A question for you good people: anyone know of a good place to get a Western-style brunch on a weekend morning in Seoul? I'm talking the works: bacon and eggs, waffles, fruit, bloody marys, and (of course) good coffee! I suspect that if anywhere Itaewon will be lousy with brunch spots, but anywhere in the city works.
(Full disclosure: Looking to impress a girl.)
Posted Aug 17, 2012, 6:00 AM UTC
Honey Bowl in Hapjeong. Not a lot of people know this joint, but's great. Head out of exit 5, take the first right and follow that road nearly to the end (before the large intersection). It'll be on your right hand side. They have better American style brunch better than I've had in a lot of American joints. edit: accidentally a word
Dang it! I thought you were gonna ask us out for brunch!
Haha, and if I had I'd expect someone with your username to see through my insidious ploy...
suzys is okay. its at the end of the main itaewon street near noksapyeong stn.
suji's
Call around to nice hotels in the touristy, business, or affluent areas. Or make it yourself
Would totally make it myself, and I dare say I make excellent cinnamon toast, but have you ever lived in a goshiwon? I wouldn't bring a dog here for brunch, let alone a lady friend.
if you really want to impress a girl, take her to one of the 4 or 5 star hotels for brunch...pricey, but you want to impress, right?
butterfingers is alright, the wait time is usually pretty long.
I like VIPS for lunch, but it's not ideal for impressing a date since it's a well known franchise/chain restaurant.
Butterfinger Pancakes in Gangnam. They have an enormous menu and it's a little pricey, but the portions are huge and everything I've tried has been awesome. It can get pretty busy on the weekends, so maybe call ahead to put your name on the list.
Your date will love it. Trust me.
Amandier near Anguk Station is pretty decent for pastries and stuff, and it's the kind of place that most girls like.
Butterfingers opens at 7 am and goes till 4 am, unless they have changed times. Weekends by 9 am = 1 hour wait. Het there reaaal late or super early.
As others have mentioned Butterfingers is great. Only issue is it has insane lines.
Suji's in Itaewon is okay. I've only been there once or twice.
I really like Original Pancake Story in Hannam. It's tiny so I don't know if it will impress much, but the food is awesome (about on the same level as Butterfingers) and it's a lot cheaper. They do have outdoor seating which is nice. It's closed Sundays though.
If you're looking more to impress, Passion 5. Personally, I think the food is meh, but the atmosphere is definitely geared towards Korean women in their 20s if that makes any sense.
The Flying Pan in Itaewon is the by far the best brunch I've found in Korea (I haven't tried any of the Gangnam brunch places though). Suji's was pretty decent also. Most places that advertise "Brunch" have one option on the menu that is just called "Brunch," and they generally pretty dismal. The Honey Bowl in Hongdae is alright if you need food, but it's not amazing.
Thanks for the suggestions guys! Upvotes all 'round. She said that she wants the American brunch experience (which I'd say doesn't have to be too ritzy), so Honey Bowl or Butterfinger looks like the way to go.
What about Suji's? http://www.sujis.net/sub2_1.htm
Pretty delicious eggs benny, located in Itaewon and other locations too!
Big Rock Brewery in Gangnam does a good breakfast brunch. Buffet style. Price is ~12,000.
The Flying Pan in 'twon is popular but somewhat over priced and the waits can be long. Not as long as Butterfingers though. On the restaurant street in Itaewon there's a new place too called Autumn in New York which does a selection of brunchy skillets for around 15,000. Can still have a wait on weekend mornings though.
Two of my friends used to work at Butterfinger and they say Autumn in New York is much better!
Pretty much anywhere in Itaewon.
Craftworks, the microbrewery in haebangchon (SP?), has a really good brunch.
I went twice for brunch and both times it was quite good. Pancakes and excellent beer the first time for a book club meeting. Second time I had steak and eggs and a Mimosa and it was quite excellent.
Depends where you are. If you're in North West Seoul, check out...
The Pie Hole in Sinchon: http://www.expatevan.com/the-best-breakfast-in-sinchon/
or Organic Cafe in Hongdae: http://www.expatevan.com/the-best-breakfast-in-hongdae/
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Thanks dude. Never mind asking a community of interesting folks what they find cool in their city at the moment. I'll just refer to some travel writer's 2006 CNN article on "The 5 Most Vibrant Eateries in East Asia's Most Dynamic Up-And-Coming City" or what the fuck ever.
Why are any of us here at all?
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I totally understand where you're coming from, and I dislike people using Reddit as a search engine just as much as the next guy, but since this is brunch and opinions and experiences will vary I wanted to hear what a few people had to say. FWIW I did a search of this subreddit for "brunch" and related terms, saw that it hadn't been discussed, and thought it would be an interesting topic to bring up.
Also, since I threw this out there I now know who Joe McPherson and Daniel Gray are, and that they know their shit. So thanks for that!
*editedaword
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Butterfinger Pancakes. Gangnam and Seocho, I believe. Huuuge plates though.
Yeah you get so much food at Butterfingers! Bring an appetite.
Huge plates? I don't really agree, especially considering the price. The "pancakes"/waffles are pure fluff and tasteless (or even tasting bad) and I wasn't impressed otherwise either. But you can and should try.