Seoul Food Guide 2026: 5 Best Places for Samgyeopsal, Hanwoo, Samgyetang, Dak Hanmari & Gwangjang Market

Five Dishes to Eat in Seoul, and Where

On a first visit to Seoul there is too much to eat and choosing is hard. So we narrowed it down to 5 — samgyeopsal, grilled hanwoo, samgyetang, dak hanmari, and the market food of Gwangjang Market. These are the dishes no Korea trip skips.

Restaurants were chosen only from those listed on the official Korea Tourism Organization pages. Among them, Byeokje Galbi Bangi and Baengnyeon Tojong Samgyetang also appear in the Michelin Guide.

For each restaurant we note the signature dish and hours, and the subway exit where an official source lists one. Below each entry sits an address card plus Naver, Google and Kakao map links. Show the address card to a taxi driver as is.

1) Samgyeopsal — Eongteori Saenggogi Hongdae (Mapo-gu)

A Hongdae grill house where the samgyeopsal never runs out. The Korea Tourism Organization introduces it as "a Hongdae signature restaurant where you can eat unlimited grilled samgyeopsal."

What to order — the signature is the all-you-can-eat raw meat: samgyeopsal, moksal (pork neck), deungsim (loin) and chadolbage (beef brisket). Doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew) is also served.

Hours — 11:00~23:00, open all year. Phone 02-345-9588.

2) Grilled Hanwoo — Byeokje Galbi Bangi (Songpa-gu)

A hanwoo galbi house listed in the Michelin Guide Seoul 2023. It serves many hanwoo cuts, from loin and galbi to sagol (leg bone). Seoul's official tourism guide explains that the restaurant uses hanwoo aged for 4 to 7 days and that its marinade — flavored with 7 ingredients built on soy sauce, syrup, spices and salt — is the secret.

What to order — Seolhwa Saenggalbi (설화생갈비) and Seolhwa Kkotdeungsim (설화꽃등심) are the signature dishes. Naengmyeon, seolleongtang and hanwoo kkoritang (oxtail soup) are also on the menu.

Getting there — 176m from Exit 4 of Bangi Station on Line 5.

Hours — 11:30~22:00, last order 21:00, open all year. Phone 02-415-5522.

3) Samgyetang — Baengnyeon Tojong Samgyetang (Jongno-gu)

Samgyetang is a soup (ginseng chicken soup) made by boiling a whole chicken with ginseng. Baengnyeon Tojong Samgyetang on Bukchon-ro appears in the Michelin Guide, and its signature dish is samgyetang.

What to order — the signature is samgyetang. Fried ginseng is also served.

Hours — 09:00~21:00. Phone 02-747-5535.

A samgyetang restaurant with the same name also exists separately in Hongdae (118 Yanghwa-ro, Mapo-gu). The restaurant in this article is at 41 Bukchon-ro, Jongno-gu — search the address in your map app.

4) Dak Hanmari — Seoul Dongdaemun Dak Hanmari Alley (Jongno-gu)

Dak hanmari is a dish where a whole chicken is boiled in a large basin of broth. Potatoes, rice cakes, ginseng, jujubes and mushrooms go in with it. After taking out the meat and side ingredients to eat, you boil a sari of kalguksu noodles in the remaining broth.

The alley in Dongdaemun began some 30 years ago as a spot where Dongdaemun market merchants eased their hunger. It is an alley, not a single restaurant, and Jin Ok Hwa Dak Hanmari stands as its representative restaurant. Jinokhwa Halmae Wonjo Dakhanmari Main Branch opened in 1978.

Getting there — leave Dongdaemun Station on Line 4 through Exit 8 or Exit 9 and go straight, then turn left alongside the Industrial Bank of Korea building to reach a one-way street. Midway down that street, turn right into the alley by the Deokseonggak Chinese restaurant and the dak hanmari restaurants appear.

Hours — 10:30~01:00 the next day.

5) Market Food — Gwangjang Market (Jongno-gu)

Korea's first permanent market, it opened in 1905. In the food alley vendors sell bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes) and modum-jeon (assorted pancakes) griddled to order; mayak gimbap, firm mini gimbap made with danmuji pickled radish and carrot and dipped in mustard sauce; yukhoe, beef tartare made from beef trimmed that day; wang sundae; and donggeurang-ttaeng, round patties molded from pork neck. Tteokbokki and eomuk (fish cakes) are also there.

Getting there — 62m from Exit 8 of Jongno 5-ga Station on Line 1. You can also arrive via Exit 4 of Euljiro 4-ga Station on Lines 2 and 5.

Hours — the market runs 09:00~18:00 and closes on Sundays. The food alley runs 09:00~23:00, open all year. In the evening, only the food alley is open.

Summary of the 5 Places — Stations & Hours at a Glance

Address cards and map links sit under each restaurant. Hours and menus were checked in September 2026 against the Korea Tourism Organization and Seoul's official tourism guides.