoku (pork cutlet, rice, udon).