Seoul's city government has published its annual list of the city's 100 recommended places to eat. For fans planning a trip around a concert or a comeback show, it is an expert-picked shortlist of where to eat between events, and a quarter of this year's entries are new.
What is the 100 Taste of Seoul 2026 list, and what changed this year?
The 100 Taste of Seoul 2026 list is the Seoul Metropolitan Government's annual selection of 100 restaurants, cafés and bars. It was reported on October 6, 2026 . This year, 25 of the 100 venues are new. For the first time, the city has also published a separate list of 50 cafés and dessert shops .
Quick Answer: The 100 Taste of Seoul 2026 is the city government's list of 100 recommended venues in seven categories, chosen by 60 domestic food experts. Of the 100 venues, 25 are new this year. A separate list, "Seoul's 50 Cafés & Desserts," appears for the first time alongside it.
The list started in 2020. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the city uses it each year as a culinary-tourism guide to its food scene . The Korea Times describes it as a tool to help residents and visitors plan trips around the selected restaurants, cafés and neighbourhoods. The city's own framing for 2026 is that the selection goes beyond the question of "what to eat" to "what kind of culinary experience Seoul has to offer."
The 2026 selection worked like this, according to the city's Korean-language release:
- Panel: 60 domestic experts, including food journalists, culinary travellers, academic researchers, professional chefs and tourism specialists .
- Method: each expert recommended three places in each of seven categories, or 21 picks per person .
- Categories: Korean, Western, Asian, Grill, Vegetarian, Café & Dessert, and Bar & Pub.
The sources describe the panel differently. The city press release calls the 60 experts "domestic." The official list site calls them "Korean and international food experts" and says venues were judged on "originality, expertise, and buzz." This article follows the press release.
"Seoul's cuisine is a top-tier travel experience created by the harmony of its neighborhoods, alleys, people and culture," — Cho Seong-ho, Director General of Tourism and Sports, Seoul Metropolitan Government (source: The Korea Times)
How are the 100 venues split across seven categories?
The 100 Taste of Seoul 2026 list has seven categories. Korean has 27 venues, Western 23, Asian 15, Grill 10, Café & Dessert 9, Vegetarian 8 and Bar & Pub 8, for a total of 100 . Korean food is the largest group, with more than a quarter of the slots. Cafés and dessert shops get fewer than one in ten.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government's English announcement lists the seven categories as Korean, Western, Asian, Grill, Vegetarian, Café & Dessert, and Bar & Pub. It also says 25 of the final 100 are new this year . On the official Taste of Seoul list site, the Vegetarian category is called "Plant-based." The site also lets you filter venues by Seoul's 25 districts . If you are planning meals around a concert at KSPO Dome or a pop-up in Seongsu, the district filter shows you what is listed nearby.
Café & Dessert has only nine places in the main list. That is a small share in a city where café-hopping is a big part of many fan trips. It also helps explain why the city published a separate list of 50 cafés and dessert shops this year . The main 100 gives you nine dessert stops. The 50-café list covers that category in much more depth.
| Category | Venues in main 100 | New entries in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Korean | 27 | 10 |
| Western | 23 | 4 |
| Asian | 15 | 5 |
| Grill | 10 | 1 |
| Café & Dessert | 9 | 0 (calculated; not stated by the city) |
| Vegetarian (Plant-based) | 8 | 1 |
| Bar & Pub | 8 | 4 |
| Total | 100 | 25 |
The new-entry counts for Korean, Asian, Western and Grill come from the city's English release . The counts for Vegetarian and Bar & Pub come from the Korean-language Seoul city release .
The six category figures in those releases add up to exactly 25 (10 + 5 + 4 + 1 + 1 + 4), which matches the city's total for new entries. That leaves no new places for Café & Dessert, so all nine cafés in the main list appear to be returning venues. Neither city release nor the official site says this directly. Treat it as a calculation from the published numbers, not an official statement.
- Largest category: Korean, 27 venues, 10 of them new.
- Smallest categories: Vegetarian and Bar & Pub, 8 venues each.
- Café & Dessert: 9 venues in the main 100, plus the separate 50-venue café list.
Which 25 restaurants are new on the 2026 list?
