The best restaurants South Korea

Japanese bar-restaurant offering teriyaki skewers.

This bakery propse coffee, sandwiches and oak. 

An excellent boudin address.

In this establishment, the products highlighted are the side dishes. There are more than twenty of them and they are all plants, roots or medicinal herbs (which the region has in abundance). All of them have different flavours of course and it is very surprising to see everything that can be eaten (and that we have never thought of: ferns stems, lotus leaves...). It is a real vegetable culinary epic to discover. To accompany all this (in a more consistent way), the establishment offers a very good spicy chicken.

This restaurant has since its opening managed to make a name for itself in the area. It offers traditional Korean cuisine with a modern twist, in that everyone will have their own side dishes (banchan). Indeed you order your menu (bossam, bibimbap, fried rice with shrimps...) and we bring you all this, banchan included, in a small wooden tray. It's quite rare to find this type of service in a Korean restaurant, but if you don't like to eat in the same dish as the others then you have to come here.

This small restaurant doesn't look like much, yet the dishes served are executed with mastery. You can't expect endless menus with dozens of dishes. Here only one choice is possible: rice with a pork-based soup/ragoût, kimchi (doejigkimchijjigae) and a fragrant omelette. We really like this authentic side, without fuss and focusing on the essentials. To taste a traditional Korean meal in simplicity, but above all in flavor. An establishment not to be missed.

As its name suggests, it specializes in chonggugjang, the fermented soybean soup. A real delight for amateurs (who can even leave with 1 kg of the basic mixture. The menu of this restaurant is not limited to this dish, and a chonggugjang-bossam menu (boiled pork, cut into strips and eaten in salad leaves) is notably available! Many traditional alcohols are also served to accompany these rustic dishes. The welcome and the clientele are very warm: a good time in perspective..

As can be seen from the squirrel drawings on the façade, this restaurant is dedicated to hazelnuts. In the form of jelly, to accompany salads or to perfume broths, hazelnuts are the restaurant's star ingredient. You can enjoy a delicious mokbossam, which consists of boiled pork... with hazelnuts and various salad leaves, garlic and chili pepper. It's up to you to play by composing your appetizers. We also enjoy many vegetables whose quality makes the region very proud. Go on an empty stomach because it will come out full.

This restaurant is representative of the Korean-style snack food. On the menu are ramyeon, mandu but especially kimbap (they are to fall backwards). In addition to being very generous, they are prepared with uncommon tastes. We recommend the bacon one or/and the curry powder one. Real delights that can be eaten without hunger. It's not expensive at all, it's exquisite and the establishment opens very early, which is ideal if you want to have breakfast in an original way. Small prices and delicacies are on the agenda.

In this building, which evokes traditional temples, you can taste the city's speciality, Idong galbi. These are tasty pieces of beef marinated in soy sauce that will be grilled. You can enjoy a special event: if you order for two people on weekdays before 8pm, the restaurant offers the third meal. We keep the right plan! In addition, some modern sculptures (which are not always understood) bring a touch of culture to this delicious restaurant from which we emerge well satisfied.

In this restaurant, the queens of the plate are none other than my little octopuses. Most people come here to enjoy them fried with noodles or rice, vegetables, shrimps or even pork intestines. A real delicacy to be eaten without hunger (and without end). And it's no surprise that everything is topped with the inevitable spicy sauce. Given the prices and quality of this establishment, it's often very crowded, so expect a bit of a wait. But it's worth it!

There are good restaurants on the top floor, in Korean, Japanese, but also more western styles. You can also eat very well and not too expensive in the basement, on the supermarket floor: there are many catering stands with small tables or counters so that you can set up properly. (The smells there will make you succumb). You will find a choice of classic noodle dishes, fried chicken, but sushi (초밥/chobap) is particularly interesting. Perfect for eating well and for not too much money.

At the end of a small alley, it is the most famous restaurant in Insa-dong, at least the most touristic. It is run by a Buddhist monk who offers in an authentic setting entirely vegetarian menus prepared with mountain herbs (said the legend...). The owner has also published several cookery books. If the place remains popular among foreigners who want to discover Korean cuisine in a charming setting, it is often full of tourists for dinner, businessmen coming for lunch.

For those who like to brunch, head to this establishment with its minimalist, modern decor, brightened up by charming yellow tulips. In this "landmark for couples and good girlfriends" you can enjoy classic brunch fare: soups, salads, hot and cold sandwiches, as well as a few desserts. We particularly recommend the well-stocked mixed salad (콥샐러드) with the grilled avocado sandwich (그릴드아보카도샌드위치). It's fresh, it's good, it's relatively light, so we don't hold back from going.

