22 Best Restaurants in Jongno-gu, Seoul

Opened in 1965, Hakrim Dabang is widely considered the oldest running coffee shop in the area (dabangs are old-school Korean establishments that primarily served coffee and non-alcoholic drinks). Not much has changed since then, including the shelves of vinyl, vintage photographs of Seoul on the walls, and velvet lined seats; walking up the creaky, wooden stairs to the shop almost feels as if you’re traveling into the past. Its name is fitting as Hakrim, meaning “forest of learning,” was once where intellectuals gathered and students secretly organized. The Seoul Metropolitan Government designated Hakrim Dabang as a Seoul Future Heritage site for its role during the Democracy Movement, guaranteeing its preservation for future generations.

Cold buckwheat noodles are the specialty at this famed Gwangwahmun staple, where there's usually a wait to get inside. Despite its Michelin-star status the restaurant is nothing fancy, but visitors often take their food to-go and eat at the nearby Cheonggyecheon Stream.

Although Seoul’s love of coffee has now boomed in the past decade, and the city often tops lists of most cafes per capita, Namusairo was a game changer when it first opened its doors in 2002. The cafe (its name means “through the trees”) boasts specialty beans from all over the world and an airy, elegant aesthetic. Built around a hanok, the cafe has a modern storefront that hides a traditional Korean setting. In recent years, the cafe’s owner Bae Jun-sun has become even more involved in the sourcing of his beans, and the cafe’s Instagram outlines each coffee’s origins and the stories of its farmers.

A local institution since 1989, this bunsik (Korean snack foods) shop is widely considered to serve the best tteokbokki (hot and spicy rice cake) in all of Seoul. Barring pandemic restrictions, they are open 24 hours, but no matter when you go, there will always be a line of people.

A neighborhood institution, Tteuran—meaning inner garden—opened its doors in 2009 long before Ikseon-dong became the tourist hot spot it is today. The traditional tea house inside in a hanok is owned by Kim Ae-ran, a woman who personally worked on the building's renovation and still runs the cafe’s register on a daily basis. In addition to Korean teas, Tteuran has traditional Korean treats such as danpatjuk (sweet red bean porridge) and patbingsu (shaved ice topped with sweet red beans). While you'll find many variations around the city, few establishments excel in the beloved summertime dessert like Tteuran. Take a seat facing the garden, left of the main entrance, and enjoy its vibrant colors over authentic Korean flavors.

A restaurant with an eco-friendly ethos, this Insa-dong hot spot uses GMO-free and organic ingredients to create its signature bibimbap. While typical bibimbaps are made of rice and seasoned vegetables served in a bowl and mixed with gochujang (fermented red pepper paste) at the table, the restaurant's "bojagi bibimbap" is a play on traditional Korean bojagi (wrapping cloth); it's hidden inside a thinly cooked yellow egg and wrapped with a seaweed bow. The restaurant is reservation only, vegan-friendly, and has course menus available for lunch and dinner. Visitors here should keep in mind that flavors here, while great for your health, are incredibly subtle, even compared to other organic restaurants in the city.

The Beautiful Tea Museum offers guests a chance to not only sample a variety of Korean teas, but learn the history and properties of them as well. The interior is designed to look like a traditional Korean courtyard, albeit one lined with western style tables. The staff can also help customers decide which of the 130 some teas on offer is best for them. The museum part of the name comes from a gallery exhibiting ceramic works and a display about the traditional teas of Korea, which were once made from flowers rather than tea leaves.

Located in the Bukchon Hanok Village, this traditional tea house and hanok offers seating that looks out onto Bugaksan mountain and serves an extensive menu of Korean teas. The staff, accustomed to tourists, can answer any questions you might have about the beverages and can recommend drinks based on your preferences. While the view outwards is undoubtedly the draw, and many prefer to sit on that end of the house, don’t be too disappointed to be seated elsewhere as all seats have a view of the charming little garden in the hanok’s madang (courtyard). Avoid early afternoons, especially on the weekends, as the tea house fills up quickly. If you’re not too fussy about the hour you have tea, your best bet will be after 6 pm when most tourists are out for dinner.

Founded by a pastry chef, barista, and designer trio, Fritz Coffee is a bakery and cafe with three locations in Seoul. This one, Fritz Wonseo, is aptly located in Wonseo-dong, on the first floor of the Arario Museum, a contemporary art museum founded by world-famous collector Kim Chang-il. Fritz visitors can order coffee and sweets from an addendum to the main building then choose from seats either in the courtyard or in a modern hanok that’s been built inside the courtyard. The brand is well known for their single-origin coffee as well as their red bean and butter baked goods, but also make sure to check out the official Fritz goods. The brand’s signature baby seal logo is a favorite among many Seoulites. 

The definition of a hole-in-the-wall, Gwanghwamin Jip (jip meaning house) is a two-story kimchi-jjiggae (kimchi stew) and jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy, stir-fried pork) restaurant in a back alley. While tucked away, it’s immediately noticeable as the sign in front dates back to the 1950s. The location has long been a restaurant although the current iteration dates back to the ’80s. Today, its signature is the rich, spicy kimchi-jjiggae made with a thirty-year-old recipe by a group of grandmas. Served with bowls of plain, white rice and gyeran-mari (fried egg and scallion omelet) for extra, the food is simple but delicious and the ambiance is authentically vintage. To get the full feel of the place, ask to sit on the second floor. You’ll be led up a flight of rickety stairs and served on floor tables warmed up with ondol (underfloor heating) in the winter.

