International Food in Itaewon
Posted by Joe McPherson on September 23, 2010 · 18 Comments
For those times when kimchi just doesn’t cut it, these four walking routes will guideyou to the best in international dining.
Words and shots by Joe McPherson
Before coming to Korea you may have heard about Itaewon. What exactly you heard will depend a lot on the date of entry of the person who you heard it from. It has not always been what it is, and it won’t always be that way either. Compared with the rest of Seoul, it’s not really that old. Since its humble beginnings as a few bars and tailors catering to the nearby US army base, it has been in a constant state of flux. Old-timers (as in people who came before the 2002 World Cup)disparage what they see as the gentrification of a legendary gritty inland sailor’s village. Yet even that period of Itaewon was relatively short-lived.For the past couple of years, the constantly changing neighborhood has been going through its greatest metamorphosis. Itaewon now caters to an international crowd in addition to the soldiers, and despite frequent procrastination, the US army base will move south one day. This environment has spawned an exciting dining scene that native Seoulites are finally starting to discover. Sometimes I like to go there to explore different international cuisines, which I call “globing it.” This article will offer you a little walking guide to some of our faves.
Where Would Obi Won Go?There are three landmarks in Itaewon you usually refer to when meeting someone: the Hamilton Hotel, Gecko’s Terrace, and Quizno’s (formerly Burger King), all of which are just outside Itaewon Station (line 6, the brown line). Let’s start with exit 4, the Gecko’s exit. Gecko’s (1) is not only a good place to grab a steak pie and a beer; it’s also sort of the Star Wars cantina of Seoul. Everyone goes through there at one point. It’s a great mix of nationalities, ages and professions. Investigators looking for missing persons would be wise to start their searches here—and I have been approached by one who did.Behind Gecko’s is Chef Meili (2). Our resident Austrian chef has breathed life into this sector by whipping up classic schnitzel and chateaubriand in a relaxed setting while also manning a full-service deli. And by full service I mean the man cures his own meats and bakes his own breads. He’s also a good source for a rare lobe of foie gras if you’re in the market for it.Going down the hill you can get some Paraguayan empanadas at El Comedor on the left and one of the best burgers at The Wolfhound (3) on the right. A new find that we’ll go into detail in a future issue is the Sultan Restaurant. This place has real shish kebabs that taste like a Saturday evening backyard barbecue. As of this writing, they’re closed for renovation.Passing Sultan and climbing up the stairs, turn left and walk to the end of the street. At the corner is the legendary Suji’s, the restaurant that sparked Korea’s brunch craze. They serve some mean breakfast. Now they’re going for an encore by bringing New York deli sandwiches to Korea. Here’s to hoping that this will also become a trend.
From Turkey to MoroccoFor the second touring route, start at Quizno’s, walk around the hungry customers lined up at Taco Bell and turn left at the first back street. You’ll immediately hit Sultan Kebab House (4), the place that started the whole kebab trend in Seoul in 2006. It’s still the best. Heading all the way up to the intersection and turning right, you can find Roofers (5). We’ve talked about Roofers before, but if you’re a newcomer you weren’t here for that. I’ll shorten it in Twitter-speak: Roofers is gd 4 ThaiTunaMelt, gr8 brgr n beer on rooftop.Across the street and up a ways you hit the Foreign Food Mart. This is the best bet for hard-to-find items from almost any international cuisine, especially lamb and curries.The last find on this leg is a bit of a walk. Back on the main street, head toward the big Cheil Building. You’ll pass by Rocky Mountain Tavern, an authentic Canadian tavern with great wings and pizza. Next to it is Marrakech Night (6), Korea’s best stop for authentic Moroccan food.