In a refined but very elegant setting, inspired by the royal palaces, you can taste here the dishes that were served to the Korean royal family in the past centuries. For several generations, the Hwang family has been perpetuating what they learned from Han Hui-Sun, former court lady of the Gojong and Sunjon kings. Refined and sophisticated, this cuisine is also very healthy, representing the essence of the country's culinary culture. We advise you to choose from the fixed menus, which all include a succession of dishes. A royal experience!

This small, stone-walled restaurant offers resolutely modern Korean cuisine. Two dishes in particular caught our eye. You can opt for the famous donkkaseu 동까스, which is a kind of breaded pork cutlet. Here, the cheese version is a treat (albeit very high in calories). Another equally delicious option is a huge rice-filled omelette, served with a well-flavored meat sauce. Both are a real treat.

Famous restaurant serving good beef broths. The seolleongtang that is eaten here consists of a creamy, milky beef broth rich in flavour, in which noodles and meat strips are found. An energizing treat that warms you up in winter. This dish is served with rice (what a surprise) and an excellent radish kimchi, the sweet and mild kkakdugi. Family cuisine, generous service, reasonable prices... in short, a very good option for a successful meal. It's less crowded at night than it is at lunchtime.

Make sure your stomach is empty before you come. This is the most extensive and varied buffet restaurant there is! Here is a non-exhaustive list of what you can find: soups, seafood, sautéed meat dishes, rice dishes (fried, in risottos), Asian noodles, spaghetti (with a wide range of different sauces), fried foods, raw or cooked vegetables, pies and tarts, sushi, a cheese fountain, cakes, fruit, ice cream... You're really getting your money's worth!

This restaurant, with its very modern decor, is very popular, especially with the trendy "Busanese" youth. They come here regularly to enjoy the house specialty: tender, juicy steak cooked to perfection! So good you don't want to finish it, really. To accompany the steak, there are pasta dishes, risottos and appetizers (try the fried milk bites). Some delicious cocktails are also on the menu. A quality, tasty, top-notch address!

This restaurant is a real institution, many times awarded and having benefited from numerous television appearances. Koreans flock to the restaurant to enjoy an exquisite bibimguksu/비빔국수 (a mixture of two traditional dishes). It consists of simple ingredients: buckwheat noodles, soybean sprouts and other vegetables, beef tartar style and covered with the indispensable gochujang. Simple but delicious cooking! To eat healthy, cheap and delicious, go to the Migayeon restaurant.

If you are travelling with friends or family, it is sometimes important to choose a restaurant that satisfies everyone. One will prefer Chinese food, another Japanese or Vietnamese... In cases like this, the Dotz will save you and get everyone to agree! Very classy and elegant, it offers Asian dishes from all horizons. It's really a great concept and the dishes are to be overwhelming because they are so fragrant, tasty and tasty! We highly recommend this place!

It's fair to say that the Koreans have made the adage "everything's good in pigs" their own, and this restaurant is the proof. We put aside our possible disgust and try dishes based on pig intestines, feet and snouts. On paper, these are not very sexy foods, but this restaurant cooks them really well. We particularly recommend the sulguk (술국), which is a soup/stew with pork intestines, intended especially for a difficult morning. Believe us, it's truly surprising and delicious.

It is not for its setting that we go to this tiny restaurant, but for these divine mandu napchak (Korean fried ravioli) which are served sprinkled with chilli, cébette, soy sauce and vinegar. A real delight! It is one of the oldest houses preparing this speciality in the city and certainly the best! If you still have a small space in your stomach, you can also order noodles (ramyeon or udong), they are more basic but just as satisfying. A good address that doesn't look like much but where you can enjoy yourself.

Here you can taste one of the greatest classics of Korean gastronomy, but which is also one of the specialties of Daejeon city: the tasty samgyetang. It is a ginseng broth in the middle of which an appetizing chicken (whole, so don't eat before) proudly sits. The latter contains a lot of delicious surprises, as it is filled with rice, jujubes, ginger, garlic... It is an indescribable flavour that surprises many western palates. Koreans enjoy it a lot in the summer because it is an energizing dish.

This restaurant serves a delicious soup/stew that originates from the city of Busan. As well as being tasty, it's highly reputed for its saving effects after a night out (ideal for hangovers). The star dish is called dwaejigukbap (돼지국밥) and it's a clear soup made from bone broth and sesame oil. Inside are pieces of pork, rice and green onions. This is a famous establishment, so all day long you can expect a fairly long queue.

For a change from the traditional pork and beef barbecues that abound in South Korea, here's a restaurant that serves thin strips of duck. Three flavors are offered: with soy sauce, with gojuchang/고추장(red pepper paste) or plain, lightly smoked. In our humble opinion, the latter version is the best, as the grilled meat is crispier. Lightly salted and peppered, we let you imagine the treat. As an accompaniment, the ever-popular banchan are of course served.

