Essentials
Money in Korea
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Read guide →Western food has been localized in Seoul over decades, emerging as something distinctly Korean in the process. Demi-glace pork cutlets, cream pasta with kimchi, and French-style brunch menus sit alongside Italian pizza and American burgers in Seoul's eclectic restaurant landscape. Many younger Korean chefs trained abroad and returned to open restaurants that blend European technique with Korean ingredients and sensibility.
Yongsan-gu contains Itaewon — Seoul's most international neighbourhood — as well as the scenic Hannam district and Yongsan Electronics Market. Itaewon's food scene reflects its global community: Indian, Middle Eastern, African, and American restaurants share streets with high-end Korean and Japanese establishments. It's also where many of Seoul's foreign chefs have set up their most ambitious projects.
While shopping in Hannam-dong, a local Korean friend recommended this ginseng chicken soup restaurant. Their specialty is that you can wrap the chicken in marinated perilla leaves to eat with it – it's an absolutely perfect combination, and the soup is incredibly rich! Highly recommended!
The environment was clean and tidy, and the food was normal.