The Restaurant RowNow for the Hamilton Hotel side. This is where the big restaurant renaissance has been occurring over the past five years. It’s not on the main street but immediately behind the hotel. Slightly more upscale ethnic restaurants populate this restaurant row, starting with the granddaddy Le Saint Ex (7) French bistro across from the 3 Alley Pub. You can find great desserts at the former and great goulash soup at the latter. Or pick up a strawberry-rhubarb pie from Tartine, which is close by. This street is where to go for the world mix: Bulgarian at Zelen, Greek at Santorini, Brazilian at Copacabana and the beach barbecue environment of Bungalow (8), serving skewers with dozens of world flavors. We’re only naming a few on this one because the establishments come and go rapidly. For the rest, here are some handy guidelines: if it’s lively, it’s good. If it’s only waiters standing out front, it’s struggling. If there’s a line out the door, stay away. It’s overhyped.
Roads Less TraveledNow for the less-traveled areas. From Itaewon Station, go out of exit 1 and walk towards the Burger King. Two streets before BK, turn right up the hill. Tucked away on this street is the other restaurant of royalty, Chili King (9). Great chili. Go figure. A little further to the right is Irani, a tiny friendly restaurant that is a favorite of long-time Itaewon insiders.For the final part of our quick walking tour, we return to the Burger King area. Count three streets beyond that—the last small street before the large junction leading to Noksapyeong. This road ramps up and around, eventually leading to the expat neighborhood of Haebangchon. If you’re in the mood for a soothing cup of herbal tea and some enticing pan-Asian treats, check out Berlin (10). For our friends from Oz, Tony’s Aussie Bar & Bistro serves all the comforts of home, including beetroots, vegemite, meat pies and Tim Tam Slams.We end our journey at the top of the hill overlooking the edge of Itaewon. Petra (11) stands on the rock and has crystallized its reputation as one of the oldest and best stops for Middle Eastern cuisine and the origin of the Itaewon pastime of hookah smoking.
It’s been quite a tour, but we still haven’t completely covered the neighborhood. That’s because it’s still growing. The Hannam-dong eastern edge offers some upscale fine dining, and there’s a row of Japanese izakaya in between. And at night, it has the most diverse street food in Seoul. Feel free to explore and share your favorite finds as comments on the online version of the article at 10magazine.asia.
Posted by Joe McPherson on September 23, 2010 · 18 Comments
For those times when kimchi just doesn’t cut it, these four walking routes will guideyou to the best in international dining.
Words and shots by Joe McPherson
Before coming to Korea you may have heard about Itaewon. What exactly you heard will depend a lot on the date of entry of the person who you heard it from. It has not always been what it is, and it won’t always be that way either. Compared with the rest of Seoul, it’s not really that old. Since its humble beginnings as a few bars and tailors catering to the nearby US army base, it has been in a constant state of flux. Old-timers (as in people who came before the 2002 World Cup)disparage what they see as the gentrification of a legendary gritty inland sailor’s village. Yet even that period of Itaewon was relatively short-lived.For the past couple of years, the constantly changing neighborhood has been going through its greatest metamorphosis. Itaewon now caters to an international crowd in addition to the soldiers, and despite frequent procrastination, the US army base will move south one day. This environment has spawned an exciting dining scene that native Seoulites are finally starting to discover. Sometimes I like to go there to explore different international cuisines, which I call “globing it.” This article will offer you a little walking guide to some of our faves.
Where Would Obi Won Go?There are three landmarks in Itaewon you usually refer to when meeting someone: the Hamilton Hotel, Gecko’s Terrace, and Quizno’s (formerly Burger King), all of which are just outside Itaewon Station (line 6, the brown line). Let’s start with exit 4, the Gecko’s exit. Gecko’s (1) is not only a good place to grab a steak pie and a beer; it’s also sort of the Star Wars cantina of Seoul. Everyone goes through there at one point. It’s a great mix of nationalities, ages and professions. Investigators looking for missing persons would be wise to start their searches here—and I have been approached by one who did.Behind Gecko’s is Chef Meili (2). Our resident Austrian chef has breathed life into this sector by whipping up classic schnitzel and chateaubriand in a relaxed setting while also manning a full-service deli. And by full service I mean the man cures his own meats and bakes his own breads. He’s also a good source for a rare lobe of foie gras if you’re in the market for it.Going down the hill you can get some Paraguayan empanadas at El Comedor on the left and one of the best burgers at The Wolfhound (3) on the right. A new find that we’ll go into detail in a future issue is the Sultan Restaurant. This place has real shish kebabs that taste like a Saturday evening backyard barbecue. As of this writing, they’re closed for renovation.Passing Sultan and climbing up the stairs, turn left and walk to the end of the street. At the corner is the legendary Suji’s, the restaurant that sparked Korea’s brunch craze. They serve some mean breakfast. Now they’re going for an encore by bringing New York deli sandwiches to Korea. Here’s to hoping that this will also become a trend.