On the island, you will find many establishments that serve fish, but don't worry if you prefer meat, because Hong restaurant is there for you! A very good samgyeopsal/삼겹살 (grilled pork belly) can be tasted there. The thin strips of meat have the specificity of being covered with gochujang/고추장, the famous Korean red pepper paste. It crackles, smells and tastes with infinite pleasure. To accompany this, we recommend mukmuchim/묵무침, a salad made mainly of acorn jelly.very good!

For those who can't resist the pleasures of iodine, this address is going to become a little paradise where the taste buds can't help but be moved. The seafood products are endless: raw, fried, stewed, grilled... there's something to satisfy most people. Moreover, the prices are not delirious considering the freshness of the products as well as their quality. Several menus are offered to suit all budgets. The establishment had the wonderful idea of installing a small cinema for impatient children.

In a modern, chic, luminous and green setting, come to this glitzy restaurant-bar, a perfect representation of the Gangnam Style. On the menu are steak, pasta, risottos, cheese or fruit platters. As far as drinks are concerned, we have to admit that they are quite expensive, but we can drink good cocktails, champagnes, wines or even whiskies. This place is more recommended for evenings with friends, during which one looks less at the expense. Lots of people on the weekends, so give preference to weekday evenings.

Opening in 2019, this establishment offers very good sushi (초밥/초 chobap). We're positioned opposite the cooks and it's great fun to watch them work out the sushi, from preparing the fish to assembling it. As in Japan, the small plates pass by on a conveyor belt and you grab the victuals that most appeal to you. You have the option of taking a set menu, which entitles you to 10 sushi + a bowl of noodles, or paying for your sushi by the piece. A very good establishment!

The owner, who is also the cook, will prepare fabulous and delicious traditional meals for you, most of her ingredients being taken from the large jars of her inspiration that she stores in the back of her restaurant. Great surprise, you can even consume alcohol from...... Bamboo, what a surprise! It's a little strong, but delicious and original. To be consumed in moderation as always. Almost everyone can direct you to this restaurant. A guarantee of its popularity and quality, isn't it?

When you visit the village of Gyochon, treat yourself to a gourmet break at Gyori Kimbap, whose reputation is well known for its famous kimbap (rice and seaweed rolls), filled mainly with a finely chopped omelette but also with crispy marinated vegetables. However, you have to be patient because there is often an endless queue. But it's worth it because the kimbap are really delicious. Ideal for eating on the go but in a healthy way and full of flavours

If this restaurant is so popular among Seoulites, it is for its remarkable kalguksu (knife noodle soup served in beef broth with zucchini slices) and wang mandu (homemade ravioli size XXL). At the entrance, one can admire the cooks preparing and filling the ravioli, enough to whet one's appetite even if one hasn't yet entered the establishment! A restaurant in all simplicity but really very tasty. We recommend it more twice than once!

Despite its canteen feel, this is THE restaurant to try Busan's great specialty, dwaeji gukbap. It's a pork soup flavored with sesame oil and a bone broth: the flavors are simply exquisite! You can't miss this establishment, as there's often a queue outside. And yes, there may be a bit of a wait ahead. But according to connoisseurs, the popularity of the place lies in the finesse of the taste, which is said to be unrivalled to this day.

This restaurant serves delicious mandus (steamed ravioli) from Kaeseong, North Korea, the homeland of the cook who kept a family recipe before moving south in the 1950s. They are absolutely stunning. They are eaten in soups, steamed, cassolette, pumpkin-filled, etc. They are absolutely stunning. The owner also offers a delicious bossam, boiled pork, cut into strips and served in a blanched cabbage leaf. Truly an unmistakable address in the street as much for the quality of its dishes as for the attractive prices.

On the menu of this charming little establishment: wrap, salad, burger... yes, but everything is vegan! Steaks are made from plants and tofu, meatballs are made with mushrooms.... Obviously suitable for vegetarians but will surprise omnivores in many ways. Let yourself be tempted by the avocado burger or the Thai style green curry: they are real wonders! And yes, in the land of barbecues, there are also other alternatives and what's more, they are really delicious too!

One of Korea's culinary stars takes center stage at this restaurant. We're talking about tteok (떡), the national emblems of South Korean street-food. These rice cakes are served here in a spicy sauce with pork intestine, ramyeon, vegetables, eggs, mandu, sweet potato noodles and a mountain of garlic! An explosion of flavors! Yes, we agree, it's a most complete dish that will have no trouble satisfying you completely. Once you've tasted it, you'll be able to say you know Korean cuisine.

The only advice we can give you here is to put aside any a-priori you may have and go and discover the exquisite taste of grilled beef intestines. Mixed with garlic, chilli pepper, onions and cabbage, it is a real treat that will seduce you if you dare this somewhat surprising experience. Finally, order fried rice that will soak up the flavours of your meat and vegetables. We ask for more and more! A small downside, however, is that the restaurant is quite noisy, especially in the evening.

