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18 restaurants in the Korea on a Plate guide for solo dining in Jongno, ranked Monthly 30 first and then by Google rating. Each has hours, a price per person and what to order.
In this guide: Ttukbaegijip (Earthen Pot House), Tosokchon Samgyetang, Sunhee's Bindaetteok, Imun Seolnongtang, Hayan Gorae (White Whale) Jonggak Main.
At a glance: Price per person ₩5,000–₩20,000 (middle ₩12,000). Average Google rating ★4.2. 0 of 18 are open late or 24 hours.
Updated 2026-10-05
| Restaurant | Area | Order | Per person | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ttukbaegijip (Earthen Pot House) | Jongno | Ureong Doenjang · soybean paste stew with freshwater snails | ₩9,000 | ★4.5 |
| Tosokchon Samgyetang | Jongno | Samgyetang · ginseng chicken soup | ₩20,000 | ★4.2 |
| Sunhee's Bindaetteok | Jongno | Bindaetteok · mung-bean pancake | ₩15,000 | ★4 |
| Imun Seolnongtang | Jongno | Seolleongtang · ox bone soup | ₩15,000 | ★4 |
| Hayan Gorae (White Whale) Jonggak Main | Jongno | Jeotgal ssambap · leaf wraps with rice and salted seafood | ₩18,000 | ★4.9 |
| Sujeong Sikdang | Jongno | Jeyuk Ssambap · spicy stir-fried pork with rice and leafy wraps | ₩11,000 | ★4.4 |
| Milgwabori (Wheat and Barley) | Jongno | Minari-jeon · water dropwort pancake | ₩12,000 | ★4.4 |
| Wonjo Nudeu Chijeu Gimbap (Original Nude Cheese Gimbap) | Jongno | Japchae gimbap · rice roll filled with glass-noodle japchae | ₩5,000 | ★4.3 |
| Bap Plus | Jongno | Deopbap · Korean rice bowls | ₩12,000 | ★4.4 |
| Hwangsaengga Kalguksu | Jongno | Sagol kalguksu · beef-bone noodle soup | ₩13,000 | ★4.2 |
뚝배기집
₩9,000 per person
Hours 07:00–21:30
Ttukbaegijip is a small stew restaurant near Jongno 3-ga serving four stews in earthenware pots: snail doenjang, plain doenjang, soft tofu and kimchi stew, all priced ₩8,000–₩9,000. DiningCode reviewers most often describe it as unpretentious, good value and popular with locals.
토속촌삼계탕
₩20,000 per person
Hours 10:00–22:00
Pair a visit to Gyeongbokgung Palace with a warming bowl of chicken soup. The traditional hanok setting makes this an inviting introduction to Korean comfort food.
순희네빈대떡
₩15,000 per person
Hours 10:00–21:00
One of the best-known pancake stalls inside Gwangjang Market, a covered market that has fed Seoul since 1905. Sit at the counter, watch the pancakes fry a few feet away, and eat on a stool the way market regulars do.
이문설농탕
₩15,000 per person
Hours 08:00–21:00
Settle into a bowl of milky ox bone soup in Jongno. Imun is a long-established stop for a gentle, savory meal between neighborhood walks.
하얀고래 종각본점
₩18,000 per person
Hours 11:00–22:00
Hayan Gorae's main Jonggak restaurant is listed on DiningCode for jeotgal (salted seafood) and ssambap. The one-person jeotgal ssambap set costs ₩18,000, with extras such as boiled pork (100 g, ₩10,000), grilled mackerel and spicy braised fish roe; DiningCode reviewers most often describe it as clean, generous and down-to-earth.
수정식당
₩11,000 per person
Hours 11:00–21:30
Sujeong Sikdang, near Jongno 3-ga, is listed on DiningCode for jeyuk ssambap, rice and pork eaten wrapped in leafy greens. The menu also offers 150 g portions of pork belly, pork jowl and pork neck, plus soy-marinated crab and abalone. Reviewers most often describe it as unpretentious, good value and lively.
밀과보리
₩12,000 per person
Hours 11:15–21:00
Milgwabori in Gye-dong, near Anguk Station, is listed on DiningCode for minari-jeon and gondeure-bap. Minari, potato and kimchi pancakes are ₩12,000 each, gondeure rice is ₩11,000 per person (minimum two), and there is also clam kalguksu and spicy braised chicken; DiningCode reviewers most often call it down-to-earth, casual and popular with locals.