From Turkey to MoroccoFor the second touring route, start at Quizno’s, walk around the hungry customers lined up at Taco Bell and turn left at the first back street. You’ll immediately hit Sultan Kebab House (4), the place that started the whole kebab trend in Seoul in 2006. It’s still the best. Heading all the way up to the intersection and turning right, you can find Roofers (5). We’ve talked about Roofers before, but if you’re a newcomer you weren’t here for that. I’ll shorten it in Twitter-speak: Roofers is gd 4 ThaiTunaMelt, gr8 brgr n beer on rooftop.Across the street and up a ways you hit the Foreign Food Mart. This is the best bet for hard-to-find items from almost any international cuisine, especially lamb and curries.The last find on this leg is a bit of a walk. Back on the main street, head toward the big Cheil Building. You’ll pass by Rocky Mountain Tavern, an authentic Canadian tavern with great wings and pizza. Next to it is Marrakech Night (6), Korea’s best stop for authentic Moroccan food.
The Restaurant RowNow for the Hamilton Hotel side. This is where the big restaurant renaissance has been occurring over the past five years. It’s not on the main street but immediately behind the hotel. Slightly more upscale ethnic restaurants populate this restaurant row, starting with the granddaddy Le Saint Ex (7) French bistro across from the 3 Alley Pub. You can find great desserts at the former and great goulash soup at the latter. Or pick up a strawberry-rhubarb pie from Tartine, which is close by. This street is where to go for the world mix: Bulgarian at Zelen, Greek at Santorini, Brazilian at Copacabana and the beach barbecue environment of Bungalow (8), serving skewers with dozens of world flavors. We’re only naming a few on this one because the establishments come and go rapidly. For the rest, here are some handy guidelines: if it’s lively, it’s good. If it’s only waiters standing out front, it’s struggling. If there’s a line out the door, stay away. It’s overhyped.
Roads Less TraveledNow for the less-traveled areas. From Itaewon Station, go out of exit 1 and walk towards the Burger King. Two streets before BK, turn right up the hill. Tucked away on this street is the other restaurant of royalty, Chili King (9). Great chili. Go figure. A little further to the right is Irani, a tiny friendly restaurant that is a favorite of long-time Itaewon insiders.For the final part of our quick walking tour, we return to the Burger King area. Count three streets beyond that—the last small street before the large junction leading to Noksapyeong. This road ramps up and around, eventually leading to the expat neighborhood of Haebangchon. If you’re in the mood for a soothing cup of herbal tea and some enticing pan-Asian treats, check out Berlin (10). For our friends from Oz, Tony’s Aussie Bar & Bistro serves all the comforts of home, including beetroots, vegemite, meat pies and Tim Tam Slams.We end our journey at the top of the hill overlooking the edge of Itaewon. Petra (11) stands on the rock and has crystallized its reputation as one of the oldest and best stops for Middle Eastern cuisine and the origin of the Itaewon pastime of hookah smoking.
It’s been quite a tour, but we still haven’t completely covered the neighborhood. That’s because it’s still growing. The Hannam-dong eastern edge offers some upscale fine dining, and there’s a row of Japanese izakaya in between. And at night, it has the most diverse street food in Seoul. Feel free to explore and share your favorite finds as comments on the online version of the article at 10magazine.asia.
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