If you're looking for a restaurant serving modern, refined and elegant Korean cuisine, you've come to the right place. Whether à la carte or on the menu, the dishes are composed of traditional Korean ingredients, worked in a modern and delicate way. Two bonus points for this establishment: it offers a few vegetarian dishes as well as some Korean desserts (which is quite rare to find in a restaurant here). For a Korean meal with class and finesse. Very reasonable price for the quality.

This very popular restaurant serves one of the city's specialties, sundubu jjigae (순두부찌개). This is one of the many soups/stews of Korean gastronomy. The main ingredient in this spicy dish is tofu, which is as light and creamy as a cloud. As well as being a real treat, it's very surprising for Western palates unaccustomed to eating it in this way. If you're looking for a good, balanced meal at a very low price, you've come to the right place.

This is a very good address if you want to enjoy a tasty beef barbecue. Beef (Korean beef of exceptional quality), is offered to you either plain, just salted and peppered or marinated in soy sauce. It's your choice. You can also opt for a galbijjim / 갈비찜, a delicious dish of the same beef but braised version. Here, we eat on the floor, Korean style, for more authenticity. A little bottle of soju to make it all flow and that's it, your meal will be at its best!

This restaurant serves one of the best curries in Busan. Generous, spicy to perfection, it's a true delight, a dance of flavors. To accompany the rice and curry, you have several meat options: bacon, chicken, beef, breaded pork. For us, spices go best with pork or chicken. This restaurant is certainly a delight, but there's a hint of a downside: the waiting time... But if you want to take your time, it's perfect!

A minimalist menu, with just five small dishes, but all very tasty. These are mainly cold noodle dishes(kalguksoo or milmyeon) spiced with beef, which are so exquisite that we're delighted to sample them. Since we know you're a gourmand, we recommend you order the mandu next door, those pretty little filled ravioli that you'll surely regret finishing because they're so good. A highly recommended address for fast, delicious food on a budget. A real favorite!

Here you can enjoy one of the typical dishes of the city, the kongnamulgukbap. It is a soup flavoured with anchovies, green onions and sesame oil in which rice is added, but especially soya sprouts (they are the speciality of the city of Jeonju). This soup is very famous in South Korea for its "anti hangover" effect after watered evenings. We'll let you be the judge of that! It is a very good place to eat well and for a very low price.

We must not stop at the not very pleasant front of the establishment. Clothes don't make the man. Here, you can experience one of the most surprising and exotic classics of Korean culinary culture: raw octopuses (and it must be said, which are still wriggling). Finely cut and seasoned with sesame oil, they are delicious. It is a truly unique experience. Don't worry, the restaurant also offers cooked versions. For those who are intrigued by the adventure, a word of advice: chew well!

Want to discover new flavors? Then don't hesitate to push open the doors of Bun Cha Ra Boom. This Vietnamese restaurant promises a truly intense culinary experience. On the menu you'll find pho (rice noodles served in a coriander-scented broth); bun cha (grilled meat dishes with rice vermicelli, salad and a mildly spicy sauce); and com rang (fried rice with shrimp and ham, a cousin of Cantonese rice). A very good address that we highly recommend.

If you're an expert cheese burger lover, this is the place to go. In this restaurant with its friendly industrial decor, you can only try this version. But it's simply exquisite. You can choose between a single or double burger (for those with a sweet tooth), and you can also choose your sauce, which is either "original" or "spicy", as well as the accompaniment (fries with cheese, rosties...). One of the best burgers you'll find anywhere in Busan. And despite the crowds, the service is fast.

Restaurant that offers a very popular cuisine in the country and with really low prices. On the table are two noodle dishes, of Chinese inspiration but revisited with a Korean sauce; the jjajangmyeon (짜장면) and the jjambong (짬봉). For the first course, the noodles are served with an ebony black sauce made from fermented soybean paste. Succulent but unhealthy... For the second course the noodles are served in a spicy seafood soup. All you have to do is make your choice!

Here, we are served a dish that is not very well known to travellers. This is yukgejang (육개장), a spicy soup with leeks and shredded beef. To taste it Korean style, you pour your bowl of rice into it. Several versions are proposed, the classic one, a more full-bodied one or a "white" version, i.e. not spicy. For the record, you will never see many people because this dish is traditionally eaten at funerals.

This modern restaurant specialises in donkaseu (돈까스), cousins of the cordon bleu and made of breaded pork. Here, they're dripping with cheese. You can order them on their own or with a maeun galbi jjim (매운갈비찜), a dish of beef and potato starch noodles accompanied by a spicy caramelized soy and sesame sauce. You can choose the quantity as well as the degree of spice (5 levels). An excellent address far from being dietetic but so greedy and tasty.