A Foodies Fantasy in Seoul, Korea

We lead our travel journeys with our stomachs, and then our hearts

  Living in Seoul, knowing that there is over 80,000 restaurants here per the World Cities Culture Forum in 2016, you can only imagine how much time we spend looking for the best ones to eat at.  In our little piece of Seoul, we have managed to find six restaurants that we visit frequently.  I wish I knew where all of the photos were saved so I could show you how good the food looked! But you’ll just have to trust me when I say that I highly recommend these restaurants!

Stacked (Gangnam)

  This place was in such a prime location if you knew where the Yongsan base was in Seoul.  Before Yongsan closed down, this restaurant was located right outside of the walk-in gate by Itaewon. Right before we left Korea, we found out it moved to Gangnam. I was pretty sad because Sean and I ate here and we made it our “go-to” when we wouldn’t know where to eat.  We usually spend roughly about $50 here when we go, and we would get four sets of dumplings, two orders of fried rice, and drinks.  It’s such a steal for good dumplings!

Ichiryu. Photo from ViaMichelin.Co.Uk

Ichiryu (Itaewon)

  44 Jandari-ro 3an-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea | We found this restaurant by luck.  We were exploring the back streets of Itaewon where there is less traffic, and we noticed the Michelin recommended sign on the window.  When we entered, it was just a small bar.  They serve dinner menus here, and it’s three choices of Sapporo style lamb.  We ordered a French rack and lamb chops.  They prepared it for us, and it was absolutely delicious.  It’s a little on the pricier side for the amount of food you get, so we’d recommend saving for the occasion.

BBQ Chicken (Yongsan)

  If you didn’t already know, Koreans are well known for their BBQ and their fried chicken.  BBQ Chicken was a staple food in our household.  We ordered BBQ chicken almost every weekend when Sean came home.  There’s just something about those honey glazed wings and that undeniable crispy freshness the chicken had.  What blew our minds was the chicken would still be crispy (after heating in the oven) the next day! Witchcraft we tell you!  Absolutely mind blowing. 5 out of 5 for fried chicken, and I didn’t even eat fried chicken like that before Korea.

MenyaSandaime (Itaewon)

  24 Hongik-ro 5an-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea | We are forever on the search for the best ramen we can find.  Unfortunately, Sean hasn’t been able to taste ramen in Japan yet, but Menya Sandaime has definitely come very close to hitting home.  This ramen shop is quaint, but the line will go passed the neighboring stores.  The ramen noodles are made in house, the broth is super rich and flavorful. We’d recommend the black garlic ramen since it has such a bold flavor.

Egg Drop (Various locations)

  The versatility of eggs is always inspiring to me.  This small café specializes in egg sandwiches.  The menu isn’t very large, but the items are packed with flavor.  We tried three sandwiches in one visit and they did not disappoint.  We recommend this for a quick on-the-go brunch stop as their containers do well to prevent you from getting sandwich droppings on yourself.  If you’re feeling adventurous, try their delicious egg vanilla latte! It’s egg-citingly delicious, no yoke! 

Maple Tree (Itaewon)

116-1, Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul | It would be a shame to leave Korea without finding some amazing Korean BBQ.  We hadn’t realized how small the restaurant was until we went there trying to get a seat.  Our first recommendation would be to call ahead and try and reserve a space.  Once we were in though, the service was extremely fast.  The menu itself is fairly large, and the quality of meat reflects in the price for sure.  It did not seem like a very large portion of food, but with the unlimited sides, I was surprisingly satisfied for the rest of the night.  The aesthetic of the restaurant was very nice as well, seeing as most of it was covered in empty soju bottles!

Hibarin. Photo from imperialpalaceboutiquehotel.com

Hibarin (Itaewon)

  737-25 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea | This is another Japanese restaurant located in Itaewon. We were lucky to find this place after visiting, Vinyl & Plastic, a record store and cafe. This restaurant is located under IP Boutique hotel. It had a very modern aesthetic to it so dining there is very Insta-worthy. The katsu that we ordered was so good! It’s really something you can’t go wrong ordering.

