An Insider’s Guide To Seoul
EAT & DRINK
Onjium
One of Seoul's most celebrated restaurants, Onjium has built its reputation on a genuine commitment to royal cuisine from the Joseon dynasty, Korea's last kingdom. Tables are hard to come by but it’s worth the effort. Sitting across the walls of Gyeongbok Palace, the dining room looks straight out onto the palace grounds, giving you a sense of having stepped back 200 years. The kitchen treats Korean culinary heritage as something still alive and evolving, researching historical recipes and reworking them for a modern palate. The traditional liquor pairings are a natural extension of everything the restaurant stands for.
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Gold Pig BBQ
If you had to go to one BBQ in Seoul, it would be this one. Specialty cuts like bone-in samgyeopsal (pork-belly) and neck meat are grilled on a cast iron plate heated over charcoal briquettes, which lets the meat cook evenly without burning. Pork is a familiar thing, but try it here and you won't forget it. You can’t book, so just show up.
Visit GOLD-PIG.COM
Myeungdong Kyoja
The menu here is about as simple as it gets: noodles and dumplings. The speciality is kalguksu, knife-cut noodles made fresh daily, served in a clean chicken broth with a couple of dumplings and a generous topping of stir-fried beef and vegetables. Order the dumplings alongside the noodles – together they make a complete meal.
Visit MDKJ.CO
Etre Bakehouse
Salt bread is having a moment in Seoul and Etre Bakehouse is leading the charge. Though not an early pioneer of the trend, it’s more than made up for it with an impressive range of flavours, right in the middle of Seongsu, which is the city's hottest neighbourhood right now. Get there when it opens at 10am as things tend to sell out fast.
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Zenzero
This spot takes Korean seasonal ingredients seriously and the flavour list proves it. You’ll be able to try things like kumquat tea tart, gamtae caramel (gamtae being a seaweed unique to Korea), barley grass, sesame oil or Jeju carrot sorbet, which rotate depending on the time of year. It’s creative without feeling like it's trying too hard.
Follow @ZENZERO.SEOUL
Yunjudang
Yunjudang has long been a local favourite for old-style casual drinks and food, and since its owner became one of the finalists on season two of Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars, getting a table has become nearly impossible. The space is tiny, and she runs it herself – brewing all the alcohol, cooking all the food, and looking after every guest personally. It’s a set menu only and the alcohol pairing included is non-negotiable. It’s worth every effort to book.
Follow @YUNJUDANG
SHOP
Dapsimni Antique Market
This is where I go every time I'm back in Seoul. It's home to Korea's largest collection of antique furniture, art and artefacts, mostly from the Joseon dynasty, spread across low-rise buildings full of individual shops. The owners are half the reason to visit: they know everything about every piece and are happy to tell you about it.
Visit DAPSIMNI ANTIQUE MARKET
Monoha
A rare find – a place that brings together clothing and craft under one roof. Think handblown glassware, ceramic teaware, wooden dishes and other carefully made living objects, alongside clothes designed and produced entirely in Korea. It regularly hosts exhibitions celebrating local artists and craftspeople. All the locations are beautifully designed but the Hannam store is the one to visit.
Visit MONOHA.COM
Fermata
This boutique is tucked into the hills of Hannam, housed in a renovated home that feels more like a French country cottage than a shop. Most of the clothing is an in-house design and natural in structure, with an emphasis on quality fabric and careful tailoring.
Follow @FERMATA_OFFICIAL
Jem & Pebbles
My favourite jewellery designer in Seoul. Each piece is one of a kind, wearable by anyone, with a natural femininity to it even when the designs are bold. It recently moved into a new space, designed from scratch, which feels more like a showroom than a shop. The staff are warm and genuinely attentive too.
Follow @JEM_AND_PEBBLES
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THINGS TO DO
Hannam-dong
This is where so many creatives naturally gather and you can feel that energy in the most innovative restaurants, bars and independent shops. It’s stylish without trying too hard, and always a little ahead of its time.
Seongsu-dong
The most in-demand neighbourhood in Seoul right now. Warehouse cafés, independent bookshops, studios and big brand flagship and pop-up stores have all planted their flags here. The crowd skews young and the energy matches the demographic, though it's more café culture than nightlife – don't come looking for bars.
Gyeongdong Market
This is the kind of food market you will not leave feeling hungry. It has a huge range of options, from street-food style stalls that sell tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) to fried chicken shops, to sundae (tripe) vendors, and noodle spots like Andongjip, which is run by one of the finalists of the first season of Culinary Class Wars.
SLEEP
Nostalgia
Nostalgia offers an intimate collection of traditional hanok houses in the historic Bukchon neighbourhood, steps away from Seoul's grand royal palaces. Each house is rented in its entirety, providing a private sanctuary of three to four rooms arranged around a beautiful central courtyard.
Visit NOSTALGIASEOUL.COM
The Shilla Seoul
The Shilla Seoul is a five-star luxury hotel on the slopes of Namsan Mountain, offering sweeping views over the city while maintaining a serene retreat-like atmosphere. Its architecture beautifully blends traditional Korean design, drawing on the clean lines and natural harmony of hanok, with expansive landscaped gardens that evoke classical Korean palace grounds.
Visit SHILLA.NET
For more, visit TOKKIA.WORLD & follow @TOKKIA.WORLD
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