Stories that Shaped Us: Sophia’s Guide to Food in Seoul

Have you ever dreamed of walking down the streets of Seoul snacking on some traditional goodies like hotteok and fish cake soup but worry that you may miss the familiar taste of pasta or pizza? Seoul can offer you every beautiful culinary item you can dream of. From tanghulu to affordable Michelin star noodles, to fluffy pancakes covered in fruit, and even some amazing pasta. Seoul has everything you can dream of, and I am going to share with you some of my favorites from my semester abroad, including my favorite cafe hopping locations, my top boba picks, and where to get the best noodles, (and of course, where to find the best strawberry milk!)

Cafe Culture

If you’re interested in traveling to South Korea, I am sure you have heard of the amazing cafe culture in Seoul. Kdrama’s and Youtube vlogs can take you into the world of cafe hopping from your room all the way back to your home country. But when you finally get the opportunity to go cafe hop in Seoul yourself, you may not know where to start, but I am here to help. I think it is important to know the area that you want to spend the day in. Some popular areas in Seoul are Hongdae, Gangnam/Apgujeong, and Myeongdong. I think it is important to note that some of these areas are going to be a lot more expensive than others, for example Gangnam and Apgujeong are going to be on the pricier end, and I would avoid those areas if you are on a budget. Myeongdong is going to be a lot more crowded due to its accessibility to foreigners, this is not a bad thing, but you may want to plan the time and days that you are planning to visit. My favorite cafe hopping area is Hongdae! This is because there is the main shopping street, with plenty of surrounding streets that tend to be way less busy, with a variety of cafes you can visit. My favorite cafes in this area are Beni cafe, Pie in the Sharp, Cake Cafe Shop Yeonnam Branch. Beni cafe is popular on YouTube and a great place for cute Instagram pictures and birthday cakes. Pie in the Sharp is hands down, my favorite cafe that I visited while in South Korea. Not only is the environment clean and still aesthetically pleasing, their pies were the best I’ve ever had. I visited this cafe multiple times, and will return on my next trip to Korea. Cake Cafe Shop Yeonnam Branch has the cutest lunchbox cakes that are perfect for your Instagram post, and for a birthday! You can even decorate your own cake there if you reserve a spot in advance. As an honorable mention I would like to mention Mooni cafe in Apgujeong. If you are in the area it is definitely worth the visit, the decor is beautiful and the cakes are delicious. However, 8 dollars for a chocolate latte is a bit pricey.

Boba and Strawberry milk

If you are a fan of boba and strawberry milk, I have a couple recommendations for you! These locations are found all around Korea, and especially if you attend Korea University, these locations will always be within walking distance of campus. My favorite location for boba is “Gong Cha.” Gong Cha is a bubble tea chain that was founded in Taiwan and has gained popularity throughout the world. There are even locations in major U.S. cities, however there are none near my home town. There are locations all throughout Korea, and there is a location right next to Korea University just a couple minutes from Anam station. My go to order was their black milk tea with tapioca pearls. I would also recommend their taro milk tea with tapioca pearls. Their tapioca pearls are always the perfect texture, never too soft or hard. And the milk teas are so creamy! They have lots of fun seasonal drinks, like their strawberry milk and strawberry milk tea! However my recommendation for the best strawberry milk is actually at another chain. I know these chains are not necessarily Korean chains, but I think I am pretty qualified in terms of boba and strawberry milk. Strawberry milk is my go to order at every cafe. The best location for strawberry milk is at “The Coffee Bean”! They actually only sell this seasonally, and when I found this out I was completely heartbroken. Strawberry season in Korea is during the winter. From around January to April, The Coffee Bean has strawberry milk. The reason why they have the best strawberry milk is because it is the perfect mix of sweet jammy strawberry puree, and fresh cut strawberries. The milk is the perfect creaminess, with a little bit of strawberry puree, and a lot of freshly chopped strawberries. Served with a big boba straw, you can get the perfect amount of strawberry in each sip. If you are in Korea during the winter I recommend you try out The Coffee Bean’s strawberry milk.

Noodles

Finally, where can you find the best noodles? I am going to talk about kalguksu, naengmyeon, and udon noodles, and where you can find them. Firstly, I would like to note that Korea has many restaurants that have been given Michelin stars, and a lot of those restaurants are actually affordable. And one of the most notable ones is called “Myeongdong Kyoja Main branch.” They have only a few items on their menu, and one of them being Kalguksu, for only 11,000 won or $8.26 usd. They are known for their kalguksu which is thick knife cut wheat noodles in a delicious warm broth with dumplings and topped with ground beef. They serve this with their house made kimchi, which is incredibly spicy and tastes amazing in the broth as well. This would be the perfect spot for lunch if you’re in Myeongdong shopping.

Next, naengmyeon! Naengmyeon is a cold broth noodle dish, typically made of buckwheat. These noodles are very long, thin and extremely chewy. I was apprehensive at first, just because I wasn’t used to having a cold broth, but these quickly became one of my favorite dishes. My personal favorite location is “Dongdong cold noodles pork cutlet.” This location is right next to Korea University’s campus. My personal favorite was naengmyeon with arrowroot broth!  I absolutely loved the flavor of the arrowroot broth, and the noodles were served with a sliced boiled egg, sliced radish and a spicy sauce to mix into the noodles. I often ordered these noodles along with their big kimchi mandu/dumplings.

And my personal favorite noodles, udon noodles! My favorite place to get udon noodles was at “Kuma Kitchen,” also right next to Korea University. They served udon noodles and Donkatsu. My go to order was the Kuma Udon set! I would say this was a classic udon noodle broth served with mushrooms and with the set you could order a side of a variety of katsu’s, like pork, cheese, or shrimp. You could also get a side of more udon noodles or cold noodles. It is also served with a bowl of cabbage that is refillable, and there is a variety of dressings at the table to put on the cabbage. Another great dish you can get here is a seasonal item. It is udon noodles, with no broth and it is served with green onions, butter, lots of seasonings, and is topped with an egg yoke. This dish also comes with a pork cutlet and rice. You mix and eat the noodles and when you are finished, you mix the rice and pork cutlet in the leftover sauce. It is absolutely amazing, and if you visit in the spring I recommend trying this dish! The staff at this location were so kind, and the service was amazing. This was a location I visited frequently.

Sophia Travis, Mercyhurst University, is a TEAN Global Ambassador and Korea University alum.