Eating - Seoul - page 64

What's Hot
Seoul's international restaurants range from Bulgarian to Vietnamese. Much of the inter-
national food you get is fairly authentic (particularly Italian and Japanese), although
places do tend to tweak their recipes and presentation to meet local tastes.
Crazes come and go fairly quickly. At the time of research, Mexican - particularly soft
shell tacos - were the rage, often mixing in local flavours such as kimchi and BBQ pork.
Gourmet burger bars are also on the increase across the city. To catch the culinary Zeit-
geist, zone in on dining hotspots such as Itaewon and Garosu-gil/Serosu-gil.
Restaurants & Cafes
Korean restaurants often specialise in one or two dishes only; in some cases you'll find
whole streets packed with places offering the same meal, ie tteobokki (a Korean pasta
stew) in Sindang-dong Tteobokki Town.
Most Korean-style restaurants offer a table and chairs option, but in some traditional
places customers sit on floor cushions at low tables. Few staff speak English, but most
restaurants have some English on the menu or else pictures or plastic replicas of the
meals.
Cafes and teahouses mainly specialise in drinks, but a few do offer decent food. Bakery
chain cafes such as Paris Baguette and A Twosome Place are very common and can be re-
lied on for things such as sandwiches, pastries and cakes. For more on different types of
Korean food CLICK HERE .
Department Stores & Malls
In Seoul, eating out (like most everything else) is a group activity. A number of Korean
meals, such as jjimdak (spicy chicken pieces with noodles) or hanjeongsik (a banquet of
dishes) are not usually available for just one person.
Solo diners won't feel out of place at major department stores or shopping malls - both
great options for casual meals.
Convenience Stores & Street Stalls
For eating on the go there's always a convenience store, such as 7-Eleven or Family Mart,
near to hand. They are packed with snack foods for quick and easy meals; there's usually
a small area to prepare foods, with hot water or a microwave, and tables to sit at.
Street stalls and pojenmacha (tent bars) are another option - Insa-dong, Myeong-dong
and around the Namdaemun and Dongdaemun markets are the best location to dig in with