Author: Eat Like a Seoul Local

Quick answer

• What: a two-week-only Idolmaster SideM collab cafe in Hongdae, reservation only (October 8 to 21, 2026).
• Price: our order (one parfait, three drinks) came to 32,000 won (about $23).

Seoul fan culture, up close: a two-week-only collab cafe in Hongdae, reservation only. I went on opening day. Cafe Re:SPONG ("Lisspong") is on the 4th floor of a building in Hongdae. It is a collaboration cafe for Idolmaster SideM.

It is open for just two weeks, until October 21.

Reservation only. 70 minutes per slot, five slots a day. If you are more than 20 minutes late, your seat goes to people waiting on site.

Open the door and life-size standees greet you in a row. A man in his 40s, I didn’t know where to look.

Every table has a character drawn on it. They hang on the walls too. This is a pilgrimage site for fans. I had never seen how much one fan’s love can fill an entire space. It made me think having a hobby like this wouldn’t be bad.

Menu

One mango parfait and three drinks. Every drink is named after a character, like "High×Joker Full-Power Red Juice!".

Each drink comes with a character coaster.

It is an embarrassing place for a middle-aged guy, but it tasted good.

Price (from the receipt)

• W’s VICTORY Mango Parfait: 11,000 won (about $8)
• High×Joker Full-Power Red Juice!: 7,000 won
• Altessimo Melody Mix Juice!: 7,000 won
• 315 Production Cream Soda: 7,000 won
• Total: 32,000 won (about $23)

Good to know

Item	Details
Name	Cafe Re:SPONG ("Lisspong") / 카페 리스퐁
Address	4th floor, 22 Yanghwa-ro 18an-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul / 서울 마포구 양화로18안길 22, 4층
Price	Parfait 11,000 won (about $8), each drink 7,000 won; our total 32,000 won (about $23)
Hours	October 8 to October 21, 2026. Slots: 11:00-12:10, 12:30-13:40, 14:00-15:10, 16:30-17:40, 18:00-19:10
Reservation	Required: timed reservation, 70 minutes per slot, five slots a day
Phone	02-332-2440

Map: search 「카페 리스퐁」 in Naver Map

A shrine for fans, a good cafe for the rest of us.

Quick answer

• What: Thai noodles that double as a hangover cure, on the 2nd floor in Yeonnam-dong.
• Getting there: short walk from Hongik Univ. Station Exit 3.

Where a Yeonnam-dong lunch meeting ends up: a Thai place one floor up, a short walk from Hongik Univ. Station Exit 3, where the noodles double as a hangover cure.

The sign says "Vacation Restaurant." No flight, just a staircase. A one-hour holiday at lunch.

The stairwell is lined with menu posters: crab curry (pu phat pong), chili crab, braised pork rice.

Inside: rattan chairs, warm lights, a sea mural on the wall. Nice atmosphere.

Kundaeng noodles ("sticky noodles")

I ordered this to get over a rough night. It does the job. Halfway through I added the chili, and it was even better spicy.

Stir-fried morning glory

Tastes fine. The portion is small, though. A few bites and the leaf plate was empty.

Good to know

Item	Details
Name	Kundaeng / 쿤댕
Address	2nd floor, 42-6 Donggyo-ro 38-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul / 서울 마포구 동교로38길 42-6 2층
Station / exit / walk	Walkable from Hongik Univ. Station Exit 3
Hours	Daily 11:30–22:00, last order 21:30 (from other visitors’ reviews, check before you go)
How to order	QR code at your table. Main dish: 쿤댕국수 (kundaeng guksu) = Kundaeng noodles
Parking	None, use a nearby public lot
Phone	0507-1346-4735

Map: search 「쿤댕」 in Naver Map

Good vibe, decent food. I’d go back for the noodles.

Quick answer

• What: pork belly (ogyeopsal) that the staff grill for you, in Hongdae.
• Price: pork belly 170 g is 17,000 won (about $12).
• Getting there: 1-minute walk from Hongik Univ. Station Exit 7.

Where Hongdae locals go for pork belly. No tourist menu, no tongs, no guessing. It’s right outside Hongik Univ. Station Exit 7, the stop on the Airport Railroad.

They say they use Gangwon-do sows. The sign leads with soybean leaves (kongnip, used for wraps) and deodeok (a mountain root vegetable).

The menu is short. Pork belly, pork neck and special cuts, plus fried rice, cold noodles and soybean paste stew.

Pork belly (ogyeopsal)

They bring pre-seared meat on the plate. From there, the staff do all the grilling. They put the kimchi and deodeok on it too.

The grilling service is very convenient. You never pick up the tongs. All your hands have to do is wrap meat in soybean leaves. The meat is decent too.

There is a set way to eat it. Dip it in the plum-and-pear sauce, then in the perilla sauce. Then wrap it in a soybean leaf.

The sauce is good. A sweet sauce first, then the nutty perilla.

Hongu naengmyeon (cold noodles)

It is the spicy mixed kind (bibim), not the broth kind. The noodles have a buckwheat feel. Fine. A good way to finish after meat.

Price

Pork belly, 170 g: 17,000 won (about $12). Not cheap. But you skip the work of grilling.

Cold noodles 7,000 won, fried rice 4,000 won, soybean paste stew 3,000 won.