Everland: Korea's Largest Theme Park

  It’s been so nice having warmer weather here in Korea.  I work the night shift so I haven’t grasped the concept of spring blooming until a few days ago when I walked the doggies outside while there was daylight.  This was a special treat for Sean and I. Not only have I been feeling way under the weather, but also because we finally decided to break our routine of café hunting and make our way to Everland! Click here for discounted tickets to Everland!

There’s something for everyone at Everland!

  I heard about Everland for the first time from my realtor when she took her kids there last summer.  At first, I thought it was just a water park, but when I looked it up it was more than that!  Everland has a theme park, a water park, and a zoo!  The admission fee for both Sean and I was cheaper than one Disneyland ticket!  You can get a discounted price by clicking here, saving you almost $15 on the ticket if you buy it online ahead of time!

  During our visit, we went to see the tulips in the European Adventures area of the park, and of course to check out some of the rides that they had to offer.  Every year they host a tulip garden and a rose garden.  If you want to see a large selection of flowers but aren’t willing to make your way all the way to the Taean Tulip Festival then it’s worth it to visit Everland.

Take a gander at that drop on the rollercoaster in the background!

  Everland happens to house the world’s steepest wooden rollercoaster.  It took us all day to make our way through the park to get there, but I can honestly say it was worth the hour wait in line.   It. Was. Intense.  Sean made us ride in the back so we would get the full experience of the drop at full speed and good grief… I feel like I was falling out of my seat.  You only get a seatbelt and another fitted bar across your lap.  You feel like you’re going to fall out on every drop you hit.  For a wooden rollercoaster, it’s definitely a 10/10 for me.

  The next time we visit, we’ll be visiting the water park side of Everland called Caribbean Bay, so make sure you keep a look out for that adventure!

How does it compare to Lotte World?

  I’m not going to lie, I didn’t enjoy Lotte World as much as I thought I would, so that’s probably why I haven’t written a blog about it.  Lotte World is definitely geared more toward younger children.  I’d say that Everland is more family friendly if it comes to having various ages (young children to teenagers) in your family.  I’d say that the park is definitely more aesthetically pleasing to the eye, meaning it’s better kept than Lotte World is.

  Everland is definitely something you’d want to check out during the months that are in between the extreme weather months, so spring and autumn.  Lotte World would be better for going during the extreme weather months since they have indoor attractions as well.

As far as pricing goes, you can get Lotte World tickets for 33,000 won using this link [click], and Everland tickets for 37,000 won using this link [click].

How does it compare to big corporate theme parks like Six Flags and Disney?

  I’d easily compare it to the older Disneyland.  There are definitely enjoyable rides which also include virtual reality rides.  The aesthetic of the park is broken up like it would be in Disneyland, but they’re geared more towards different areas in the world rather than cartoon towns.  Their gift stores showcase characters of the park like Disney would.  As far as Six Flags, there’s definitely no comparison in rides.

Nitty Gritty of the pros and cons of Everland

  It’s affordable ticket prices make enjoying the park so much better.  You’re not having to save up a crazy amount just to take your family out to a theme park.

  The food in the restaurants are absolutely scrumptious, and well-priced.  When we bought a two 19,000 won meals, they were well worth their price.

  There are so many snack bars around the park, that are also very affordable.  It doesn’t cost you $15 for a regular drink that’s mostly ice like it would in the states.

  There’s a zoo in the park where you can pet wild animals.  I mean, come on…

They have different galleries showcased there! We’re unsure of how often it changes, but the one we went to featured an interactive kaleidoscope art piece!

  If you drive there, the parking is free!  There’s a shuttle bus that runs from the parking lot to the entrance of the park as well, so you don’t have to walk back and forth for very long distances.

  The park has a lot of steep inclines, so going up and down with strollers and small children may not be the easiest, but there are gondolas that can take you from different places to the park so you don’t have to walk the entire length of the park if you’re just trying to get to a certain zone.

  Overall, we’d highly recommend this park for families with children, or even if you’re just a couple!