Reviewed by Lee
Cuisine: Vegan
Price: $
Reservations: No Reservations
Suggested Items: W12,000 Buffet
With the abundance of samgyeopsal, fast food and fried chicken outlets engaged in a nightly war for patronage with dazzling neon signs, one could be forgiven for thinking Korea is a land so preoccupied with the consumption of animals, that it [...]
Reviewed by: Canadagal
From Lee's Korea Blog
Cuisine: Seafood
Price: $$
Reservations: Recommended (takes reservations and is usually packed)
Suggested Items: Crab legs, Sushi, Mongolian grill, Pasta bar, Desserts
A few weeks ago we attempted to check out D’Maris Seafood and Buffet on a Saturday night. Not a good idea. Even though the place is huge [...]
Cuisine: French
Price: $$
Reservations: Recommended
Suggested Items: Daily specials, any of the desserts
Le Saint-Ex was one of the pioneers of Itaewon’s Restaurant Alley. A classic French bistro, it delivers homey Gallic cuisine in a transporting atmosphere. Like most foreign restaurants, it isn’t cheap, but it is also a good deal for what you [...]
Cuisine: Cafe
Price: $$
Reservations: None
Suggested Items: Chocolate Choux, Terrines
Okay, now we’re getting into serious territory with Korean bakery-cafes. Passion5, on the Hannam side of Itaewon, is a massive gourmet bakery with a German touch on the first floor. The second floor is a posh cafe that delivers extraordinary food. It’s pricey, but this [...]
Cuisine: Burgers
Price: $
Reservations: Not required
Suggested Items: BBB Burger, Pop Burgers
On the hunt for real American burgers, it’s refreshing to find a place that does it right. The owner of Burger B lived in America for a while and traveled the country on an obsession with finding the secret to the perfect burger. [...]
Cuisine: Buddhist temple cuisine
Price: $$$
Reservations: Recommended
Suggested Items: Set menu, Ju-Jeon-Boori, Omija-Tangsu
I’ve had Buddhist cuisine a few times but never like this. In the past it felt like it was weeds and mushrooms, lots of green and gray, like eating the grass clipping bag after mowing the lawn. Baru takes it somewhere, [...]
Cuisine: Cali-Mex
Price:$
Reservations: No
Suggested Items: Burrito, Fish Taco
The best way to describe Tomatillo is “Cali-Mex.” It’s the bright fresh interpretation of Mexican popularized by American chains like Chipotle. The tortillas are made in the store. Sometimes you can see the dude making them. The ordering style goes where you choose your [...]
Cuisine: Brunch
Price:$
Reservations: Optional
Suggested Items: Eggs Benedict, any of the pancakes
This tiny, tiny little place at Hannam Ogari serves up a mean breakfast without mean prices. The owner worked in breakfast slopshops in America and brings some real good breakfast without the prissiness that has diseased the Korean brunch scene. The pancakes [...]
Cuisine: Delicatessen
Price:$
Reservations: No
Suggested Items: Reuben
Leo’s Deli makes its own deli meats and piles them generously on their sandwiches. Having the flavor of a New York deli, the ingredients are fresh. Leo makes the real corned beef and pastrami. There are no nitrates to give them that artificial pink color. You can [...]
Cuisine: Korean
Price: $$
Reservations: Optional (takes reservations but not needed)
Suggested Items: Marinated beef samgyeopsal, Dwaengjang jiggae
Bottom line: Great food at reasonable prices, located in a nice area of town with lots of nearby coffee shops or bars for Round Two.
This is simply my favorite restaurant in Korea because the food [...]
