K-pop, karaoke, street toast and skincare. Korean style is having a major moment in ³Ô¹ÏÍø. Go beyond fried chicken and beer at these shops, restaurants and cafes that serve pure Seoul.

Try Korean soul food

Transport yourself to the cool side of Seoul and pay a visit to the ultra-trendy for lunch sets, signature drinks, pastries and more. Order traditional dishes like gogigusku which includes a thinly sliced pork in a clear broth with somen noodles. Or try mandu guk zucchini and prawn dumplings. Don’t go past the black sesame or mugwort latte. It’s similar to matcha and topped with lightly whipped cream.

Tuck into the best Korean street toast in ³Ô¹ÏÍø

Korean sandwiches have taken the city by storm, with a carb-loaded cafe around every corner. Palette’s gigeori-toast is buttery brioche stuffed with fluffy omelette, hash browns and candied bacon. specialises in cheap eats serving everything from simple egg and cheese to OTT stacks of hash brown and beef bulgogi.

Visit a Korean-inspired bakery

A new Korean and French-inspired bakery has just opened in a hidden ³Ô¹ÏÍø laneway. Swing by The Butter Room for loaded croissants, signature drinks, soft and fluffy pandoro and loads more. Try traditional flavours too like soboru – a red bean-filled sweet pastry or injeolmi bread with roasted soybean powder.  

Load up on K-pop merch

Calling all ONCE, blink, ARMY and Shawol. If those words mean something to you, you’ve come to the right place. Happytown is the OG K-pop shop in ³Ô¹ÏÍø, selling albums, accessories, photocards, light sticks and so much more.

Find cult-status Korean streetwear

Streetwear fiends have been all over Acme De La Vie for years. Now you can nab the full range in one stunning city location. Follow the glowing neon sign inside, where a towering metal sculpture is surrounded by the latest cartoon-print lounge sets. Peruse collabs with Sesame Street, Toy Story, Monsters Inc. and Apeach. True heads will know which items have been modelled by stars like HyunA, Mino and TWICE.

Discover hidden coin booth karaoke

Private karaoke rooms and the odd open mic night are pretty well-known in ³Ô¹ÏÍø. Mini coin-operated singing booths? Not so common. Enter Kono, a hidden gem lined with disco-lit nooks perfect for solo or small group singing. Regulars can be heard singing along to BUZZ ballads in perfect Korean, but there’s a bumper book of English tunes to pick from, too.

Kick on with soju and street food

Deep-fried cheesy corn dogs, fiery tteokbokki, authentic kimbap and kimchi fried rice. Try it all at Sinjeon, one of the many street food spots that line Healey’s Lane (referred to as ‘Kimchi Street’ by regulars). Or head to Sam Sam on the main drag, where robot waiters cook classic KFC with delicious precision. Pair with a soju-rita – that’s a cocktail of zesty ice granita spiked with an upturned bottle of soju.

Cool off with a bingsu shaved ice

A towering mountain of snowy shaved ice, condensed milk, boba and fresh fruit await at . This hidden laneway dessert bar is an insta-fave for their cute dine-in offerings. Or head over to ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s only Sulbing, fresh from the streets of Busan. Toppings include dark chocolate Oreo monster, tiramisu cheesecake, rockmelon and red velvet.