Good to know

Item	Details
Name	Hongu Samgyeop / 홍구삼겹
Address	56-11 Wausan-ro 29-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul / 서울 마포구 와우산로29길 56-11
Station / exit / walk	Hongik Univ. Station Exit 7, 1-minute walk, in the alley next to AK&
Price	Pork belly 170 g: 17,000 won (about $12). Cold noodles 7,000 won, fried rice 4,000 won, soybean paste stew 3,000 won
Hours	17:00-23:00 (from other visitors’ reviews, check before you go)
English menu	Headings are in English, the dishes are in Korean only. Show this page to the staff
How to order	"오겹살 2인분 주세요" (ogyeopsal i-inbun juseyo) = pork belly for two
Closed	Sundays (from other visitors’ reviews, check before you go)
Parking	Public lot in front
Phone	0507-1408-4640

Map: search 「홍구삼겹」 in Naver Map

Easy, since they grill for you. I’d go back for the cold noodles.

Quick answer

• What: traditional (not Korean-adapted) Italian in a Gwanghwamun basement, with a separate weekday lunch menu.
• Price: about 30,000 won (about $21) per person.
• Getting there: 1-minute walk from Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5) Exit 1.

A Gwanghwamun business lunch: an Italian restaurant in the basement of an old building, one minute from Gwanghwamun Station Exit 1, with a separate weekday lunch menu.

Come out of Gwanghwamun Station Exit 1 and the Royal Building is right there. The restaurant is on B1. The building is old, but inside it is a high-end restaurant.

The food is not adapted to Korean taste. It is closer to traditional Italian. Rich flavors, on the salty side.

Before you order, the staff ask how salty you want it. We went "normal" for the pasta and "low" for the rest. Even "normal" tasted good. Next time I would pick normal for everything.

Truffle risotto

The winner of the day. The grains of rice have bite. It is not the soft, mushy risotto you often get. Each grain is plump and firm. It is the texture Napoli Matfia (the chef from the TV show Culinary Class Wars) described as how risotto is supposed to be.

Truffle pasta

Thick rigatoni. Plenty of sauce, with a slice of prosciutto on top.

Margherita

The dough is chewy. Tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil. Just those three.

Burrata prosciutto salad

Burrata in the middle, with plenty of grated cheese on top. Arugula, cherry tomatoes and prosciutto around it.

Price

About 30,000 won (about $21) per person. A bit much for lunch. But it works for a business lunch or when hosting guests.

Good to know

Item	Details
Name	Osteria Radici / 오스테리아 라디치
Address	B1 Unit 58, 19 Saemunan-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Royal Building) / 서울 종로구 새문안로5길 19 로얄빌딩 지하1층 58호
Station / exit / walk	Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5) Exit 1, 1-minute walk
Price	About 30,000 won (about $21) per person
Hours	Break time 15:00-17:30 (from the Naver listing, check before you go). full hours not confirmed, check before you go
Reservation	Catchtable and Naver Reservation, private room available
Closed	Sundays (from other visitors’ reviews, check before you go)
Weekday lunch	A reduced menu, run separately
Phone	0507-1345-6941

Map: search 「오스테리아 라디치」 in Naver Map

The price is on the high side. Still, I’d go back for the risotto.

Quick answer

• What: a Japanese lunch that starts with a parade of side dishes, then sashimi, in Yeouido.
• Price: about 35,000 won (about $25) per person for lunch.
• Getting there: about 370 m in a straight line from Exit 3 of National Assembly Station (Line 9).

Yeouido is Seoul’s office and finance district, and its lunch spots are built for people who eat here every weekday. Gwak Susan ("Gwak the Seafood Man") is one of the old guard, a Japanese restaurant on the first basement floor of the Dongwoo Building near National Assembly Station. Inside, it still feels like an old-school Korean-style Japanese restaurant.

Short version: very satisfying. I left full.

The side dishes come first

The best thing here is the skidashi (the small plates served before the sashimi). They keep coming: edamame, salad, chive pancake, and even grilled flatfish.

There was also a plate of braised fish. You pick at it slowly with chopsticks, so it suits a lunch where you want to talk.

The sashimi was excellent

After the small plates, the sashimi arrives. A generous plate of white fish, with pickled ginger on the side. The sashimi was excellent.

Spoon worm

What I remember most is the gaebul (spoon worm, a chewy sea creature). It is rare for a lunch sashimi set to include it as a side dish. If you like gaebul, you will be happy here.

Who it suits

• People looking for a slow, sit-down Japanese lunch in Yeouido
• Group lunches that need a reservation
• People who like old-style Korean Japanese-restaurant side dishes

If you need a quick lunch, it may not fit. The plates keep coming, so leave plenty of time.

Good to know

Item	Details
Name	Gwak Susan / 곽수산
Address	B1, Dongwoo Building, 19 Gukhoe-daero 74-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul / 서울 영등포구 국회대로74길 19 동우빌딩 지하 1층
Station / exit / walk	About 370 m in a straight line from Exit 3 of National Assembly Station (Line 9). A bit of a walk from Yeouido Station
Price	About 35,000 won (about $25) per person for lunch (as of October 2026)
Hours	Break time from 14:30 (per Naver Map; end time not confirmed). full hours not confirmed, check before you go
Reservation	The sign says reservations accepted
How to order	"점심 두 명이요" (jeomsim du myeong-iyo) = lunch for two
Seating	The sign says 100 seats
Phone	02-784-0207

Map: search 「곽수산」 in Naver Map

If you want a proper skidashi-and-sashimi lunch near National Assembly Station, Gwak Susan is worth a visit. About 35,000 won (about $25), and I left full.