Daesung galbi right by seongsu station and dongdaemun gopchang near konkuk university station are two of my must visit places whenever I’m in Seoul!

Balwoo Gongyang for elevated temple cuisine. The restaurant is associated with Jogyesa, the Buddhist temple across the street. It’s a set course not order off the menu. The restaurant either currently has or had in the recent past a Michelin star

We loved Myeongdong Kyoja and Gaesong Mandu Koong in Insadong (2 Michelin bib at reasonable prices) ! I definitely recommend. Do not be scared of the long lines (they go fast - and they're a sign of good food !)

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Best hole in the wall restaurants are just the random places you find walking around.  The more battered the stanless steel vinyl coating the better.

I've been to Mingles, Myung and Onijum before - Solbam I think I mentioned before as well. Wasn't that interested in Vinho.

I would highly suggest Mingles and Eatanic or you could try Gigas - I've been to Lamant before and I think i'll be booking Eatanic in November. For traditional you could go for Soigne.

But end of the day, I would still recommend my favourite mom&pop places like Hyehwa dodam, unbeatable flavor. Nothing is more traditional than that (minus the fine dining part).

I watch the Korean chef series called ‘please take care of my fridge’ where they invite the best chefs in Korea and around the world to host 15 mins of cooking competition. I really want to try Son Jong Won’s cooking. I noticed you mentioned one of his places ‘Eatanic garden’, I think he also works as a head chef at L’Amant Secret at L’Escape Hotel. I also want to try Joseph Lidgerwood’s food his restaurant is called EVETT in Gangnam. I will be visiting these places when I visit Seoul in the next couple of years.

I’m sure it’s a bit of a tourist trap but you can look into the restaurant at the top of N Tower - the view there is absolutely stunning. 

I dined at Eatanic Gardens last year in the fall. It was magical. I haven't been to any of the other places you mentioned so I can't compare them.

And do most of these places require reservations, or can you walk in at the desired time?

Went to Jungsik and La Yeon... Both were incredibly awesome experiences and you will pay far far up the ass for them! I felt Jungsik was more creative in it's interpretations of Korean fine dining, but they were really both excellent experiences. But definitely make sure you spend lots of time in the hole in the wall restaurants too!

If you want an authentic sense of the cuisine, I don't think you'll find it in the Michelin Guide... better stick with the traditional markets or hole-in-the-wall restaurants.

Really enjoyed my lunch at L’Amant Secret and thought the tasting menu was reasonably priced.

I went to Mingles last year and it was pretty good. Can't remember much from it, just that it was expensive (as expected). They did give us this anchovy soup base for noodles as a thank you gift. Still using it!

I'm in Seoul right now and just had dinner at Soigne, which got 1 Star in 2021. We enjoyed dinner and the kitchen's interpretation of Korean cuisine. I'd say 2 or 3 standout courses out of 8 or so. No cocktails, and small wine list. Every seat was at the kitchen counter so it felt intimate. Service was expectedly warm and attentive.

A few observations. It was more expensive relatively speaking than the 1 star restaurants in my home town in the US. Even with the strong USD to KRW, dinner turned out to be about 15% more than I'd expect to pay for a comparable restaurant. We found babysitting last minute so we were scrambling a bit, but getting reservations was difficult (my first choices were a couple of the 2 star places but they were booked). Don't know when you were planning on going but I'd start looking now. On a related note, I think reservations are hard to get because restaurants don't have late seatings (relative to US counterparts). We got seated at 19:30, and we were the last seating. In the US, you can regularly find openings around 21:00.

Good luck and hope you enjoy!

If you have a plan to go to near Myungdong, Me-Sung-Ok 미성옥 is a very wonderful place to eat a sulungtang(설렁탕). Sulungtang is a kind of beef bonesoup noodle, eat with 2 different type of kimchi. I am korean and i currently live in seoul. I had my American friends come with me when they coming to seoul last month, and they loved it. Also I hope you like it. Have a wonderful trip!

Noryangjin fish market is a great experience!

외고집 for their incredible 설렁탕

봉추찜닭

It really depends on your budget and preference.

