How I choose places
Two thousand reviews get you somewhere fine. One friend who lives there gets you somewhere good.
I've lived in Seoul a long time and spend my days walking it, telling friends where to actually go. This app is those texts: my honest calls, what to order, how to get in.
Every call in here is mine, and I'm the one who answers the mail. The marks are the whole system: an easy yes, an 'I'd rather' with somewhere better attached, or still on my radar, and the card says so. Start in Bukchon — the whole neighborhood's free. When it clicks, one pass opens the rest of Seoul for a month.
What I look for
A point of view, done well and without noise. A room you'd want to sit in. One thing they do properly.
What I skip
Queues for the photo. Trend over taste. Famous mostly for being famous — and anywhere I wouldn't go twice.
What the marks mean
a clean go
fine — but I'd go elsewhere
on my radar, not judged yet
The honest part
I don't take a won from any place in here — no comps, no commissions. An 'instead' only means I'd go there myself.
Open the guide — Bukchon is free