There are 25 new venues on the 100 Taste of Seoul 2026 list. Ten are in the Korean category, five are Asian, four are Western, one is Grill, one is Vegetarian and four are Bar & Pub . The names below follow the city's English press release (Seoul Metropolitan Government, 2026-10) wherever it gives them. The Vegetarian and Bar & Pub additions are taken from the Korean-language Seoul city release on Mediahub .
Korean: 10 new
- Reebukbang
- Myeon Seoul
- Sancho
- Seoryeong
- Super Pan
- Yuroc
- Poom Seoul
- Hamo
- Hansikgonggan Soban
- Haenam Cheonilgwan
Asian: 5 new
- Gaggen
- Muni
- Palsun
- Hakusi
- Haobin
Western: 4 new
- Da Robe
- L'Amant Secret
- Muoki
- Pono Buono
Grill: 1 new
- Mongtan
Vegetarian: 1 new
- Gosari Express (고사리 익스프레스)
Bar & Pub: 4 new
- Baekgom Makgeolli (백곰막걸리)
- Alice Cheongdam (앨리스 청담)
- Jangsaeng Geonganwon (장생건강원)
- Chamjecheol (참제철)
The Vegetarian and Bar & Pub names above are our own romanizations of the Hangul in the Korean city release, not official English names. Seoul's sources also spell some names differently from each other. The press release uses "Reebukbang" and "Seoryeong", but the official 100 Taste of Seoul list site shows "Leebukbang" and "Seoryung" . If you are searching a map app or booking platform, try both spellings. The Hangul name is usually the most reliable search term.
No Café & Dessert venue appears among the new entries. The six category counts above add up to exactly 25. No city source says outright that every café on the list is returning, though. The official list site lets you filter all 100 venues by Seoul's 25 districts . That is the quickest way to find the new entries near where you're staying, and to check addresses and opening hours before you go. We haven't listed those details here because the city releases don't give them.
Which established names does the list keep, and where are they?
The 2026 list still includes several of Seoul's better-known restaurants and cafés. In its October 2026 report, The Korea Times names five of them with their locations: Mingles in Gangnam, La Yeon in Jung District, Wooraeok in Eulji-ro, Nudake near Dosan Park, and Onion in Seongsu-dong . Neither the city nor The Korea Times gives prices for any venue, so this guide doesn't include any.
Mingles | Restaurant
Mingles is one of the five venues The Korea Times names in its report on the 2026 list. It is in Gangnam, south of the Han River .
📋 Gangnam District · Hours and menu: check the official list page
💡 Book ahead, and check the restaurant's reservation page before you plan your day around it.
📍 South Korea, Seoul, Gangnam District, Dosan-daero 67-gil, 19 힐탑빌딩 2층
🕒 Monday Closed / Tuesday–Saturday 12:00 – 3:00 PM, 6:00 – 10:00 PM / Sunday Closed
⭐ 4.5 (880 reviews)
📞 02-515-7306
🔗 View on Google Maps
La Yeon | Restaurant
La Yeon is in Jung District, central Seoul . That puts it near Myeong-dong and DDP, the main festival venue.
📋 Jung District · Hours and menu: check the official list page
💡 If you are at DDP during Gourmet Week, this is one of the listed venues closest to the festival.
📍 South Korea, Seoul, Jung District, 장충동 Dongho-ro, 249, THE SHILLA Seoul, 23층
🕒 Daily 12:00 – 2:30 PM, 5:30 – 9:30 PM
⭐ 4.5 (809 reviews)
📞 02-2230-3367
🔗 View on Google Maps
Wooraeok | Restaurant
Wooraeok is in Eulji-ro , the old printing-shop district between City Hall and Dongdaemun.
📋 Eulji-ro, Jung District · Hours and menu: check the official list page
💡 You can easily pair it with a visit to DDP, which is a short subway ride east.
📍 62-29 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jung District, Seoul
🕒 Monday Closed / Tuesday–Sunday 11:30 AM – 9:00 PM
⭐ 4.2 (6,559 reviews)
📞 02-2265-0151
🔗 View on Google Maps
Nudake | Café
Nudake is near Dosan Park in Gangnam's Sinsa–Apgujeong area .
