Where to eat in Jongno, Seoul: 40 places (October 2026)
40 restaurants in the Korea on a Plate guide for eating 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: Ikseon Aetteut, Ttukbaegijip (Earthen Pot House), Doma (Cutting Board), Tosokchon Samgyetang, Sunhee's Bindaetteok.
At a glance: Price per person ₩5,000–₩32,000 (middle ₩14,000). Average Google rating ★4.2. 2 of 40 are open late or 24 hours.
Updated 2026-10-05
Tips before you go
Jongno is old downtown Seoul: Gwangjang Market, Insadong and the palaces are all within walking distance.
Many restaurants here have run for decades, and a few close on Sundays; check the hours first.
Ikseon Aetteut sits in Ikseondong, about 130 m from Jongno 3-ga Station, and is listed on DiningCode for ssambap and beef galbi. The menu runs from pork ssambap and bibimbap to marinated beef galbi and kimchi pancakes, and reviewers most often call it pretty, clean and casual, with a good view.
START WITHGang-doenjang ssambap · lettuce wraps with rice and thick soybean-paste pork
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.
START WITHUreong Doenjang · soybean paste stew with freshwater snails
Doma in Insadong is listed on DiningCode for sotbap, rice cooked in an individual pot, and doenjang jjigae. Set meals pair the rice with charcoal-grilled galbi, Iberico pork neck, chicken thigh or mackerel. Reviewers most often call it lively, clean, a lesser-known local pick and casual.
START WITHSotbap · rice cooked to order in a stone pot
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.
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.
Jinokhwa opened in 1978 and is one of the founding restaurants of the alley now called Dak-hanmari Golmok, where whole chickens simmer tableside in a shallow pot of broth. It's a communal, cook-it-yourself meal that rewards a small group with time to linger.
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.
START WITHJeotgal ssambap · leaf wraps with rice and salted seafood
A Korean restaurant in Ikseon-dong centred on onban, rice served in a warm broth, alongside soy-sauce suyuk (sliced boiled pork), dumplings, perilla-oil buckwheat noodles and samgyetang. DiningCode reviewers most often describe it as upscale, with a good view, clean and quiet.
START WITHOnban · warm rice in clear broth with toppings
Hyehwa Dodam is about 180 m from Hyehwa Station and is listed on DiningCode for kimchi-jjim and makgeolli. The menu centres on kimchi-jjim and braised pork ribs in shareable sizes, plus a green onion pancake, and reviewers most often call it down-to-earth, casual, lively and popular with locals.
START WITHKimchi-jjim · braised aged kimchi with pork
Gwanghwamun Seokgalbi's D Tower branch, about 190 m from Gwanghwamun Station, serves pork and beef stone-plate grills, 1++ hanu striploin on a tabletop brazier, a large galbitang, hanu yukhoe bibimbap and a cheese potato pancake. DiningCode reviewers most often describe it as clean, upscale, formal and casual.
START WITHSeokgalbi · meat grilled on a hot stone plate
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.
START WITHJeyuk Ssambap · spicy stir-fried pork with rice and leafy wraps
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.
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.
START WITHJapchae gimbap · rice roll filled with glass-noodle japchae
Oiji, next to Hyehwa Station in Daehangno, is listed on DiningCode as a fusion Korean restaurant. The menu runs from perilla oil noodles with brisket and pollock roe cheese soft tofu to black sesame cream sujebi, sukiyaki and chashu kimchi rice bowls, and a crispy cheese potato pancake. Reviewers most often call it casual, clean, pretty and lively.
This annex sits by Gwangjang Market and is listed on DiningCode for yukhoe, Korean seasoned raw beef, and yukhoe bibimbap. The menu also offers live octopus tartare, raw beef sashimi, and liver and tripe. Reviewers most often describe it as down-to-earth, lively, casual and good value.
START WITHYukhoe bibimbap · rice bowl topped with seasoned raw beef
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.
A modern Korean dining bar in Ikseon-dong pairing traditional Korean liquor with shareable plates such as bulgogi potato jeon, octopus carpaccio, perilla-cream gnocchi, crab spaghetti and charcoal-scented Hanwoo yukhoe with gim bugak. DiningCode reviewers most often describe it as pretty, clean, quiet and upscale.
START WITHHanwoo Yukhoe · beef tartare with laver chips
Aehorak is in Gye-dong, about 80 m from Anguk Station, and is listed on DiningCode for bossam set meals and aehobak (Korean zucchini) stew. Lunch specials include a bossam set and zucchini stew, while dinner centres on a five-item bossam platter, and reviewers most often call it clean, down-to-earth and casual.
START WITHBossam · boiled pork slices with wraps and side dishes
Dansang is a Korean fine-dining restaurant about 120 m from Anguk Station, on the Bukchon side of Jongno. DiningCode does not list fixed menu prices, so check the current menu before you go. Reviewers most often describe it as quiet, clean, upscale and pretty.
START WITHHansik dining · modern Korean fine-dining menu
First time in KoreaEarly breakfastGroups & sharing
₩6,000 per person
Hours 09:00–22:20
This Gwangjang Market spot, about 100 m from Jongno 5-ga Station, is listed on DiningCode for bindaetteok and yukhoe. The menu pairs mung bean pancakes with beef tartare dishes, mini gimbap and makgeolli, and reviewers most often call it down-to-earth, lively, casual and good value.
START WITHNokdu bindaetteok · mung bean pancake, millstone-ground per the menu
Sabal is in Naesu-dong near Gwanghwamun and is listed on DiningCode for Korean food and noodles. The menu has chicken noodles, a perilla soup noodle with oysters and mushrooms, rice bowls and a pork jowl grill at dinner, and reviewers most often call it clean, upscale and quiet.
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.
START WITHGochujang bulgogi · pork bulgogi in red chili paste sauce
Which restaurants in Korea are good for eating in Jongno?
In this guide: Ikseon Aetteut, Ttukbaegijip (Earthen Pot House), Doma (Cutting Board), Tosokchon Samgyetang, Sunhee's Bindaetteok.
Which is the cheapest here?
Wonjo Nudeu Chijeu Gimbap (Original Nude Cheese Gimbap), about ₩5,000 per person.
Which has the highest Google rating?
Hayan Gorae (White Whale) Jonggak Main: ★4.9 from 280 reviews.
Which are open late?
Jinokhwa Halmae Dak-hanmari, Banju (Drinks with a Meal).
How were these chosen?
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.