A favorite among nearby businesspeople, Gwanghwamun Ttukgam is a gamja-tang (pork back stew) and pork belly barbecue restaurant. The intoxicating smell of the latter, especially when cooked alongside sizzling, fried kimchi, is tempting but save yourself for the former and you won’t be disappointed. Their signature stew, a popular hangover dish, is served bubbling over portable gas for larger parties and as single-servings in stone pots for one. While some gamja-tang fanatics prefer meatier portions than the ones served here, Gwanghwamun Ttukgam’s stews are heavy on garlic and topped with perilla leaves, making for a more fragrant dish overall. Avoid weekday lunch and night hours as you’ll often see office workers in line for their entire teams, and grab a piece of mint at the register on your way out.

Set within a renovated hanok (traditional Korean house), this restaurant serves homemade Japanese food. There is often a wait, but groups of four or more can reserve a dining room in advance by phone.

At this eight-table contemporary Korean fusion restaurant near Changgyeonggung Palace, expect small, artfully presented plates such as ceviche, octopus, and scallops. There's a nice selection of natural wines to pair with the dishes and a burrata appetizer to start.

In business since 1993, Jaha Son Mandu specializes in gourmet mandu or Korean-style dumplings. Both the house that the restaurant is in and the recipes used have been passed down to owner Park Hye-kyung from her grandparents. Until recently, you could catch glimpses of her grandmother overseeing quality control in the kitchen. While their prices are approximately double that of other restaurants in the area, Jaha Son Mandu is distinctly different, as many of the ingredients are made on site (son means hand, and in the case of the restaurant's name, handmade). They even ferment the soy sauce themselves and don’t use a single drop of artificial flavoring. Some of their dishes, like their mandu-guk (dumpling soup), are elevated takes on classics while other dishes, like their pyeonsu (dumplings with beef, mushrooms, and cucumbers) are hard-to-find gems. 

This Samcheong-dong institution serves one of the best gimbaps (seaweed rice rolls) in the country. Although most gimbap restaurants cater to younger demographics with fillings like tonkatsu (fried porklet) and tuna-mayonnaise, this small eatery serves dishes that adhere to more traditional recipes from Joseon kingdom times, including two types of gimbap, kongbiji (ground soybean stew) and Joseon guksi (warm noodles with a soybean-paste soup). Both gimbaps have the typical pickled, yellow radish, ham, and sliced carrot fillings but the Joseon gimbap throws ugeoji namul (seasoned cabbage leaves) into the mix while the Odeng gimbap has an entire sheet of fish cake at its center. These dishes are more of an acquired taste, but the fresh ingredients and the neat ambiance of the restaurant set Joseon Gimbap apart from other gimbap joints.

This Japanese katsu restaurant is one of the best places in Seoul to get your crispy tempura battered cutlet fix. Here, the pork cuts are so incredibly tender and juicy that they practically melt on the tongue. The restaurant is located in the basement so it can be easy to miss but just look for the line of people.

Although this restaurant has the Korean word for buckwheat (memil) in their name, Memilhyang Guejip's main draw is their dak-bokkeum-tang (Korean braised chicken stew). They are best known for their spicy version smothered in cheese. The stews are cooked in front of you with the toppings of your choice. Leave some room; when you’re done with the meat, you can opt to have rice mixed in.

One of the city’s best chicken restaurants, Mirak Chicken serves fried chicken three ways: regular, sweet and spicy, and garlic. While the garlic chicken is undoubtedly their signature, be warned that the dish can be a lot to handle, even for fans of the herb, as the garlic is stir-fried and not oven-roasted. The other two options, while overlooked, are great alternatives and pair perfectly with cold, local beer on tap here. Mirak is popular for late-night bites on an evening out, so keep in mind that from 8 pm onward will be quite crowded.

While the name of this restaurant means “good year for a rice harvest,” locals often refer to it as the corner place with delicious tteokbokki (spicy stir-fried rice cakes). Eat inside the bare-bones restaurant which is also a functioning rice mill, pairing the tteokbokki with one of its popular sides: soondae (blood sausage), twigim (deep-fried meats and vegetables), or eomuk (fish cakes). Those looking for a quick bite can also get a tteok-kkochi, a fried rice cake skewer dipped in a sweet and spicy sauce, by far the best ₩1,000 snack in the city.

Housed in a large, red-brick building, this sunny coffee shop located in Seochon serves coffee and quick bites. While their menu includes a decent array of pound cakes, seasonal brunch items, teas, lattes, and Americanos, Staff Picks fans are more likely to point you to its merchandise for sale at the cafe’s entrance. Knick knacks like high-end pencils, vintage china, and other decorative items are popular picks. Outside, seats are arranged around a tall gingko tree. Because the cafe is dog friendly, you’ll often come across pet owners with their furry friends. 

The star recipe of this restaurant is sundae (Korean blood sausages); their menu has traditional sundae soups as well as modern takes like sundae steak. Even those who usually don’t like sundae or are nervous about trying it leave with a newfound appreciation for this Korean delicacy.

This gorgeously designed bookshop and cafe is the neighborhood’s best kept secret. Follow the white staircase down to a bright courtyard in front of the building’s entrance to peruse a curated book selection that changes monthly based on the theme. What differentiates this cafe from others in Seoul is that everyone is reading books and there’s no phone in sight.