📋 Dosan Park area, Gangnam · Hours: check the official list page
💡 Dosan Park is a shopping street, so you can fit this stop into an afternoon of shopping there.
📍 50 Apgujeong-ro 46-gil, Gangnam District, Seoul
🕒 Daily 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
⭐ 4.3 (724 reviews)
📞 070-4128-2125
🔗 View on Google Maps
Onion | Café
The Korea Times places Onion in Seongsu-dong . The brand has more than one branch, so make sure your map pin is in Seongsu.
📋 Seongsu-dong, Seongdong District · Hours: check the official list page
💡 Check that you have the Seongsu branch before you head there.
📍 5 Gyedong-gil, Jongno District, Seoul
🕒 Monday–Friday 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM / Saturday–Sunday 9:00 AM – 10:00 PM
⭐ 4.2 (4,698 reviews)
📞 070-7543-2123
🔗 View on Google Maps
The first page of the Korean category on the official list site also shows these returning names . We haven't given their districts here because our sources don't list them.
- Kwonsooksoo
- Giwakang
- A Flower Blossom on the Rice
- Restaurant Jueun
- Bongraeheon
- Bicena
The Seoul city release in Korean says the list also works in Naver Map, Kakao Map, Catch Table and Google Maps . For prices, Catch Table and each venue's page on the official site are the most reliable places to check, since neither the city nor the press gives price figures.
What is the new 'Seoul's 50 Cafés & Desserts' list?
Seoul's 50 Cafés & Desserts is a separate list of 50 cafés and dessert shops. The Seoul city government published it alongside the main 100 Taste of Seoul 2026 list, and it is the first time the city has issued a stand-alone café and dessert selection . The list is confirmed in Seoul city sources (Seoul Metropolitan Government, 2026-10). For a fan planning coffee and dessert stops between concerts or pop-up stores, it adds a second, café-only list to use next to the restaurant guide.
The Korean-language city release gives four criteria for choosing the 50 venues :
- Quality of the drinks and desserts
- What the space is like to visit
- Popularity
- How easy the venue is for international tourists to use
These are the city's own selection criteria, as stated by Seoul Media Hub. Neither the city nor the press has published figures on how many people use the list or what effect it has had.
The main reason for the new list is coverage. The main 100 includes only 9 venues in its Café & Dessert category . The Korea Times names Nudake in the Dosan Park area and Onion in Seongsu-dong as examples of listed venues . The separate list of 50 covers far more of Seoul's café scene than a nine-venue category can.
The research sources used for this article do not print the 50 names. The official Taste of Seoul site (tasteofseoul.visitseoul.net) is the place to check the full selection. The site's list can be filtered by Seoul's 25 districts , so you can see which cafés are close to where you'll already be.
💡 Plan café stops by neighbourhood rather than by name. If you're shopping in Seongsu or around Dosan Park, filter the official list by that district and put two or three stops on one walking route. Check each venue's current opening hours in Naver Map, Kakao Map or Google Maps before you go. The city release says the list can be used in those apps , and hours and closing days for small dessert shops can change without notice.
How do you use Taste of Seoul 2026 (Seoul Gourmet Week, Oct 23–29) at DDP?
Taste of Seoul 2026 is the city's food festival built around the list. It runs from Friday, October 23 to Thursday, October 29, 2026. Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) is the main venue, and other events take place across Seoul . Use the official website to find a program, sign up for it and book a table. Then save the venues in your map app.
The festival has four programs :
- Seoul Restaurant Week: dining programs at selected restaurants.
- Seoul Gourmet Market: a market format that brings listed venues together.
- Seoul Gourmet Tours: guided food routes through Seoul's neighborhoods.
- Seoul Gourmet Workshops: hands-on sessions.
The city's English announcement says the week includes markets, tours, workshops and hands-on experiences at selected restaurants, cafés, dessert shops and neighborhood venues (source: Seoul Metropolitan Government, 2026-10). The city has not yet confirmed the daily schedule for DDP in its primary releases. Check the official program page for exact days and times before you build your trip around one event.
