Kangnam: Mad for Garlic

648-19, Yeoksam Dong
Kangnam Gu
02-562-6977

Located south of the river near the offices of Nike, Samsung, Chrysler, and other large firms, Mad for Garlic’s decor—dark, exposed brick, low-slung vaulted ceiling, and dim wall fixtures—does nothing to discourage Dracula jokes. As the name implies, garlic dominates nearly every dish on the Italian menu (salad, pasta, steak, pizza that isn’t greasy). It’s not too fancy—paper place mats show photographs of the food—but the wine list is extensive, featuring a $486 bottle of Opus One. There are several locations in the business districts south of the river, such as Cheongdam, Samsung, and Gangnam. All are reliable places to duck into on the way to or from a meeting.

Dress: Casual
Prices: Inexpensive to moderate
Reservations: Recommended
Close to: Kangnam district businesses


Itaewon: Villa Sortino
124-12 Itaewon-dong
Yongsan-gu
02-553-9000

A curious thing happens when a Seoul restaurant reaches a certain level of success: The owners open a second branch down the street—or even right across from it. In Itaewon, cut-rate tailors and brothels are gradually giving way to retail storefronts and pairs of good restaurants. Expats say Sortino serves the best Italian food in Seoul—even the owners of a rival Italian place reportedly eat there. The Italian-Canadian owner makes sophisticated dishes with difficult-to-find ingredients, like guanciale (a fatty pig jowl), and wild boar. The Sortino on the south side of the street is casual and popular with groups; go to the Sortino on the north side for a quieter, fancier meal at a table that looks into the kitchen.

Dress: Casual
Prices: Moderate to expensive
Reservations: Strongly recommended
Close to: Itaewon, Hannam-dong, Yongsan military base, Hamilton Hotel, Grand Hyatt Hotel


Namdaemun: T-Won
43-205, Dongja-dong
Yongsan-gu
02-392-0985

In 2004 a high-speed rail line began whisking passengers to Busan, one of the world’s largest ports and a shipping and shipbuilding hub for East Asia. Don’t eat on the train—go to the fourth floor of the Concos department store connected to Seoul Station. Single diners are seated by default at a bar that faces a line of chefs working furiously at their woks, but ask for a table by the window overlooking the station’s main plaza. The menu includes oddities like shark’s-fin soup, but there are more-familiar Chinese dishes that are tasty and filling—and not smothered in the black-bean paste that dominates most Korean-style Chinese food.

Dress: Casual
Prices: Moderate
Reservations: Unnecessary
Close to: Seoul Station, Hilton International Hotel