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Avoiding touristy restaurants?
We unfortunately are staying in Myeongdong for convenience but kno… It's going to be my first time in Seoul, with my 8 month old and we are hoping to get tips and tricks to avoid touristy restaurants.
We unfortunately are staying in Myeongdong for convenience but know to not eat around there. What are ways for us to tease out which restaurants are touristy?
the myeongdong thing is real, but even there you can find decent spots if you walk up the side streets toward the embassy area. look for places where ajummas are eating alone or groups of office workers in suits, that's usually a solid sign
another trick is to check the time. if a place is packed with locals at 11:30am for lunch or 6pm for dinner but empty at 2pm, it's prob legit. tourist spots stay busy all day long
also if you see a restaurant with a plastic food display out front that looks too perfect and has english descriptions, skip it. the good ones will have a handwritten menu taped to the door or nothing at all
since you're stuck in myeongdong with a baby, timing is actually your friend for finding real spots. aim for lunch around 11:30-12:30 or dinner at 6-7pm, if a place is full of people in work clothes or older folks eating alone during those windows, you're good. tourist traps will have empty tables at peak hours because they rely on random walk-ins all day
another thing nobody mentioned is to check the floor. if you see shoes piled up by the entrance or people sitting on cushions, that's a sign it's a proper local joint. the touristy places in myeongdong have chairs and tables like a western restaurant, the real ones make you sit cross-legged or on low stools
and honestly just walk 2-3 streets away from the main shopping drag. once you hit the residential alleys near euljiro or the hwanghak-dong area, the prices drop and the food gets better. you'll know you're close when you stop hearing mandarin and english on the street
honestly just look for places with no english menu or pictures on the wall, that's usually a good sign you're in a local spot
best tea service at Camellia House in Seoul 2026
Reserve the 2pm seating, gets packed after 3.
the set, not a la carte
Coming from Haebangchon, take line 6 to Itaewon then walk up, taxi is only like 6,000 won though. Skip the scones honestly, they're dry. Order the first flush darjeeling a la carte and a slice of their matcha roll.