Program details and sign-ups are on the official site, tasteofseoul.visitseoul.net. Updates are also posted on Instagram at @tasteofseoul_official .
Practical steps for planning:
- Book Restaurant Week and workshop slots early through the official site. Places in limited-capacity programs at well-known venues tend to go first.
- Reserve tables on Catch Table. The Korean city release says the list can be used through Catch Table, Naver Map, Kakao Map and Google Maps .
- Save your shortlist in a map app before you land. Naver Map and Kakao Map usually give more accurate walking and subway directions in Seoul than Google Maps.
- Plan routes by neighborhood. DDP is in Jung District, close to the Eulji-ro area. Pairing a DDP visit with nearby listed venues saves time crossing the city.
- Keep the gaps for street food. Market stalls sell double-fried snacks. In one vlog, about $5 of assorted fried items fed roughly three people (video: Doobydobap).
The city frames the week around neighborhoods as well as individual dishes. Cho Seong-ho, the city's director general of Tourism and Sports, put it this way:
"Seoul's cuisine is a top-tier travel experience created by the harmony of its neighborhoods, alleys, people and culture," — Cho Seong-ho, Director General of Tourism and Sports, Seoul Metropolitan Government (source: The Korea Times)
If you are in Seoul between October 23 and 29, plan three things. Pick one program at DDP. Book one or two listed restaurants on Catch Table. Choose a neighborhood near your concert venue or hotel, and fill the rest of the day with cafés from the 50 Cafés & Desserts list. Outside festival week, the 100 venues and the café list still work as a year-round, district-searchable guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many restaurants are new on the 100 Taste of Seoul 2026 list?
Twenty-five of the 100 venues on the 100 Taste of Seoul 2026 list are new this year . The new entries by category are listed below.
- Korean: 10 new entries. They are Reebukbang, Myeon Seoul, Sancho, Seoryeong, Super Pan, Yuroc, Poom Seoul, Hamo, Hansikgonggan Soban and Haenam Cheonilgwan .
- Asian: 5 new entries. Western: 4 new entries. Grill: 1 new entry, Mongtan .
- Bar & Pub: 4 new entries. Vegetarian: 1 new entry. Both counts come from the Korean-language city release .
These category counts add up to 25. That suggests no Café & Dessert venue is new this year, but the city has not said so directly. The announcement is on the Seoul Metropolitan Government English site.
What is new about cafés in the 2026 Seoul Gourmet list?
For the first time, Seoul has published a separate list of 50 cafés and dessert shops called "Seoul's 50 Cafés & Desserts." It sits alongside the main 100 list . According to the Seoul city Korean-language release, the 50 were chosen on four points: drink and dessert quality, the experience of the space, popularity, and how easy they are for international tourists to use . The main 100 list also has its own Café & Dessert category with 9 venues .
When and where is Seoul Gourmet Week 2026?
Taste of Seoul 2026, also called Seoul Gourmet Week, runs from Friday, October 23 to Thursday, October 29, 2026. Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) is the main venue, and other events take place across the city . According to The Korea Times, the programs are Seoul Restaurant Week, Seoul Gourmet Market, Seoul Gourmet Tours and Seoul Gourmet Workshops . Times and sign-up details for each program have not been confirmed, so check the official website and the @tasteofseoul_official Instagram account before you go.
Who chose the venues?
Sixty domestic experts chose the venues. The panel included food journalists, culinary travelers, academic researchers, professional chefs and tourism specialists. Each expert recommended three places in each of the seven categories, for 21 recommendations per person . The official list site describes the panel differently, as Korean and international experts. The city press release says domestic.
Where can I find the full list and book?
The full list is on the official site, tasteofseoul.visitseoul.net. You can filter it by category and by Seoul's 25 districts . According to the Korean-language city release, the list is also available on Naver Map, Kakao Map, Catch Table and Google Maps . Catch Table is the app most visitors use to book a table. Creatrip has an English summary of the festival programs.
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This article was written using information collected and analyzed by NAMANE's in-house K-pop research AI engine. We use AI technology to bring you faster, broader coverage, and in the process some details may occasionally differ from the latest facts. For important information such as dates, venues, and prices, please double-check with official sources.
