Sometimes I just miss food from home?
Sometimes I just miss food from home. Where can I find good burgers, pizza, Mexican food, brunch, and other Western comfort food in Seoul? Are there any restaurants that actually taste like back home?
1 Answer
Seoul has a growing Western food scene. Here are reliable spots by category.
Burgers. Five Guys (international chain in Gangnam and elsewhere) is identical to the US version. Shake Shack (multiple locations, Gangnam, Itaewon, Yeouido) is also accurate. Local burger joints with great American-style burgers include Brooklyn Burger Joint (Hannam), Burger B (Itaewon), Bills (Hannam), Manimal Smokehouse (Hannam, also great BBQ).
Pizza. Pizza Express (multiple locations) does proper Neapolitan pizza. Bagel Smith and Sourdough specialize in NYC-style pizza. Mr Lim Pizza in Itaewon is wood-fired Italian. For Chicago deep dish, Joey Pepperoni has a reputation. For takeaway American-style, Pizza Hut and Domino's deliver everywhere.
Mexican. Vatos Urban Tacos (Itaewon and other branches) is the gold standard for Mexican in Seoul, founded by Korean-American chefs. Linus' BBQ (Itaewon) has Tex-Mex options. Coreanos (Itaewon) does Korean-Mex fusion. Casa Bonita and Don Charly are authentic taco shops in Itaewon.
Brunch. Plant (Itaewon) for vegan brunch. Le Coffee in Hannam for European brunch. The Yard in Hannam. Sunny Bridge (Yongsan) for Australian-style brunch. Brunch in Cake Shop Seoul has French-style options.
Western comfort food. Brooklyn The Burger Joint, Manimal, Pino Coladas (mac and cheese), Casa Corona (Mexican-American). Itaewon and Hannam-dong are the densest neighborhoods for Western options.
Grocery for cooking. SSG Foodmarket, Costco, High Street Market, and Foreign Food Mart (mentioned in another answer) have ingredients to cook Western meals at home. International cooking is honestly easier in Korea than ever.
Delivery. Coupang Eats and Baemin both have English mode now. They cover all major foreign restaurants in Seoul. Search by cuisine type or by restaurant name. Tipping is not necessary.
Most of these spots taste close to back home, especially Vatos, Five Guys, Shake Shack, and the higher-end Hannam restaurants. The food scene has gotten dramatically better in the last 10 years.