One financier, 1,000 won. About seventy U.S. cents. Honestly that single fact is the whole pitch for this place. I’ve been going here for a while - long before it was called Hayeongdang (하영당). Back then it was a tiny shop in a Guam-dong alley called 7days (세븐데이즈), the kind of place only people in the neighborhood knew about. ...
If you ever find yourself in Gongju, a quiet historic town about 90 minutes south of Seoul, there is one dish locals will insist you try before anything else. It is called gimpitang (김피탕), short for kimchi pizza tangsuyuk. Yes, that is kimchi, pizza cheese, and Korean sweet-and-sour fried meat, all on one plate. I know how it sounds. I was skeptical too, about ten years ago, when a friend dragged me to a tiny shop in Gongju for my first plate. One bite in, the tangy sauce, the sour kick of aged kimchi, and the stretchy cheese somehow made complete sense together. I have been coming back ever since. ...
For about 10,000 won a person you get a bubbling pot of spicy pork rib stew, a fresh stone-pot of rice, and scorched-rice tea to finish. In a year when everything got more expensive, a meal like this almost feels like a glitch. I’ve been coming here for years. The first few times, this was just a quiet neighborhood lunch spot where office workers in Seonhwa-dong came for a cheap home-style meal. It’s a different scene now. ...
If you want good aged sashimi in Samsan, Ulsan, Yoonseul Dining (윤슬다이닝) is worth a stop. I’d been meaning to go for a while because the sashimi kept showing up on my Instagram. Short version: if you like raw fish, you’ll probably leave happy. It’s small and you really need a reservation, so I’d plan around that. The basics The address is 5 Dalsam-ro 24beon-gil, Nam-gu, Ulsan (울산 남구 달삼로24번길 5 1층). It’s one block over from Yongma Night Market in Samsan, tucked behind the grilled-meat alley, not far from Lotte City Hotel. ...
The other night I was half-watching a TV food show when a giant bowl of kongguksu (콩국수, chilled soybean noodle soup) filled the screen. I sat up because I knew that bowl. It was Kongmyeondang (콩면당), a place two minutes from spots I’ve eaten at for years. After that broadcast in late May 2026, blog posts about it suddenly flooded the Korean internet. That broadcast was KBS2’s Saengsaeng Jeongbo (생생정보) on May 27, 2026. ...
There’s one black pork place on Jeju’s east coast I end up at almost every trip. It’s called Jejugil Heukdwaeji Chamsut-gui (제주길흑돼지참숯구이), sitting right on the coastal road near Seongsan Ilchulbong. I’ve actually known this spot for more than ten years, so I was surprised when it suddenly started blowing up in searches. Turns out it was because of a TV show. ...
Haebaragi is my go-to in Ulsan whenever I’m craving a Japanese course. Last time I had the 90,000-won omakase, but honestly, that’s 180,000 won for two people, which is a lot to do often. So this round I tried the step below it — the 60,000-won Haebaragi course. Short version: if the omakase feels like too much but you still want a real Japanese course, the 60,000-won option is the sweet spot. Here’s how it differs from the 90,000-won, and whether 60,000 is enough on its own. ...
There’s a little alley in Ilgwang, out in Gijang, that I keep coming back to. A handful of steamed bun and dumpling shops sit shoulder to shoulder, and two of them always have the longest lines: Ilgwangdang (일광당) and Hojjinppang (호찐빵). I’ve been dropping by this neighborhood for about 15 years now. Some days one shop, some days the other, and more times than I can count I’ve bought from both on the same day to line them up. After that long you start to notice the little changes — prices, the shops moving, even the lines shifting from one place to the other. So instead of writing two separate reviews, I’ll put their buns and dumplings side by side and talk about how they actually differ. ...
If someone in Ulsan asks me where to go for a proper Japanese omakase, Haebaragi (해바라기) in Dal-dong is the first name out of my mouth. It sits in a quiet alley behind the Samsan food street, not far from the Ulsan intercity bus terminal. I’ve been a handful of times and always walked out happy, so this round I went all in on the 90,000-won omakase course. The short version: it isn’t cheap, but between the spread, the portions, and the service, the price made sense to me. Below I’ll walk through how to book, what the private rooms actually look like, and exactly what came out, course by course. ...
If someone asks me where to get proper lasagna in Ulsan, I don’t even hesitate. It’s Lasagna 5F (라자냐5F), right across from Taehwagang National Garden. I’ve been coming here since the early days, and these days you pretty much have to expect a wait. Quick heads-up about the name. The “5F” made me think it was on the fifth floor the first time too. It’s not. 5F is just the name, and the place sits on the ground floor. Apparently everyone glances upward at least once before finding the door. ...