When You Want a Proper Meal in Seongsu-dong: 7 Korean Restaurants

Somunnan Seongsu Gamjatang serves both gamjatang, shared from a pot, and gamjaguk meals served in individual bowls. Gamjatang comes in small, medium and large, and gamjaguk can be ordered regular, with ugeoji (dried cabbage leaves) or as a large portion, among others. Even with the same number of people, the amount you order depends on whether each person gets a bowl or you share a pot. There are add-ons like ramyeon for the gamjatang, so you can choose the size of the main dish and then add extras.

The restaurant is on the 1st floor at 45 Yeonmujang-gil. Its annex and parking lot under the same name also show up on maps, so check the address of the dining room when searching for directions. Published hours are listed as 24 hours, making it a candidate when you're planning a very early or very late meal. On days when your group arrives at different times, it's easier to decide on the order if you first agree whether everyone will eat together or each have a bowl, rather than starting with the pot size.

At Seongsu Jokbal you order jokbal in medium, large or extra-large. Once you've decided to share jokbal, match the number of people and appetites first, then choose the size. Unlike choosing individual set meals, this is one platter shared by the table, so ordering is easier if you set a time when everyone will be there. Also think about whether you'll add other dishes when deciding on the total amount.

It's on the 1st floor at 7 Achasan-ro 7-gil, and on maps you'll need to tell it apart from other jokbal places with similar names. Hours are listed as noon to 22:00. For lunch, you can plan around the 12:00 opening. If a group is meeting for dinner, decide in advance on the time and the jokbal size you'll need. You can also use the address to plan a meal near Seongsu Station followed by a walk along Yeonmujang-gil.

At Daeseong Galbi you grill pork galbi and beef galbi, along with various cuts of beef and pork. With chuck flap, thin-sliced brisket, galbisal (rib finger), pork belly and pork neck also available, you can set up a galbi meal or choose other cuts instead. Settle on the type of meat and the number of portions for your first order, then decide whether to add a rice dish. If you plan to order several cuts, compare that with ordering a lot of one kind from the start.

Baekban (rice set) and naengmyeon are also on the menu; naengmyeon has separate time guidance, so check when it can be ordered. The restaurant is at Units 101–103 on the 1st floor of Seoul Forest A Tower, 26 Sangwon 1-gil. Hours are listed as 11:00–21:00 with a break from 14:30 to 16:30, closed Sundays. If you're combining it with plans around Seoul Forest, make sure your meal doesn't fall into the break, and check the building name and unit numbers to find it.

Halmeoniui Recipe is a Korean restaurant on Seoulsup 2-gil serving ssambap, tteokgalbi and grilled fish set meals, as well as pork bone soup. Soy sauce-marinated stone crab, mushroom bulgogi and bibimbap are also on the menu, so you can choose different main dishes to go with your rice. Deciding first between a set meal and a bowl of soup makes choosing easier. Hanwoo tteokgalbi and grilled flounder are also listed as separate side dishes, so you can compare what to add to your meal.

The lunch specials of gochujang bulgogi and mushroom bulgogi are ordered from 11:30 to 13:00, and the dinner birthday table from 17:00 to 20:00, excluding weekends and public holidays. The restaurant is at 44-12 Seoulsup 2-gil, with hours of 11:30–21:00 and a break from 15:00 to 17:00. If you plan to head toward Seoul Forest after a set meal, coordinate the ordering hours of the special you want with directions from where you are.

Nanpo offers gangdoenjang ssambap along with octopus soy sauce noodles, seasonal raw fish noodles and abalone perilla noodles. Each person can pick rice or noodles as their main, while sharing dishes like seasonal raw fish wrapped in aged kimchi, shrimp and potato pancakes, or blanched octopus. When adding pancakes or blanched seafood to ssambap and noodles, adjust the total amount to the number of shared dishes. The seafood dishes take different forms, as noodles, rolls or blanched slices, even with the same ingredient.

There's also gomguk (beef bone soup), Hanwoo suyuk, Hanwoo yukjeon and a Hanwoo boyang hot pot. The restaurant is on the ground (semi-basement) level at 18-8 Seoulsup 4-gil; other restaurants share the building, so check both the name and the floor. Listed hours are 11:00–21:30, with a weekday break from 15:50 to 17:00. For dishes using seasonal ingredients, check what's offered on the day of your visit and decide on the total order including sides.

Seongsu Godeungeo serves grilled fish set meals with mackerel, Spanish mackerel, flounder, Atka mackerel or hairtail. Even for a grilled fish meal, you can choose the type of fish, so start by comparing which one you want. Besides individual sets, there's an assorted grilled fish platter, so a group can switch to sharing one plate. Decide whether to order set meals per person or center the meal on the platter, and check whether the fish you want is available that day.

A yukhoe bibimbap set, a bossam set and a jeyuk bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork) set are also available, so not everyone in your group has to choose fish. It's on the 1st floor at 39-1 Sangwon 1-gil, with hours listed as 10:00–22:00. When some people want grilled fish and others want meat, everyone can order a different set at the same restaurant. Choose your set depending on whether the fish you want is available that day.

At Neungdong Minari Seongsu you can have a single-bowl meal of minari (water parsley) gomtang, Neungdong gomtang or yukhoe bibimbap. Minari gomtang comes in regular and large, so pick the size that suits your appetite. Those who want soup and those who want bibimbap can each choose their own dish. On days when you're eating alone, go for a single bowl; when a group gathers, you can also consider dishes to share.

For sharing, there's minari suyuk hot pot, braised minari oxtail and minari gopchang hot pot, each in several sizes. The restaurant occupies floors 1–2 at 42 Yeonmujang-gil. It opens at 9:30 on weekdays and 9:00 on weekends and public holidays, running until midnight, with last orders at 23:30. The schedule lets you plan anything from a near-breakfast meal to a late dinner. For hot pots and braised dishes, first choose a size that fits your group and appetite.