🇰🇷 72 Hours in Seoul – A Detailed Guide to Korean Food You Must Try!

Seoul is a food lover’s paradise, and with just 72 hours, we dived headfirst into the city’s vibrant culinary scene. From comforting Seolleongtang (ox bone soup) to premium Hanwoo beef BBQ, and bold Gamjatang (pork bone stew), every meal brought us closer to Korea’s rich food culture.

This blog post breaks down our food tour in detail, explaining how each dish is prepared, what makes it unique, and why it should be on your must-try list. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a returning foodie, this guide has something for everyone.

🌈 Day 1: Classic Comfort Food and Premium BBQ in Gangnam & Myeongdong

Breakfast: Seolleongtang – 선릉설렁탕

📍 Address: 18 Teheran-ro 51-gil, Gangnam District, Seoul

Seolleongtang is a traditional Korean soup made by simmering ox bones, brisket, and other cuts of beef for hours until the broth turns creamy white. It’s a simple yet deeply flavorful dish that’s served plain, allowing diners to customize it with green onions, salt, and pepper.

• What Makes It Special: Seolleongtang is often paired with radish kimchi (kkakdugi) and cabbage kimchi (baechu kimchi) for a balanced, refreshing bite between sips of the warm, nourishing soup.
• Why You’ll Love It: It’s light, comforting, and a perfect breakfast to start your day in Seoul.

Lunch: LOTTE Department Store Food Court

📍 Address: 81 Namdaemun-ro, Jung District, Seoul

Myeongdong’s LOTTE Department Store Food Court is a haven for foodies, offering a wide selection of dishes that showcase Korea’s diverse culinary offerings.

• What We Tried:
  • Jjajangmyeon: Chewy wheat noodles coated in a glossy black bean sauce made with diced pork and onions. The perfect balance of sweet and savory!
  • Chinese Braised Beef Noodle Soup: beef shank slow-braised in soy sauce and wine, ginger and green onions. Serve over hot noodles and broth.
  • Bibim Naengmyeon: Cold buckwheat noodles served in a spicy tangy sauce, topped with slices of cucumber, pear, and boiled egg.
  • Han-jeong-sik: A full-course Korean meal featuring rice, soup, and a variety of side dishes (banchan) like marinated fish, seasoned vegetables, and fermented bean pastes.

Dinner: Hanwoo BBQ at Just Butchers – 바른고기 정육점 강남점

📍 Address: 110 Teheran-ro, Gangnam District, Seoul

For dinner, we indulged in Hanwoo beef, Korea’s premium, marbled beef known for its rich flavor and tender texture. At Just Butchers, the servers handle the grilling for you—a practice that’s becoming common in Korean BBQ restaurants to ensure perfect results.

• How Hanwoo Is Grilled: The beef is placed on a charcoal or gas grill and cooked slowly to preserve its juiciness. The servers expertly sear and flip the meat, ensuring it’s cooked to perfection.
• How to Eat It: Wrap a piece of grilled beef in lettuce or perilla leaves, add raw garlic, sliced chili peppers, and a dollop of ssamjang (savory-sweet soybean paste), then pop it in your mouth for an explosion of flavors!
• Why It’s Unique: Hanwoo beef is a delicacy that rivals Wagyu, making it a must-try for meat lovers visiting Korea.

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💗 Day 2: Hearty Stews and Luxurious Sashimi in Gasan & Jamsi

Lunch: Doenjang Jjigae at Jin Soy – 진심담은 된장찌개

📍 Address: 서울 금천구 벚꽃로36길 30 제씨118호

Doenjang Jjigae is a hearty Korean stew made from doenjang (fermented soybean paste), a quintessential ingredient in Korean cuisine. Jin Soy elevates this classic dish by turning it into a jeongol—a larger, communal-style hot pot cooked at your table.

• What’s in It: The stew is packed with tofu, mushrooms, zucchini, onions, and sometimes beef or clams. Adding ramen noodles or rice toward the end makes it even more filling.
• Flavor Profile: Rich, umami-packed, and slightly tangy, thanks to the fermented soybean paste. It’s comfort food at its finest.
• Why We Love It: All the ingredients and side dishes were prepared with so much love and dedication. It was all so healthy and we got to enjoy TONS of vegetables but the part we loved the most was the noodles at the end to finish off the meal! The noodles soaked up all of the rich broth and we absolutely loved every single bite of it!

Dinner: Sashimi at Haewoori – 해우리

📍 Address: Songpa District, Sincheon-dong, Seoul

For dinner, we splurged on a luxurious sashimi feast at Haewoori, a renowned seafood restaurant specializing in fresh, high-quality fish.

• What We Ordered: Their signature Chef’s Special Course, featuring a mix of raw fish, marinated seafood, and side dishes like seaweed soup and pickled vegetables.
• How It’s Served: Each piece of sashimi is delicately sliced and paired with dipping sauces like cho-ganjang (soy sauce with vinegar) or spicy gochujang.
• The Experience: The freshness of the seafood and the artful presentation made this meal unforgettable.

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🎀 Day 3: Bold Flavors and Trendy Cafes in Seongsu

Lunch: Gamjatang at Somunnan Seongsu Gamjatang – 소문난 성수 감자탕

📍 Address: 45 Yeonmujang-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul

Gamjatang, or pork bone stew, is a bold and spicy dish that’s a staple in Korean cuisine. It’s made by simmering pork neck bones with potatoes, perilla seeds, garlic, and gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) until the broth is rich and flavorful.

• What We Loved: The rich and flavourful broth with big chunks of meat and the addition of sujebi (hand-torn noodles), which soaked up the broth beautifully.
• Must Try: Ending the meal by making fried rice in the leftover broth—a quintessential Korean dining experience!

Coffee & Snacks: Cafe Onion Seongsu – 카페 어니언 성수

📍 Address: 8 Achasan-ro 9-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul

End your food tour with a visit to the iconic Cafe Onion in Seongsu, known for its industrial-chic decor and delicious baked goods.

• What We Ordered: Pandoro: A buttery, sugar-dusted Italian bread that’s light yet satisfying, Dark chocolate sogumPang (salt bread) which had an amazing texture and the chocolate on the outside paired nicely with the salty bread inside, and their Fig Tart. They did not hold back on the figs and the addition of rosemary brought complex flavours mixed with the cream and the crunchy pastry on the bottom was an absolute delight!
• Why It’s Special: The ambiance is just as good as the food, making it the perfect spot to relax after a whirlwind food tour.

Keywords

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