Yeoksam-dong: Gangnam's business district eats on its own schedule
Yeoksam-dong sits inside Gangnam's office towers, and the eight restaurants here mostly run on the workday: lunch rushes that clear fast, then a second wave after 6pm when the same buildings empty out for dinner and drinks. Daeun Sikdang runs two menus side by side — jeyuk-bokkeum and squid stir-fries on one side, dongtae-jeon and pollack stew on the other — and turns tables fast enough that Sung Si-kyung's Muktende and Kim Three Meals both credited it independently. Yeoksam-dong Bugeojip has done one thing since 2003: a bugeojjim (braised dried pollack) rice set that reads as a taxi-driver's hangover lunch more than a destination meal.
Dinner shifts toward meat, seafood, and one outlier: Brick Oven, a second-floor pizzeria that's baked foldable New York-style slices in a brick oven since the early 2010s — a rare non-Korean anchor in an otherwise all-Korean batch, though its Ddoganjip mention came without the show's official pick mark. Namho Sikdang, open since 2000, sells countryside home-style sets at lunch and fresh (unfrozen) samgyeopsal at night. Cheongsu Hoetjip runs a basement raw-fish room built for company dinners — its course sets need two people minimum, though solo diners can order a la carte. Kkotsaeu Yeongbeonji, the seafood pocha in the group with valet parking, built a reputation around a ₩30,000 soy-sauce egg rice that ChopChop University's short singled out.
After the tables clear, Sindonggung Gamjatang — open since 1993 — is where the late crowd lands, grilling bone-in pork and pouring gamjatang through the drinking hours. Pungnyeonjip, open since 2020, sits in between: a single-item counter for charcoal-grilled sogalbisal that draws the same office lunch-and-dinner crowd as the rest of the list. Kim Three Meals accounts for five of the eight credits here; the rest split between Muktende, Ddoganjip, and ChopChop University.
7▶ source videoDaeun Sikdang 대운식당
A Yeoksam-dong spot near Gangnam Station running two menus at once — jeyuk-bokkeum and squid stir-fries on one side, dongtae-jeon and pollack stews (frozen and fresh) on the other.
₩15–40k2 channels agreeShort waits at peak
107▶ source videoBrick Oven 브릭오븐
Brick Oven has served New York-style pizza from a second-floor Yeoksam-dong space since the early 2010s, baking large, foldable slices in a 550°F brick oven rather than the thin pies more common around Gangnam.
₩15–40k1 trusted mentionShort waits at peak
230▶ source videoPungnyeonjip 풍년집
Pungnyeonjip is a Yeoksam-dong beef-rib specialist that has run on a single menu item for decades: charcoal-grilled, garlic-marinated sogalbisal (thin-sliced short rib) served with a hearty doenjang-jjigae, drawing office workers from the Gangnam-Yeoksam business district for lunch and dinner.
₩15–40k1 trusted mentionShort waits at peak
233▶ source videoSindonggung Gamjatang Yeoksam 신동궁감자탕 역삼본점
A Yeoksam-dong pork-bone soup house open since 1993, known for charcoal-grilled bone-in pork and gamjatang served to the neighborhood's late-night drinking crowd.
under ₩15k1 trusted mention
250▶ source videoNamho Sikdang 남호식당
A 30-year-old Yeoksam-dong pork belly institution tucked behind a parking lot near Yeoksam Station, drawing office workers for lunchtime home-style sets and fresh (unfrozen) samgyeopsal in the evening.
₩15–40k1 trusted mentionShort waits at peak
272▶ source videoCheongsu Hoetjip 청수횟집
A basement raw-fish (hoe) specialist near Yeoksam Station serving fresh live-fish sashimi platters alongside everyday single-serving options like hoedeopbap, mulhoe, and grilled fish.
₩15–40k1 trusted mentionShort waits at peak
300▶ source videoKkotsaeu Yeongbeonji 꽃새우영번지
Kkotsaeu Yeongbeonji is a Yeoksam-dong shrimp specialist built on raw Dokdo shrimp and mantis shrimp, known for a ₩30,000 soy-sauce egg rice that outgrew its role as a side dish and became a talking point on its own.
over ₩40k1 trusted mentionShort waits at peak
310▶ source videoYeoksam-dong Bugeojip 역삼동 북어집
A no-frills taxi-driver diner near Yeoksam known for a single rice dish — bugeojjim (spicy braised dried pollack) rice set — plus grilled and braised pollack as drinking food.
under ₩15k1 trusted mentionShort waits at peak
Questions
Is Yeoksam-dong walk-in friendly, or do I need reservations?
All eight listings are walk-in. Cheongsu Hoetjip has a phone line (02-554-5252) but it's not required — most diners walk in — and its course-style set menus need a minimum of two people, so solo diners should order a la carte (hoedeopbap, mulhoe, grilled fish).
What's the food like around Gangnam's office towers?
Mostly built for a workday: fast-turning lunch sets (Daeun Sikdang, Yeoksam-dong Bugeojip, Namho Sikdang) and heavier dinner-and-drinks spots (Pungnyeonjip's grilled beef rib, Cheongsu Hoetjip's raw-fish platters, Sindonggung Gamjatang's late-night pork-bone soup). None of it is styled for a photo — it's styled for a lunch break.
Which of these has more than one independent curator credit?
Daeun Sikdang is the only one — Sung Si-kyung's Muktende and Kim Three Meals both credited it separately, which this list treats as a stronger signal than a single high-view mention.
Is there any non-Korean food in the mix?
One: Brick Oven, a New York-style pizzeria baking large foldable slices since the early 2010s, drawing an expat and returning-local crowd inside an otherwise all-Korean lineup.
Ranked by trusted Korean curator mentions, not paid placement — how it works. Every listing is checked against Seoul's official business registry. Looking for what's closest right now? Places near you →