Where to eat in Seoul

A decade ago, a person who walked into a restaurant in Seoul and asked for “han myung-I” – one table for one person – could be refused service.

That’s because restaurants in Korea prefer groups of two or more, due to a complex combination of local social dynamics, profit margins, and simple logistics – a right-side grill gets cleaned whether it serves one or four customers.

Single rejection often occurs at family restaurants and barbecue shops, two quintessential places to sample some of the country’s finest cuisine. Solo diners can circumvent that in two ways: by ordering for two, or agreeing to a minimum spend.

However, with the rise of one-person households in South Korea, more and more people are choosing to dine, drink and travel alone — embracing this trend. “honjok” lifestyle trends has clearly taken root in the country.

Hongojib unlike most barbecue places in Seoul.

Located in the lively neighborhood of Yeonnam-dong, the restaurant — and its predecessors, such as Express Sinssi And Hongo – swapped Traditional communal dining for the burgeoning honbap trend, or eating alone.

Diners eat at the counter rather than at a round table. And the dishes aren’t family-style — each diner is given their own set of seasonings and cutlery, along with their own grill.

Orders are placed and paid by tablet. And the food — along with a set of classic banchan, or side dishes — is served within minutes.

Marianne Lee, a Korean education consultant, said this eating style is a change from the time when “everyone had to eat in groups, drink together, everyone had to choose the same menu”.

“If you want to eat a Chinese meal, but if your manager says let’s go for Japanese noodles, you’ll have no choice but to go,” she said. “But nowadays, people respect having their own time.”

With more than 40,000 followers on TikTok, Lee – who says she has spent most of her life in the UK and South Korea – is famous for her videos about Korean culturefrom bus etiquette to the best time to visit this country.

In her videos, she advises solo travelers to try restaurants like lapap for a delicious meal, or Gimbap Cheongu And tomato for their variety of Korean food.

The latter two are “open 24 hours and sell tteokbokki, rice dishes, soups and other hot dishes,” she said, referring to Korean spicy rice cakes.

Lee suggests visiting popular tourist spots first, such as Namsan, Myeong Dong, Insadong, and Itaewon, where people usually speak some English. She adds that multilingual tour guides wearing red coats and hats are also present to help answer visitors’ questions.

“It also helps when you add a few Korean words, such as hoksi (maybe) before you ask the question in English,” she added. Koreans listen better than they speak, so she feels that helps “soften the approach and we really appreciate that.”

South Korea is popular with visitors from Asia, especially China and Japan, but visitors from Western countries, specifically the United States, are on the rise. US visitors were the fourth largest source market until 2019, but became the top demographic by 2022, according to Tourgo, a research initiative of the Korea Tourism and Culture Research Institute.

Earlier this year, Korea announced a New visas for digital nomads is in the pipeline. The visa that allows foreigners to stay in South Korea while working remotely for employers in another country is expected to begin later this year, According to The Korea Herald.

Luckily, it’s much easier now to find a place to stay than it used to be.

New cohabitation companies, such as Episode And mangrovesmade in response the rise of single households looking for affordable places to live in Seoul. Some residential buildings allow short-term accommodation that solo travelers can book.

I stayed at Mangrove Dongdaemun for a month in a compact and clean room with a place to work, a private bathroom and a view of Namsan Mountain.

Unlike hotels, there are shared kitchens and co-working spaces, along with a gym, yoga studio, library and even free self-service laundry. An app that links residents to chat boards and activities like “New Joiner Nights”.

Kim Serin, a Mangrove employee, says the concept is popular, adding that the building is always full of people throughout the year. She said requests for short-term stays are increasing and the company is working to meet this demand with new projects coming soon in two other popular destinations, Busan and Jeju.

Celib Soonra is another residence designed for residents and solo travelers. Stays of less than three months can be booked through Airbnb, that’s how I booked my stay.

My room was less stereotypical and had local features like a traditional tea room, and the rooftop had panoramic city views. Changdeokgung Jongmyo Palace and Temple.

Its neighborhood, Gwonnong-dong, is also more intimate, and the trendy Hanok cafe-filled village of Ikseon-dong is just a 10-minute walk away.

Business hotels, like those from the Accor hotel brand, are also working to create hybrid living space where tourists and locals can “live, work and play”, according to its website.

by Accor ibis The brand provides an example of this. in Ibis Styles Ambassador Seoul GangnamI can see how small changes can make a big difference, like the common garden on the 15th floor of the hotel, where I work on tight deadline days.

I also slept in an ondol room at the hotel, which had heated floors and traditional bedding, which is usually only found in traditional houses and hanoks that cater to groups. Near Gangnam’s Coex Mall, it’s also a steal for under $55 a night.