If you are into street snack foods like you see on tv, than must visit places are Myeong-dong (명동), Nam Dae Mun Market (남대문시장), or Gwang Jang Market (광장시장)

If you want to go somewhat traditional, Seolgaon (설가온) would be my recommendation. They serve Hanjeongsik 한정식 , and they are bit expensive

If you are into tteokbokki 떡볶이, than Sin Dang-Dong is must visit places as they are known as places that came up with the dish. and literally you can go in to any restaurant that are in tteokbokki street 떡볶이 거리 (But go into one with most people in it)

If you are into Bulgogi 불고기, Hanilkwan (한일관) is go to. They have long history, and lot's of former Korean presidents' favorite place.

You could go to Seoul Shilla Hotel and they will serve you some gourmet foods. but super expensive.

Onjium
Mr. Ahn’s Craft Makgeoli
Miro Sikdang
7th Door

Maybe not true fine dining, but Oreno Ramen was awesome. I think it's a Michelin 'bib' rather than a star.

Bicena

Hyodo Chicken in Seoul 

경주뼈숯불구이 (pork) and 영양숯불갈비 (beef) in Gyeongju 

I plan to visit this Michelin rated place, Myeongdong Kyoja Main Restaurant located at:

29 Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea 서울특별시 중구 명동10길 29 mdkj.co.kr

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Yes. My favorite restaurant is a Greek one called Nostimo. It’s a married couple, American man and Korean woman. They make their own feta. The food is amazing. They have the best baklava I’ve ever eaten You can follow them on Instagram.

Kwonsooksoo.

I think mingles was by far the best out of the ones I went to (Kwonsooksoo, Jungsik, 7th door, Kojima). They also just got their 3rd star. Reservations fill fast so be on it when it opens on catchtable.

Mingles - best meal I had Eatanic Garden - second best meal, lovely location and view too Both and Bread - was good but too much/too heavy. If you’re a big meat eater might. E a good match

Also do a market eating tour with a local guide! Get to try some authentic bites in a fun environment

The price to performance ratio is off. More specifically, having a Gmail email address for the restaurant along with typos on the menu is "special"

Definitely check out Evett

The couple I’ve really liked in Seoul are solbam, zero complex, and jungsik. They usually have servers that speak English and English menus.

Curious to know what you choose but if you’re from the States, maybe avoid Jungsik since they have another location in the US? I’m sure the Korea one is really good and not sure how different the menu is but I’d try to taste food from other spots if it were me

I would personally pick Mosu for what I considered the best food. If you’re interested in more traditional Hansik cuisine you could consider something like Bicena. However, I’ve found for the latter that’s not to the palate of many westerners. Also not very traditional, but I enjoyed Muoki quite a bit and it was more relaxed/cheaper than the others

Thanks all! Mosu was my top pick but is booked out till the end of time, so I'm trying my luck at Mingles.

Has anyone been to Onjieum? Looks exciting too.

Mingles was awesome, but my lunch at Mosu was mind blowing. Just an excellent setting, service and the food was truly 3* quality and attention to detail. Highly recommend it.

I loved my lunch at ⭐️⭐️ Mingles a couple years ago; it was by far my fanciest meal in Seoul, and definitely the most memorable. They do a lot of fun riffs on classic Korean dishes. Prices have gone up since I went but are still (just) in your range: the lunch menu is $210, the dinner menu is $240.

Not a restaurant, but if you like banchan, try Tongin Market's dosirak lunch program. Best way to have the most authentic side dishes for a low and convenient price.

Dude, asking for good authentic Korean restaurants in Seoul is like asking for McDonald's in New York City

If you google 10 Mag, Time Out Seoul and even the old website Seoulistic - they have many lists of “oldest restaurants in Seoul,” “top kimchi jjigae spots”

And they’re usually a pretty good list. Not like Myeongdong tourist traps.

jung sik dang(정식당), if you are feeling fancy.

Pretty much any side-street. And if you specifically want a traditional Korean meal, look for "한식" written on the restaurants sign.