원조누드치즈김밥
₩5,000 per person
Hours 05:00–18:00
This Gwangjang Market stall, about 220 m from Jongno 5-ga Station, is listed on DiningCode for gimbap and japchae. The short menu covers japchae gimbap, cheese-tuna gimbap, a set of rolls, fish cake and japchae, and reviewers most often call it down-to-earth, good value, lively and casual.
밥플러스
₩12,000 per person
Hours 11:30–20:30
A small home-style restaurant in Seochon serving rice bowls and simple single plates: beef rice bowl, cockle bibimbap, gondre (thistle) rice, curry and pork-cutlet rice bowls, and udon. Prices sit between ₩9,000 and ₩13,000, which suits a quick meal while walking the area.
황생가칼국수
₩13,000 per person
Hours 11:00–21:30
A warming noodle stop near Gyeongbokgung and Bukchon. Pair the beef-bone broth noodles with jumbo dumplings for a fuller table.
황소고집
₩8,000 per person
Hours 10:30–21:00
Hwangso Gojip in the Jonggak area is listed on DiningCode for gochujang bulgogi and baekban, a rice-and-side-dish set meal. The short menu also has spicy stir-fried pork duruchigi, extra meat and fried rice to finish. Reviewers most often call it down-to-earth, good value, lively and a lesser-known local pick.
아이노가든키친
₩17,000 per person
Hours 11:00–21:00
Aino Garden Kitchen near Gwanghwamun is listed on DiningCode for Korean food and tong samgyeop, thick-cut pork belly. Set meals come with leafy greens for wrapping, alongside cockle bibimbap, pork belly bibim guksu, mung bean pancake and pork gukbap, plus soft gelato. Reviewers most often call it clean, casual, pretty and good for the view.
명륜건강원
₩11,800 per person
Hours 11:00–20:30
A small home-style restaurant near Hyehwa serving dosirak (Korean lunch-box meals) such as flame-grilled beef bulgogi, apple-gochujang stir-fried pork, tomato braised chicken and a chickpea-tofu curry. DiningCode reviewers most often describe it as an under-the-radar spot that is clean, casual and popular with locals.
일미식당
₩10,000 per person
Hours 11:00–20:00
Ilmi Sikdang is near Nagwon Arcade, about 240 m from Jongno 3-ga Station, and is listed on DiningCode for baekban set meals and cheonggukjang. The cheonggukjang set is served for one, while the stir-fry sets are for two, and reviewers most often call it down-to-earth, local and good value.
북촌김치재
₩13,000 per person
Hours 11:00–21:00
Bukchon Kimchijae, about 120 m from Anguk Station, builds its menu around mugeunji (long-aged kimchi): braised ribs, kimchi stew, braised mackerel, pork belly and duruchigi stir-fry, plus braised cutlassfish. Mains run ₩11,000–₩17,000. DiningCode reviewers most often describe it as unpretentious, casual, lively and generous.
오양식관
₩13,000 per person
Hours 10:00–22:00
Oyang Sikgwan is a Gwanghwamun restaurant listed on DiningCode for kimchi-jjigae and rolled omelette. The whole-pork kimchi duru-jjigae is ₩10,000, and the Oyang set (₩13,000) combines the stew with flame-grilled spicy pork and rolled omelette; DiningCode reviewers most often describe it as down-to-earth, lively and casual.
유진식당
₩12,000 per person
Hours 11:30–21:00
A no-frills diner steps from Jongno 3-ga Station, between Tapgol Park and the Gwangjang Market area. It's a cheap, unfussy way to try mild Pyongyang-style naengmyeon without the wait or price tag of the city's famous noodle houses.
청국장밥
₩11,000 per person
Hours 10:00–21:00
A Korean restaurant in the Samcheong-dong area centred on cheonggukjang, a strong-smelling fermented soybean stew served with rice, plus set meals pairing it with braised kodari (half-dried pollack) or pork bulgogi. DiningCode reviewers most often call it down-to-earth, casual, popular with locals and clean.
In this guide: Ttukbaegijip (Earthen Pot House), Tosokchon Samgyetang, Sunhee's Bindaetteok, Imun Seolnongtang, Hayan Gorae (White Whale) Jonggak Main.
Wonjo Nudeu Chijeu Gimbap (Original Nude Cheese Gimbap), about ₩5,000 per person.
Hayan Gorae (White Whale) Jonggak Main: ★4.9 from 280 reviews.
Every place is in the Korea on a Plate guide, written by an editor who runs four restaurants in Seoul. The list is filtered from published hours, prices and tags; nobody pays to be listed.
More situations: Where to eat in Jongno, Seoul · Group dinners in Jongno, Seoul · Cheap eats in Jongno, Seoul
What a Seoul restaurant owner ordered, paid and noticed.