8 South Korean Restaurants and Cafes You’ll Recognize From Your Favorite K-Dramas

Dine like you're in your favorite drama.
by Ina Louise Manto | July 20, 2020

Ever wondered what it feels like to dine like K-drama characters? We’ve rounded up some restaurants and cafes we’ve seen in our favorite K-dramas — don’t forget to visit them on your next trip to Seoul:

BBQ Olive Chicken Cafe

Crash Landing On You (2020)

 

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BBQ Olive Chicken Café is that restaurant that gained popularity after being featured in the hit 2016 drama Goblin: The Lonely Great God. It’s a famous spot for chimaek or chicken and beer but they also have a wide variety of dishes on their menu including pasta, pizza, rice, salad, and mocktails.

The famous chicken restaurant was also featured in the dramas Crash Landing On You (2020) and The King: Eternal Monarch (2020). In fact, Lee Min Ho’s one of their endorsers now!

Location: Cheonggyecheon 81) 11-5 Gwancheol-dong, Jongno District, Seoul, Korea (one of the branches featured in Goblin)

Subway

Crash Landing on You (2020)

 

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Subway is probably the most common location featured in dramas. There’s just too many to mention! It’s where they pick up their snacks, dine with officemates (in dramas with an office setting), or simply meet for dates. Fortunately, you don’t have to go to Seoul for this, as Subway’s just one food delivery service away.

Ssangdaepo Sogeumgui BBQ

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (2016)

 

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When watching K-dramas, there’s one food we end up craving the most: Korean BBQ. And this particular BBQ restaurant has appeared in many dramas over the past years. Boasting traditional Korean interiors, Ssandaepo Sogeumgui BBQ gained popularity after being featured in the 2010 drama Secret Garden. We’ve also seen some of our favorite drama characters enjoy the restaurant’s famous samgyupsal here: Boys Over Flowers (2009), Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (2016), and Itaewon Class (2020).

Location: 291 Cheongpa-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Dal.Komm Coffee

Goblin (2016)

 

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Dal.Komm Coffee has been operating since 2011 and has appeared in famous dramas like Descendants of the Sun (2016), Goblin (2016), and W: Two Worlds (2016). They specialize in premium Arabica coffee and serve other refreshments, pastries, and desserts. The café has also gone overseas and now has branches in Malaysia and Singapore.

Location: Dal.Komm has many branches around Seoul but if you want to visit the location from Descendants of the Sun, it’s at Level 1, Central Park Prugio, 23-5 Songdo-dong, Yeonsu District, Incheon.

Restaurant Small Town

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (2016)

 

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Restaurant Small Town is the famous chicken restaurant slash home owned by Bok Joo’s father in Weightlifting Fairy: Kim Bok Joo (2016). The rustic brick-walled restaurant with the iconic vines doesn’t actually serve fried chicken in real life. Instead, they serve a variety of traditional Korean dishes.

Location: 25 Jeongneung-ro, 6-gil, Seongbukgu, Seoul

Coffeesmith

It’s Okay, That’s Love (2014)

 

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Coffeesmith is a café we’ve seen in famous dramas like It’s Okay, That’s Love (2014), I’m Not A Robot (2016), and Sensory Couple (2015). The café has become a hotspot in Hongdae. Other than its quality coffee and desserts, patrons love its atmosphere and neat interiors, especially its tall clear windows. If you’re from the South Metro, there’s actually a Coffeesmith branch in Festival Mall, Alabang!

Location: 82 Wausan-ro, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Chocolatier Zino

Goblin (2016)

 

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Remember the Goblin’s favorite steakhouse in Quebec, Canada that boasts of classy European interiors? Well, it isn’t in the maple country – it’s just an hour away from Seoul. As the name suggests, Chocolatier Zino doesn’t serve steak; it’s a café famous for its decadent desserts. It’s also been featured in multiple dramas including What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? (2018) and Crash Landing on You (2020).

Location: 195-56 Saeri-ro, Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do

Plate-B

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (2017)

If you’ve seen Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (2017), you would remember this café as Dobong Walnut Bakery, which belongs to Bong Soon’s father. They don’t serve fresh pastries in real life, though. Instead, they’re known to be a brunch place serving meals, salads, and desserts. It’s definitely a must-try if you’re looking for a quaint brunch spot in Seoul.

Location: 415-1, Huam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

If you wish to visit filming locations of your favorite dramas, check out these guides: 

‘The King: Eternal Monarch’ Filming Locations You Can Actually See For Yourself
‘Itaewon Class’ Filming Locations to Visit on Your Next Trip to Korea
‘Crash Landing on You’ Iconic Filming Locations You Can Visit IRL
You Can Visit These ’Parasite’ Filming Locations IRL