Itaewon and Hannam: the foreign quarter, mostly eating Korean
Itaewon is the part of Seoul built around foreign residents, so the obvious guess is that the food here is international. Two of these six listings are, and both predate the neighbourhood's current wave: Crispy Pork Town, a Mexican counter at its Noksapyeong address since 2004, which deep-fries pork belly for its signature taco; and Upper East, a hand-tossed pizza corner between Itaewon and Gyeongridan-gil.
The other four are Korean, and they split along an old-and-new line. Nariui Jip has grilled frozen pork belly in Hannam-dong since 1999, sold in 150g portions in a storefront that has not been redecorated for the neighbourhood's newer money. The rest arrived as Hannam-dong turned into a dining street: Jang Ji-nyeong Ganjang Gejang, a soy-sauce crab house from 2018, and two 2022 openings — Apgujeong Jinju's Hannam branch, built around gabrisal, and Namsan Gwangeo, an aged-flounder counter run by the same owner as Yeouido's 8beon Daemuljip.
Five different Korean channels account for the credits here, which is unusual for a six-listing neighbourhood: Sung Si-kyung's Meogeultende for two of them, and Kim Three Meals, ChopChop University, Jaeschelin and Kang Min-kyung's channel for one each.
4.5Namsan Gwangeo 남산광어
Namsan Gwangeo is the Hannam-dong sister of Yeouido's 8beon Daemuljip — same owner, same aged-flounder-and-salt-gimbap idea that Davichi's Kang Min-kyung is a documented regular for.
₩15–40k4 rating sourcesRisingShort waits at peak
4.1Crispy Pork Town 크리스피 포크 타운
A Mexican counter off Noksapyeong, licensed at this Itaewon address since 2004.
₩15–40k3 rating sources
4.0Jang Ji-nyeong Ganjang Gejang 장지녕간장게장
Jang Ji-nyeong Ganjang Gejang is a premium soy-sauce crab house in Hannam-dong run by the food researcher Jang Ji-nyeong, where a two-person signature set runs ₩70,000 (about ₩35,000 a head) and layers in premium seafood like sea-urchin roe and oysters.
₩15–40k4 rating sources
3.9Upper East 이태원 어퍼이스트
Upper East has been making hand-tossed pizza between Itaewon and Gyeongridan-gil for about a decade, in a corner spot near the old Itaewon Elementary back gate that draws a calmer, neighborhood crowd over Itaewon's louder main strip.
₩15–40k4 rating sourcesShort waits at peak
3.8Nariui Jip 나리의 집
A long-running frozen pork belly (naengdong samgyeopsal) grill house in Hannam-dong with an old-school storefront, ordered in 150g portions alongside sides like cheonggukjang.
₩15–40k4 rating sourcesExpect lines
3.8Apgujeong Jinju (Hannam) 압구정진주 한남직영점
The Hannam-dong branch of a pork grill built around gabrisal — the thin strip between the neck and the loin, cut so it stays soft — alongside samgyeopsal, moksal and hangjeongsal, all Korean pork portioned at 150g or more.
₩15–40k2 rating sourcesRising
Questions
Is the food in Itaewon mostly international?
Not on this list. Four of the six are Korean — two pork grills, a soy-sauce crab house and an aged-flounder counter. Both international listings — a Mexican counter and a pizza corner — are long-running rather than recent arrivals.
Do any of these need a reservation?
No — all six are walk-in. That is worth knowing in a neighbourhood where the newer Hannam-dong restaurants often do not take them either, but fill up on weekend evenings.
What is open late?
Namsan Gwangeo runs to 1am and Nariui Jip to midnight. Three of the six do not open until 3pm, so the afternoon is the thin part of the day here.
How expensive is it?
All six sit in the ₩₩ band — roughly ₩15,000 to ₩40,000 a head. Hannam-dong has more expensive rooms than that; these are not them.
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