tteokbokki alley, now the chefs' favorite address
Everyone knew Sindang for its tteokbokki alley; now it's one of the most interesting things happening to Korean food. Around the old Seoul Jungang Market, wine bars and young chefs' kitchens have set up right among the stalls. Market lunch and a natural-wine dinner in the same three blocks.
No photos, no star ratings — just what I'd tell a friend. I live in Seoul and these are the places I actually go, 16 of them here.
Open it in the appThick-cut pork from the Jeju original — a grill that never once lets me down.
If you love heat, their ttaengcho spicy gimbap has real kick; a Dongdaemun night-market staple.
A seafood kalguksu house; if the dongjuk-clam one's on, I'll order it any day.
Haven't been, but my ramen-obsessive friends push it hard — clear-broth shoyu and shio.
Not been yet, but reportedly top-grade hanwoo, grilled on an unusual lattice plate that keeps it from burning.
Not been in, but it's a French-vintage lifestyle shop: fragrance downstairs, vintage and garden goods up.
Where my nights out usually end up — the charcoal chicken feet and pork galbi are that good.
Grilled semi-dried cuttlefish, dipped in their special sauce, and an actual 'wow' comes out of you.
My favorite table in Sindang: jeyuk-bokkeum, barley bibimbap, and a spread of ssam greens.
Haven't been, but it's a trendy odeng bar: handmade fish-cake skewers with whisky and highballs.
A market-alley brewpub where the beer and the food both land, with 15-odd taps on.
Not tried it, but it's oak-fired roast chicken with neungi mushroom, from a yakitori chef.
A vegan place with a Michelin green star; the gosari (fernbrake) dishes it's named for all deliver.
If someone's off to Gwangjang, I tell them: sightsee there, eat here. It's the real working market.
Haven't been, but it's a spicy beef-offal grill — gopchang cleaned fresh in-house, staff-grilled.
Korea's electric-roast whole chicken, done up; the garlic rice under it is the part I fight over.
What to order and how to get in — the queue windows, the door moves, the booking that needs a Korean phone number — is in the app.
Bukchon is free, in full, so you can see whether you trust me before paying.